Couple things: you grafted higher then what is normal. Although I do not know why normal is so close to the ground. your graft looks to be a straight line, I think I see a vertical cut in each, normally you would have that cut so that the two can be forced int oeach other and kinda lock together.

You grafted later then normal, but in many people graft to early, IMO. I like May 1 in zone 5, but others are doing it in mid march.

But in short it worked, so you did it right. Once a new shoot has grown 3" I count it as a successful graft and you are beyond that.

Well, it callused in and is growing.
Looks like your whip & tongue is just a simple whip/splice - I don't see any evidence of interlocking between scion and understock. Most of the first grafts I ever did were just simple splice grafts, and they did well.
Only concern I'd have is that this is not a very 'strong' union, initially, and it's gonna be prone to blowing off or breaking off if a bird lights on it. You might consider installing a tall stake, extending well above the height of the shoots originating from the scion, and gently fastening it to the stake for support until the union is stronger.

Take 2 popsicle sticks and rubber electrical tape and brace that graft or it WILL break off with a gust of wind. I have to brace my apple grafts for 2 years after, but I live in ND and 50mph winds arent very uncommon.

Your tongue especially on the scion is high. It takes practice to get the cut that changes the graft from a simple splice into a whip&tongue in the right place. Also the graft wasn't wrapped tight enough as evidenced by the gap that the callus needed to fill in. But like the others said it worked. So well done.

I'd second the need for support this year. As fast as that's growing it will likely blow out this year if not supported.

The alternative to support would be to tip the new shoots right now. The taller it gets the more leverage on the splice. You might want to support and tip. It depends on your confidence in any support. Don't lose it now.

This post was edited by fruitnut on Wed, Jun 26, 13 at 12:11

Nice job. My first grafts were often much cruder, and sometimes still are. Nice feeling, ay?

Now that you've had some success... the obsession begins...
Kinda like the pledge at Possum Lodge:
"I'm a grafter, but I can stop... if I have to... I guess..."
Nope, not gonna happen.

Thank you for your advises. I'll brace them now. Tipping them hurts my heart very much but I did it. Since they took i removed the tape on my one other graft too. I made 2 grafts from my extra long Shiro mail order. I had no clue what I was doing. I cut the tongue but when I push them together they create gaps at the edge. So i just leave them on each other. It is high is because that's where the woods are the same size. Do they have to be the same size?

Nice feeling is an understatement. I am ecstatic. lol.

here is the second one. it is grafted about a foot above the ground.

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I am going to ask a couple question for me and the OP. what is the downside to rootstalk being from random seed vs a known variety? size only, or disease resistance?

what about training & pruning? tip the lower shoots then nothing further until next year? what do you do with it next year?

It's not so bad to have it high. Easier to get a baffle that will work to keep the squirrels out of the tree.

When you have a known rootstock, you know the size, suckering, disease resistant, climatological preference, that it's virus free, and other factors. However, I get "free trees" growing out of my compost all the time and I graft to them. Some will grow much taller, but I can graft known rootstock onto them, thereby controlling their size. Then I can graft whatever onto them. If you have acreage, it's not so bad. For example, you might want a kind of apple that is tall enough that the deer can't reach it. For right now, I would experiment on your free trees, especially when you know that peaches won't grow to be too big and they don't live that long anyway. You can also buy rootstock.

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John S
PDX OR