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| Hy all I am wanting to learn about grafting.I do a lot of reading about grafting.I will start next year.What I wanted to know the Omega style grafting tools do they work? And are they worth the extra expense.Or maybe I should start some where else. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by konrad___far_north 3..just outside of E (My Page) on Sat, Jul 7, 12 at 22:39
| This should be a start, my preferred method. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Konrad's modified bark grafting
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| Omega tools are for grafting grapes. All that is needed is a thin sharp knife and some practice. Someone personally showing you is the best instruction. |
Here is a link that might be useful: mrtexas
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| Take a look at Opinel. I bought the #6 and #10 on amazon. Those two should be enough to do most grafting and tender growth cleanup. Sharp blades, thin enough, and cheap enough where you wont curse if you lose one. -Eric |
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- Posted by john222-gg ms./8 (My Page) on Sun, Jul 8, 12 at 9:50
| Thanks for the info I needed guidance.I Will keep looking |
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- Posted by swvirginiadave z6 VA (My Page) on Sun, Jul 8, 12 at 19:14
| The omega grafting tool is used for more than just grapes and is useful for those doing commercial scale grafting as it is much faster and safer than using a knife; however, the scion and rootstock have to be within a limited diameter range. Unless you plan to do hundreds of grafts, I don't think it's worth the money. Don't be intimidated by grafting; if you've looked at some illustrations of cleft, whip, whip and tongue, or bark grafting, you're ready to try. Consider that people have been grafting for at least 2000 years when all they had was an iron knife, beeswax and some twine. All you need to start is a sharp penknife or one sided razor blade. A grafting knife makes it a little easier to cut but it's not necessary. Get some parafilm to wrap the grafts and you won't need any grafting wax. Start with something easy like apple or pear to get some experience. Good luck and have fun. |
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- Posted by harvestman 6 (My Page) on Mon, Jul 9, 12 at 6:31
| I like making simple splice grafts. I use a double bladed pruner I buy from AMLEONARD because it tends to cut without fraying bark. |
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| That pruner looks nice. I was taught to be careful of fraying the cambium layer, and I think it's useful to cut through the bark with a sharp knife before the pruning cut. I don't do many grafts and the time issue isn't that important or I'd buy the Leonard pruner. Mark |
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| Everyone I know who's purchased one of the omega-type grafting machines - and most of them are accomplished, experienced grafters - have discarded them in short order. One guy I know has two of them lying in a drawer, that he'd gladly sell(and, no, it's not me). They may be just the thing for grafting grapes - and perhaps in a 'commercial' setting, where all scions and rootstock are of identical size, but for pomefruits/nuts, etc., the varying sizes of scion/rootstock that many of us who are hobbyists - albeit obsessive, in some cases - have to work with, I just get the idea that they're not worth the investment. I recommend purchasing a good quality grafting/budding knife and honing your skills with some prunings between now and next spring. |
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| I bought one, it worked well for doing my first grafts. When one doesn't know what one is doing, and is afraid of getting cut, they can be useful. They can be the nudge to get over that hump of apprehension of what seems daunting to a first-time grafter. I had good takes with mine grafting apple and probably pear. The larger, more robust and serviceable versions of those type of devices look like they could be real useful for bench grafting. At the Home Orchard Society propagation event in Portland every year there is a table with a handful of experienced grafters bench grafting made-to-order trees and one of the fellows cranks them out with one of these things. But once one gets a little experience grafting the old-fashioned way there isn't as much use for them, especially for top-working, and they aren't as much fun. I'm one of those who has one "in a drawer" that I'm willing to sell. Problem is that if somebody shows up to buy it I'm just as willing to teach them how to graft by hand. Maybe I should give it to my neighbor. She's a lefty and I had a heck of a time trying to demonstrate how to hold the scion and knife to her. I'm going on a tangent, but I'm amazed at some of the scary ways in which the self taught wield a knife in the kitchen. |
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- Posted by john222-gg ms./8 (My Page) on Fri, Jul 13, 12 at 17:01
| To all the people that gave A response to my question about the grafting tool. I wont you to know I really appreciated all the info. My grafting will be done in my own orchard.I have every kind of fruit tree you can think of that will grow in the south.I can keep the grafts on small wood.Just want to learn something new Thanks"""""" |
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