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| Variegated Plum Seedling, Graft. 3.30.17 |
The pictured graft was made from scion taken from plum seedlings that I grew in 2015. The seedling leaves were a mixture of red and green. The plums were purchased at a farm stand. They had labeled them "Pluots" but I don't know. They were dark burgundy red plums. I grafted so that I would have a better chance of fruiting, sooner, if it is going to happen at all.
Other grafts that look like they are starting to grow: Most of the Asian pears have swelling buds. The Asian pears and Chinese Haw on hawthorne scrub, have swelling buds.
Looking good, Daniel. Now I'm encouraged to try some grafting. Today?
ReplyDeleteThanks Randy! There's no time like the present!
DeleteNice work. You have them wrap up better then I do. This yr I tried only tape,and regular tape not grafting tape because the order didn't ship. Tree wound healing paint also worked but tended to be washed off too soon before the bark knit together. Next yr with the plum, I'll wrap it up like you do here.
ReplyDeleteLance, thanks.
DeleteI find that I wrap better with more experience. Same goes for the cutting aspect. It takes a while to learn the angle, force, and movement for each type of scion and stock wood. With wrapping, it takes a while to learn the stretch properties of the material. I stretch almost to breaking. Bands cut from polyethylene zip lock freezer bags have a "give" point between stretching and breaking. After a few tries, I learned how to stretch almost to that give point, but not quite. That makes for firm uniform pressure along the entire graft union. As for the rest of the scion, wrapping is just for preventing dehydration. So, I use a material that stretches more easily, so I don't damage the graft or break the scion. Parafilm works really well for that, but I think strips cut from food storage bags, thinner polyethylene than the freezer bags, seem to work as well. Parafilm is expensive. The plastic bags are so cheap they are almost free.
I forgot to add, some of these have melted candle wax painted on them. I tried that after losing my roll of parafilm. It's hard to paint on the melted wax, it globs and hardens quickly and gums up the paintbrush. I think it works OK for keeping the graft from dehydrating, and I think those will perform equally well. It's just awkward and messy.
Delete