Grafting Experiment

12 years ago

So heres the deal, I've wanted to try grafting for a couple years now and i just dove in head first! The perfect candidate [patient) is this real leggy Golden Rainbow.

The plan is to turn this into a shortened, more compact plant, the areas in red will be removed.

Using a "V" type cut for graft

Heres the finished product, less than half the original height!

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Comments (17)

ralphglass
Original Author
12 years ago
theres a few more photos here

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nomadsocal/
nativec
12 years ago
You are a brave soul! LOL I'm fascinated! Keep us updated please!
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Dr.Manners, what useful info. You are so right regarding learning grafting face to face. I was taught many grafts (have only used chip budding on roses) by an old rose hand. He used to hire himself out in the rose fields - fruit too. We have made a 7 apple family tree together! Anyhow, not only was it a terrific way to learn but to watch a pro in action was almost poetic. He used a Tina budding knife and it was almost like the knife and the plant were extensions of his own body. He has been trying to retire from teaching horticulture for 4 years now but gets pleaded with to stay 'just one more year'. I was fortunate to study with him for three really wonderful years. I am very interested in the idea of rooting and grafting at the same time as although I do not have a misting unit, I do many softwood and semiripe cuttings in small transparent boxes - what I called my mini-props - which keeps enough humidity and ventilation to allow rooting while avoiding rotting. The trick, I think, is in the amount of airspace around the cuttings and the slightly shaded area on the bench where I do it. I am certainly going to have a go. Again, many thanks.
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Eukofios, Thank you for your thoughts on sealing and binding the fig cleft-graft. In reply to your interest about my own experiences with fig grafting, I can summarise my personal observations in the field, thus far, as follows- Chip budding using current season's growth as buds matched onto rootstock material of similar growth maturity, has proven to be VERY easy and successful in my trials recently (we are now in the middle of autumn here in Australia). "Patch budding" (which is different to T budding or chip budding) has also proved successful for me, however it has many disadvantages over chip budding....The patch budding proceedure can only be done successfully when the bark of the recipient and the donor both slip easily....Also if the bark of the patch is much thinner than the bark around where it will be placed, it will always fail to take in the fig. I have therefore come to the conclusion that chip budding is BY A LONG SHOT more versatile than patch budding, and should be the preferred method of budding figs. I would also suggest that it is to be preferred ovet T-budding, if only for the obvious reason that T budding also reuqires the recipient bark to easily slip, which adds restrictions on the timing of the grafting. I have not as yet tried cleft grafting onto figs. Anyway, keep us posted on your results!!
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Grafting methods
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If anyone needs how to videos on grafting I would suggest checking out this channel http://www.youtube.com/user/stephenhayesuk?feature=watch . The purpose of this question is more related to stone fruit grafting techniques vs. pome fruit grafting techniques and when and why to change methods. Many of us have a very distinct set of tools that we use. For me personally I like tanglefoot sealer, actual grafting tape, I use toilet wax ring instead of grafting wax strictly because it's less expensive, crescent wrench to match size of scion wood, victorinox knife, clippers, saws etc.. and then my signature methods I always use as mentioned are whip and rind grafts. Recently I had an expert mention to me that I should use side grafts for apricots instead of my planned method of rind grafts. I am experimenting this year top working Manchurian apricots over to honey peaches and prunus besseyi to hybrid plums.
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ralphglass
Original Author
12 years ago
haha, Well ultimately i want to make multi-colored plants from grafting
nativec
12 years ago
I think you are well on the way! I cringe every time I have to cut any plumeria. I commend your bravery! So we should expect pictures sometime around 2014 of your fabulous trees that have a different flower on every branch! :) I'll be on the lookout.

In all seriousness I know Upland Nursery offers them but I've never actually seen one. I believe they offer 2 and 3 color combinations. I think of all the space I could save in my yard by combining trees! LOL Good luck!
ralphglass
Original Author
12 years ago
I was as Upland Nursery this morning, a generic 4 color, was $329.00
nativec
12 years ago
Ahhh! $329.00 Thats absurd! I keep saying I am going to visit Upland Nursery since I'm not that far away. If anything maybe you can start a business with your trees and you can do custom orders. I would like, Metallica, JJ's Scentsational and Wildfire on my first order...LOL Thank you for sharing!
pcput
12 years ago
GOOD JOB ralphglass !!!! It looks fantastic !!!! I think you will have no problem grafting the different colors on one plant. Think of all the money you can make selling them. Congrats !!! Peg
ralphglass
Original Author
12 years ago
Wow, thanks for the great comments, I'm not in it for the money, id rather trade cuttings and teach/help others learn to graft. Think of the incredible possibilities of combinations of colors!! This took less than an hour to do today, if all goes well, we could have some spectacular plants!

Ralph
elucas101
12 years ago
Cool! I'm looking forward to following your progress with this, thanks for sharing it. Any particular issues you experienced cutting / fitting or was it smooth sailing?
ralphglass
Original Author
12 years ago
smooth sailing all the way, it was actually really easy, once you get past traumatizing your baby! I guess its my Paramedic background that got me thru it, lol!

Ralph
Loveplants2 8b Virginia Beach, Virginia
12 years ago
Hey Ralph,

Simply... FANTASTIC!!!

What a wonderful job you did and i can't wait to see the outcome like all of the above posters..

What type of tool did you use to make your cut?

I am very impressed..

BRAVO!

Laura
ralphglass
Original Author
12 years ago
Hi Laura,
Thats where it gets really top secret! To make the grafting cuts i used a ..... very high end.....utility knife blade (razor blade)!! LOL

Ralph
Loveplants2 8b Virginia Beach, Virginia
12 years ago
LOL...

Don't worry...i won't tell anyone!!! : ) Shhhh!!!!

You did a great job!!! : )

Laura
jandey1
12 years ago
Looks great, Ralph--you're a brave man! I imagine the success rate is much higher for self-grafting than for grafting scion onto foreign root stock. Let us know how it progresses!
Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
12 years ago
Wow, maybe you can open up a business for plumeria reconstructive surgery.

Any special treatment of that plant while it is convalescing?

Do you keep it in the shade?

Did you pin the sections together? Because as they 'heal' they sort of shrink back a bit.
jimithing78
12 years ago
Very cool to see someone try this at home. Regarding the height of the plant - won't the branches you've grafted just grow out again below the graft?
ralphglass
Original Author
12 years ago
Hey There!

Dave, no, i thought about it but i didn't pin them, they all fit really nice. Hopefully ill be ok.

jimithing78, you mean they'll grow again?? LOL, it was more of a grafting experiment than solely to shorten the plant, as i argued with the voices in my head that was the justification i came up with!

Ralph

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Grafting Experiment

Comments (17)

ralphglass
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nativec

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jandey1

Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A

jimithing78

ralphglass
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