Very nice, Dax. Thanks for taking the time to do this.

At what point do you know that the seedlings are ready to graft onto? Buds swelling? Buds bursting? Sap oozing from the cut wounds?

As always Dax, the video is excellent and was very clear on what to do. Curiosity here. If you were to graft two scions on those particular seedlings, is it in case one of the grafts fail or would it be because you want two grafts on the plant forever?
Cher

Hi Matt, Thanks Cher.

Matt, On everything except spruce once the buds are swelling or if you look at the bottom of the pot and see white roots, you're good to go. When 2/3 of a block of something such as these spruce I'm doing show either or, all are ready for grafting.

Cher, I left 2 spots mainly so if I wanted to put a very dwarf or miniature globe up on a small standard, I could. Or, say I have extra scions of something and want to create a stock plant, then I can add multiple scions to one seedling.

Dax

That makes sense to me Dax and a smart idea to prepare for either now. Thanks so much for the explanation.
Cher

Dax, wonderful....WONDERFUL video. Too bad I did not see it earlier this morning. CR*P I went out and started cleaning a couple trays of my understock today. I did mine differently, I cleaned up from the bottom but did not leave 2 or 3 branches on one side like you did. I left a puff of plant on the top. I took photographs, but planned on working on more plants all day tomorrow so I left my little camera down in my greenhouse. I am SOOO glad that you put your video together because had you not, I would have continued through all my plants in the same fashion.

Gosh, I'm feeling I should not proceed with anything anymore without asking first.

Thank you for going through the work of putting together your video. It is VERY helpful.

Nice video Dax. Good quality too.

Its interesting to watch these to see how its done.

Celtics fan huh?

Good stuff. I can almost smell the resin from here!

In town they don't call my gooey thumbs for notin'.

You'll be alright Lady lotus, you'll just be thinning new growth more when it obstructs sunlight from getting to your scions.

Whaas, The Boston Celtics & Larry Bird are gods in my family. One bad mention to either and my old man is looking for a fist fight.

80 dollar camera made that video. It's unbelievable what can be done now-a-days.

Dax

At what point do you know that the seedlings are ready to graft onto? Buds swelling? Buds bursting? Sap oozing from the cut wounds?

===>>> simply tip the plant out of the pot ... dormant roots are dark brown/red ...

when they activate.. and start growing.. they have white tips ... and that is when the plant is ready to accept a graft ...

and i bet that could be weeks if not months.. before a bud starts swelling ...

great vid dax....

ken

ps: though i like the smell of conifers.. i am not sure i want to smell Resin .. lol ...

Another relaxing episode in Dax's school of Coniferpropagation.Extra cool!!! T.

Hi Ken, quick summary:

White roots - good to go. Swelling buds and/or bursting - good to go.

Spruce - really a person should wait until growth has occurred from the buds.

With bottom heat and a closed tent, I can count down to 14 days on the nose and everything will have swollen buds. Spruce are ready to the day one week later when the first sight of foliage unfolds.

==--==

Thank ya T!

Thank ya too, Ken!

Dax

Hey, where I can find the video - Preparing Conifer Seedling Understocks For Winter Grafting? Thanks for all your help!

I condensed them all to one grafting video and a follow-up video of my results. There were just too many videos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seCY8td5ZJk

Hey, thanks! I noticed in one of your videos that on your aftercare part 2 you mentioned that a small scion will require much more time before you can cut off the rootstock. Would you recommend using bigger scion or do I run the risk of it not pushing as well? For example I have attached pictures of large scions that I was going to cut separately but do people ever try and graft something large like this? Should grafts only be a one direction scion or can they have a branch as well?

the graft will never heal fast enough.. to hold that big part up ... especially in the first wind storm ...

i suspect.. that is why .. smaller is better ...

ken

They can be branched, certainly. If You were to graft a scion that size, you'd need a seedling that looked similar, i.e. the same amount of foliage/thicker trunk/more roots. Everything when grafting has to be of proportionate size. So, returning to grafting a very small scion on a large seedling, a decent amount of foliage on the seedling is retained until the scion seems proportionate on its own/w/o the need for foliage on the seedling to survive from a certain point on forward...

It may be years until all the seedling-rootstock foliage is slowly removed over a period of time while the scion grows during those years... and eventually the end result is a remaining scion on the rootstock that is supporting the root-system with all all the energy the roots need coming from the scion.

Every situation is up to the grafter to decide what to do. Some more extreme than others. I've kept branching on a grafted plant for 5-years or more until my scion was ready to support the need of balance to feed the root system. It's a feel..... something you learn, sometimes the hard way.

Dax

ALWAYS ... what dax said in re grafting ....

but ..... i also wonder ... how you establish a vascular system for that large a graft ...

all of its access to the root mass .. is in the cut you make and match up the cambian ... and that seems like a rather small surface as compared to the huge piece you are talking about ....

i would worry ... later in the heat of summer.. whether it could process the amounts of water it might need ... short of a misting system ...

i have seen very small 3 prong scion ... of things like picea glauca ... but we are talking 3 inch max ... with two one inch side sprouts ... and we always have to think about how big the spring flush will be on the stored energy ... adding to the bulk of the mass above ...

no one ever learned anything without experimenting ... so graft one piece small.. and graft the rest .. whats to lose???

again .. always what guru dax said first ... then my drivel next.. lol ...

ken

Btw, I just looked at your picture and noticed your scion isn't dormant. It's too late for that scion. Not only are there fresh cones, the bud scales have already split. You should always use dormant scions when grafting...

If you won't have access to that particular cultivar scionwood ever again, then go ahead and graft it and hope luck is on your side. Sometimes you may get lucky, however... as advanced as that scion is, don't count on it. And, should you graft it or pieces of it, be sure to remove the cones first... then graft it.

Dax