Greenhouser, I'm a loner. This is my dream occuring right now. I'll plant conifer and tree and shrub gardens with mostly conifers. I have probably 5.5 acres usable and a section of native trees which are maybe 1/2 an acre.

Look for me on the internet in 7 years. I'll have my own business.

The greenhouse gets a lot of sun. In fact full sun. It tapers off mid-afternoon.

Dax

Thanks for the information Dax. It sounds like I and we could learn alot about conifers from you. I would hate to lose your info here. Please stay.... No reason to get frustated. We all have different backgrounds and are learning from our seniors... That is what makes this so great different opinions. I cant spell greenhouser gave some info about that some day I might use it to spell. You have a gift share it. Nothing wrong with being a loner that means you study more. LOL Barb

Sorry dstarch. I was thrown off my thought pattern, I apologize. Barb is right, we all can learn from each other. I hope you see sense in humor. I see yours.

I'm not going anywhere. I've been on GW since 2001 and usually stay on the conifers forum. I'm inbetween growing seedlings and cultivars (grafts). I'm leaning heavily toward seedlings because I don't have anymore money to grow a lot of what I'll be using to landscape so seedlings are more budgetable however I have access to scionwood/cuttings from a few large collections and of course friends from the internet many of which are pals from the conifers forum.

I've been extremely lucky from the very beginning. I was introduced to Justin "Chub" Harper who has donated right from his own garden to several very special collections of conifers and from there it's been a rocket ride.

All this talk about what can I grow whether it be in a greenhouse or in a landscape is all derived from what I happen to label "Comparing Climates" which is nothing more than finding out the conditions where a plant grows in it's natural habitat and then comparing these conditions to your own, greenhouse or climate. That's the key to success. Latitude, environmental factors, stress it's all pertinent. Same for choosing the best rootstocks to use. When a scion is bunnihopped on a seedling, it's important to realize that the rootstock may influence how well the scion will perform as well. Compatibility in one word. "Climates"

I wish it were easy to explain grafting or cutting propagation but a good start for anyone interested would be to get a copy of Dirr's, 'The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation', purchase some seedlings and get a razor sharp knife. Even in his book, a person must understand that a broad view is being illustrated and that each person, again, must adapt to their own situation.

Another thing to do is hang around gardenweb member, "Resin" - the man is a genious. While conifers are his local, he's probably taught me more than any one person has when it really relates to the nuts and bolts of plant physiology and backing up to see the simplistics. It's all about native habitat and how can I create a similar environment in my own. That I've learned from him.

Grafting involves a lot of things:
Matching as best as possible the vigor of the seedling rootstock to the vigor of the scion.
Choosing both scions and rootstocks that do well where you live.
Knowing that most grafting occurs between December thru March 1. (Japanese Maples and Ginkgo beeing a big exception) Summer Grafting should be preferred for those.
Having an extremely sharp knife, one that can cut the hairs off your arm or hand from passing it over them.
A humid environment.
Having dormant scionwood but non-dormant, "pushing" understocks.
Creating tent chambers for grafts or waxing the scions which replaces the need for a tent. Deciduous winter grafts require wax (paraphin). You can buy paraphin at your local hardware store for under 5 dollars.
Saving money on heating costs. Only graft (planning ahead) or heat up your prophouse to coincide with the time needed to do the labor as well as for the normal 8 week period it takes for callousing of the scion to the seedling rootstock.
Giving the grafts as much light as possible but not allowing the prophouse to overheat which especially comes into play when spring arrives and temps soar. Smaller greenhouses will have this problem in winter on sunny days.
Grafts should be kept at a steady 50 F for 8 weeks if at all manageable. You may do all your grafting with this temp or within a range of 45-60 F understanding that the lower the heat, the longer the callous period will take or vice versa.
Matching cambium to cambium - (Learning to use the knife correctly). If your scion is 1/4" wide be sure to do your best to make your cut into the seedling exactly the same width.
The smaller the material the better. It's easier. Not toothpick small as that takes a lot of skill, but a pencil width is the general norm when cutting scionwood.
Having a heel of hardwood is a must. You cannot in winter grafting use anything but hardwood (semi-hardwood can work but it's not as easy). So make your cuts on hardwood.
Pushing the roots and the scion with bottom heat speeds up callousing.
Not overwatering. Too much water and your union of scion to understock will take place too rapidly thus pushing the scion buds to grow before the knitting takes place. Water can be an enemy. Again this relates to "climates."

I'll take a break but these are some of the very basics. You can also order 'Coenosium Gardens' grafting video for 30 bucks and see it all first hand. It's a huge step forward for seeing it live. You can also visit these websites:
Tina 605T Grafing Knife
http://www.amleo.com/index/item.cgi?cmd=view&Words=605t

U Tube Grafting Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3PVlqQHZHM

Grafting The Japanese Maple:
http://webpages.charter.net/wbshell/garden/graft1.htm

Parafilm Grafting Tape:
http://www.midwestvineyardsupply.com/ProductList.asp?categoryid=25&subcatid=84&cat=Grafting+Tape&Type=True

Propagating Conifers By Grafting:
http://www.conifergarden.com/grafting.htm

wbgarden.com (witches' broom)
http://www.wbgarden.com/

Coenosium Gardens
http://www.cnos.biz./index.html
http://www.coenosium.com/
This is where you can buy a grafting video and see illustrations as well as spend a long time enjoying a fantastic website.

Take care!

Dax

The only thing left is to connect my new automated shutter on the same loop as my exhaust fan. I was shipped a shutter that was non-automated so I just need to have my contractor hoop up this new one. In a week, I'll warm up the house and bring my grafting understocks in so they'll be ready to be grafted in Feb.

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Dax

Looking good Dax! Those benches waiting for plants make me think what a wonderful way this will be for you to start the New Year. It makes me happy to think of how good you'll feel warming it up and moving things in.
Sheri

Dax,

Things are really moving along with your greenhouse. That's fantastic. How exciting.

Where do you get your understock from? When I talked to Dianne Finchmann she said they buy lots of 500 or more to cut the costs. She said she would be interested in sharing a few different varieties so that I could graft more conifers.

Do you have your scion already?

Tj

Sheri I love it. Been soaking seeds for a week and I'm all done. Now their in the fridge cold stratifying. Things are really gonna start popping in Feb. That's definitely my 'New Year'!

Ladylotus,

I buy Acer palmatum and other stuff from:
Heritage Seedlings - they're by far the best of the cream of the crop. They are wholesale and a minimum of 100 plants is necessary and then other things can be purchased in smaller quantities. This year I bought my usual Acer palmatums but I bought 150 of them (sharing costs) and that came to 105 dollars. Then I bought some large grafts 2-3 foot of Taxodium distichum 'Shawnee Brave' which the minimum (of one single "specialty" category is 10) and those came to (94.50). Their stock is wonderful as I say. Other plants are sold in groupings of 25, 50, etc - 25 Taxodium distichum at 3/16 calliper cost me 20 dollars even. They also have Picea pungens, White Pine, pretty much everything you'd need.

All the other stuff I purchase from several places:
University of Idaho
Plants of The Wild
and late in the season I purchase extra stock from Musser Forests as they have already potted understock.

Seedlings are potted up in advance and grown in a pot for grafting the following year. It's typical to have seedlings shipped for the spring before. Soon I won't be buying seedlings from anyone as I'm growing them myself.

Dax

conifers

Why are they grafted? They can't grow on their own roots?

Yep Greenhouser.

Here's a little more of how a prophouse needs to be set-up for those of you interested in grafting:

roll of insulation then heat mats on top then the understocks, then tenting chamber. When the understocks show white-tipped root growth or when the buds break, it'll be time to graft onto them (this is all done at once). The understocks will be ready to be grafted to in approximately one month. The tent chamber will be closed permanently for 2 weeks after the (scions/cuttings) are attached, then each morning after the tent (poly) will be opened each morning to let the dew droplets dry and then let loose to hang for the remainder of the season (till the last freeze) at which time they will be potted up and taken to a shade structure outdoors (or under a big tree) if the grafts were successful.

Last photo shows how scions are attached. The photo shows a reference to an understock/rootstock but is just a faxsimily of one. Of course the understock will be in a pot with roots. Scions are attached with a bud strip. Spruce and Hard Pines are attached with a bud strip and then the graft union (where the cuts are made) are followed up with an overlap (over the bud strip) with 'Parafilm' grafting tape. This entire representation is for the grafting of conifers only. Deciduous material has its own course to follow.

Best regards,

Dax

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A successful graft (6 months old. The understock has been removed allowing only the scion to be growing). The scion is now using the rootsystem of the seedling understock:
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To: Dax

Why do you graft them? They can't grow on their own roots? What do you do with them after they're rooted and potted? Do you sell them?

Hi greenhouser, I won't be selling them for quite a while. I just recently moved to 6 acres and I need to create a stockplant base. I'll probably sell rooted cuttings in a few years though. I'm unsure/teetering if I'll get big-time into grafting or if I'll take the easy route and sell cuttings.

Grafting is only done when a plant cannot be propagated by a cutting. Mostly. There are a few exceptions:
Picea glauca var. albertiana all root from cuttings "Dwarf Alberta Spruce's"

All Hemlocks should be rooted and not grafted. Hemlock grafts have been known to up and die in less than 20 years. Besides it's much cheaper to propagate a cutting as no seedling understocks need to be purchased or grown.

Junipers root from cuttings.

Taxus / Yews root from cuttings

Metasequoia can be rooted from cuttings but seedlings are ready in one season to be used for grafting scions thus creating a larger plant more quickly (sellable)

All Pines must be grafted except Umbrella Pine (Sciadopity's verticillata)

All Spruce minus very few cultivars must be grafted.

All Larch must be grafted.

Taxodium must be grafted.

Chamaecyparis I personally have difficulty rooting. The entire Genus.

There are of course many more conifers than what I'm talking about but these are the main ones I mess around with. Dirr & Heuser's Manual of Woody Plant Propagation will explain further and it's the handbook anyone needs to get started.

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Someday I may sell. Currently I'm on social security disability and my family doesn't want me to over-exert myeself in anyway.

Right now it's my lifestyle, my hobby, my way of keeping busy.

Happy New Years, sorry I got mad on that other thread a month or so ago. I've already forgotten but I know you didn't have the "mad money" to get a motorized shutter looped with an exhaust fan. Must have been about hot temps. ~ironic???

Regards though,

Dax

That information about grafting is very interesting. I assumed all evergreens or conifers we see for sale are grown from seed.

Dax, that is very interesting, and thanks for the photos of your set up. I'm so impressed with your knowledge about what each seedling needs, and the system you've figured out to get the conditions just right. I am sure you've been doing this for quite a while, and you've earned that knowledge the hard way...but it must be such a joy to have those skills in place. Yep I'm jealous.

I'm just too new at propagating my succulents, it's really hit and miss. You give me something to aim for!
Sheri