Parafilm grafting tape

14 years ago

Under the heading, if it's worth doing well it's worth screwing it up the 1st time - I decided to try the Parafilm grafting tape to t-bud onto 9 - G11 apple rootstocks last Sunday. By Monday evening, 3 of the 9 had the tape splitting directly over the flap.

Figuring I had stretched the tape too tight or not gone around enough times, I re-applied more tape than the first time and didn't stretch it as tight. This evening I checked them all again and all but one had split nearly wide open!!! So, I wrapped them with a vinyl grafting tape that is considerably stronger than the Parafilm and hope it works.

I take it the flaps were creating an outward pressure and splitting the weak tape. Should I have used rubber bands (for strength) in addition? If so, which goes first, the Parafilm or the rubber bands?

I expect to get a wide variety of comments on this.

And this is why I did 9, having not done any since 1985, in hopes of getting one to take.

Oh by the way, the grafting went pretty well except the last 2 were done with blood pouring out of my left index finger tip, whooops, the knife slipped! Thank god it stopped when it got to the finger nail. Sorry, forgot to take pics;)

Michael

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Comments (11)

lucky_p
14 years ago
Parafilm is not sufficient to be the sole wrap for a graft or bud placement - its purpose is to seal in moisture until the bud or graft calluses. You also need to overwrap with a grafting/budding rubber, masking tape, or some other appropriate binding material - of course, leaving the bud itself exposed(except for a couple of layers of stretched Parafilm over it).

I've not done any T-buds in years - I do mostly spring grafting with dormant scions - but I usually wrap with Parafilm first, then overwrap with whatever is appropriate for the species I'm grafting - if I'm doing apples/pears, I usually just use masking tape - but if I'm doing oaks/pecan/hickory/walnut/persimmon, I'll use rubber bands - and often, I'll overwrap the rubber with masking tape just to keep the UV rays from degrading the rubber so quickly.
applenut_gw
14 years ago
I feel your pain. I've been frustrated trying to find the right bud grafting tape, as the rubbers rot too quickly, the parafilm is too soft, and the vinyl tape chokes the tree if I don't come cut it.

But I found my solution with Buddy Tape from amleo.com (A.M. Leonard Horticultural Tool & Supply). It's pre-perforated into 2-3/4" strips that are the right size for budding, and it stretches really long and you can get 10-12 wraps around the tree. It is strong enough to hold the bark down, but the bud will break right through it and I don't have to cut it afterwards. So far I've had 100% success with it.

Applenut
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I'll reiterate my experiences, as recounted from the previous thread Mark referred to. I've been grafting for 20 years now, started with apples & pears, progressed to persimmons, oaks, pecans/hickories/walnuts. My mentors all used the plain old medical/laboratory-grade Parafilm M - and that's what I've 'grown up' using; I'm comfortable with it, know how it handles, and know how the grafts do with it. To my knowledge, there was no 'grafting' Parafilm formulation when I started out. Had occasion, this spring, while conducting a hands-on grafting demonstration with local Extension Master Gardeners class, to play around with some of the Parafilm Grafting tape, provided by the UofKY Extension fruit specialists. I found the 'grafting' formulation to be less stretchy, less sealing/conforming, and altogether a less user-friendly product - but, it could just be that it was so different from the familiar old Parafilm 'M', that I've been using for decades. *I* won't be purchasing any Parafilm Grafting tape - I'll stick with the good ol' Parafilm M; I use the 2"x250' roll(cost~$20) - cut into 6" lengths, which are then split into 3 2/3" strips - a roll usually lasts me 2-3 years. Manufacturer's documentation indicates typical shelf life of 3 years at room temperature ranges and 50% humidity. I came across several decades-old rolls of the 20"x50' Parafilm M while cleaning out a storage closet several years ago. Still usable, but it breaks more easily when stretched than 'in-date' Parafilm. So...for routine use, I'll keep using a 'new' roll of Parafilm M rather than the stuff that's older than my kids. 'Free' isn't worth the hassle. But, I was glad I had the big, wide roll on hand just this past weekend, when my wife backed a trailer into one of the young bur oaks in my yard, mangling and knocking a 6x12" chunk of bark loose - I replaced it, as best I could, within just a few minutes, wrapped a piece of 20" wide Parafilm around the trunk to help seal in moisture, and overwrapped, tightly, with Gorilla tape; then covered that with a layer of aluminum foil to reflect sunlight away(the damage is on the west side of the trunk). No guarantee that there won't be a huge defect for the tree to heal over, but if at least some islands of bark re-attach, there'll be less delay in closing the wound. We'll see what it looks like next spring, when I pull the dressing off.
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Konrad___far_north
14 years ago
Michael, Parafilm is used to seal over the bud, [not to hold] im my case the whole scion when I barkgraft.
I use electical tape to hold the graft, in your case you could use rubber band, I have also used electrical tape and it worked.
Hope you have better luck next time.
Konrad

Here is a link that might be useful: Barkgrafting...
Scott F Smith
14 years ago
I guess I'm the contrarian.. I always use just parafilm. I use 2-3 times around on each graft and I use the 1" tape only. Stretch but not to breaking. No problems, ever.

Scott
Beeone
14 years ago
I'm pretty much a novice at grafting, but have tried several different things, and have never tried budding in late summer. I started out wrapping the graft with electrical tape. That worked great, until a year or so later when I removed the tape and took a lot of bark with it. Then I got some parafilm and would wrap the graft with that, then a wrap of electrical tape at the grafting point on top. That works better to remove the electrical tape without stripping the bark, although I would still get a very thin layer of bark. I've also wrapped the graft with just the parafilm, several layers, and that has also worked fine. After about a year the parafilm starts looking brittle and cracking and starts coming loose.
marknmt
14 years ago
Well, everybody here already said everything that needs said, but FWIW I wrap all my grafts first with a rubber band for strength and then overwrap that with parafilm stretched almost to breaking.

Because I didn't know what size rubbers to order and they were cheap I got three different sizes and now find myself using them all. I'm appending the link to the outfit for anybody that's interested, and I have to say that I liked doing business with them.

You certainly can just use large rubber bands from Staples, as I think I learned from Lucky, but the "budding rubbers" are wide, thin, soft, and powdered, and it makes them nice to use.

After grafting the sun takes care of the aftercare.

I think a person can overdo the parafilm- it adheres to itself so well that you can encase the graft in a plastic blob if you keep wrapping too long!

M

Here is a link that might be useful: Grafting supply source
murkwell
14 years ago
Ditto almost exactly what marknmt said down to the vendor and ordering multiple lengths of rubbers. I prefer the longest ones. If I have extra after wrapping I stretch it and cut it with my grafting knife.

I usually do 1-2 layers of parafilm stretched as tight as I can without breaking it. I think that makes the best seal and the tension probably helps it break down in the sun. It also uses the least parafilm. I tend to use more parafilm if I did a poor job of mating the graft because I reason that I need to keep the moisture in longer for the cambium to knit.

Its best to use the rubber first so that the scion stays in position while tightly wrapping the parafilm.
marknmt
14 years ago
Hi Murky :-) I'm reassured to learn I'm doing these the way you do it.

On a few of my grafts where I had a chip or bud backup I tried using the same rubber for both grafts ... just another example of me being an obsessive tightwad! Probably a false economy, too. But sometimes I've gotten away with covering two different buds with one rubber after cutting it.

I'm still very much in the learning stages. And it seems like technique and tools keep improving. Pretty soon I'll no excuses.

Best,

Mark
lucky_p
14 years ago
Sorta depends on what procedure I'm using.
If I'm doing a 3 or 4-flap 'banana' graft or modified bark graft on pecan or walnut(or persimmon) - I wrap first with Parafilm - it's easier for me to hold all the pieces together while wrapping Parafilm with less pressure/torque than you have to exert when stretching that rubber band - then the Parafilm holds things together nicely while you overwrap with the rubber. For slow-callusing grafts like nut trees, I'll overwrap the rubber with masking tape or aluminum foil to prevent UV from breaking it down so quickly - but you gotta come back and remove the foil - and sometimes the masking tape as well, but usually loosens up on its own and the rubber band degrades.

If I'm doing a simple whip on apple or pear, I just wrap with parafilm, then overlay the graft union with a couple of layers of masking tape - I don't even use a rubber band on those any more - the pomefruits callus in so rapidly that the tape is usually adequate to hold 'em in place 'til they knit together.

If I'm doing a whip & tongue on apple or pear, I'll usually do the rubber band first, 'cause even though I've been doing 'em for years, I still haven't got the hang of making my cuts just right so that all cambium layers match up perfectly without really putting some pressure on 'em with the rubber. Then overwrap the whole thing - union & scion in its entirety - with Parafilm.
marknmt
14 years ago
Hello Lucky.

I was wrapping the entire scion with parafilm too, but too often I'd get clumsy and end up twisting the scion out of place. So I went to just being very sure that the graft itself was covered with good margins (especially where the rootstock was larger than the scion by much). Then I dab a bit of tar on the tip. This might leave two or so inches of scion exposed, and it mostly works. Maybe I should just learn to be more careful. Maybe a plastic baggie would help.

I get a few of my W&T grafts pretty good, but mostly I end up with cuts that have a little curve or twist built into them- and so I really need that rubber band to pull the parts into line. (I probably need a coach to work on my follow through with me ... ;-)

Best,

Mark
ersharmapc_gmail_com
13 years ago
Dear Sir,
I intend to purchase parafilm tape for grafting apple plants.Kindly letme know as to from where I can obtain these tapes .

Parafilm grafting tape

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