Grafting follow up. Cleft, Whip and Tongue, Bud Grafting. 8.31.14

Sweet Cherry Bud Graft.  Grafted mid-July 2014.  9.1.14

Lilac Bud Grafts.  Grafted June 2014.  8.31.14

Hollywood Plum Bud Graft.  Grafted late May 2014.   8.31.14 

Cerasifolia Plum graft.  Grafted late May 2014.  8.31.14

 This is a follow up on a few of the grafts I've done.  The lilac bud grafts all appear to have taken.  The buds are plump and green and look similar to the "native" buds on the stock.  They have a good start for winter.

Most of the earlier bud grafts, from late May, healed and merged with the stock, and did not grow.  That is pretty much as I expected.  They look ready for winter.  For late winter pruning, the plan is to cut the stock above the buds, so that there is no auxin - inhibition and they take off and grow next Spring.

Two of the May plum bud grafts took off and grew like crazy.  The cerasifolia graft shows up nicely against the green foliage of the stock tree.  Hollywood would do the same.  i wonder if these rapidly grown grafts will bloom next year.  If they do, that will be awesome.

Cerasifolia Plum Bud Graft.  Grafted late May 2014.  8.31.14

Sour Cherry Bud Graft.  Grafted July 2014.  8.31.14

Sweet Cherry Bud Grafts.  Grafted July 2014.  8.31.14

 The sour cherry and sweet cherry bud grafts mostly appear to have taken.  Possibly, all of them.  Most look about the same as the native buds on the stock trees.  The sides of the T-slice tend to curl back as the bud and tree callous and merge.  The top of the T seems to callous and merge without peeling back.

Last year's cleft graft on the Asian Pears, have almost completely healed over.  I was interested to see if the expose wood, would be a problem.  It looks like there is not problem.  At this rate, next year they will be completely filled in, leaving a visible graft but no open wood.

This year's Whip/Tongue grafts on the Asian pears, both the Asian pears I grafted and the European pears, have all healed over completely.  Growth surprised me - most had 2 to 3 feet of growth.  That is faster than the cleft grafts, in general.  Not a good test, but with no exposed wood, and instant, full cambium connection, whip/tongue in theory could give a faster start.

This is only a few of the many grafts I did this year.  All plum grafts took, all pear and apple grafts took.  Only one of the whip/tongue grafts on lilacs took.  It looks like all of the bud grafts on lilac took, so maybe that's the best method for them.

Grafting is amazing.  I can't believe it works.  It should - it's been done for thousands of years.  But it's still amazing.

Asian Pear Cleft Graft. Grafted March 2013.  8.31.14

Pear Whip and Tongue Graft.  Grafted March 2014.  8.31.14



Another Lilac bud graft, about 3 weeks.  9.1.14

Update. Tree and shrub propagation and grafting. 5.24.14

Asian pear graft.  Recovery from deer chewing.

Hamese Asian Pear Graft.

Euro Pear graft on Asian Pear

 Plant propagation and grafting efforts.  Many of them did well.  A few did not grow.

All of the pear grafts took.  One was chewed by deer but is recovering.  Some bloomed.  That resulted in a delay of growth, but ultimately they all grew.  That includes the 3 varieties of Asian pear, on an Asian pear tree. and 2 varieties of European pear on a different Asian pear tree.

Learnings -

1.  Don't leave a long tail on the whip.  The graft still takes, but the tail doesn't always callous onto the stock, leaving an appendage.

2.  Best to take scion wood that doesn't look like it will bloom.

Close-up Healing Whip and Tongue, Pear

Liberty Apple Graft on Honeycrisp

 All of the apple grafts also took.  The learnings were the same as for pear.

I should probably remove the liberty apple from the newly grafted scion from this spring, but it looks ok and I think I will leave it to see what happens.  The scion is growing rapidly despite also making an apple.

I unwrapped most of the rest today.  They have finished formation of callous, so no benefit to leaving them longer.  The wrapping did not strangle the new growth.  So this was a good time.

Of the grafted lilacs, it looks like only one of the approximately 6 grafts took.  I don't know why.  It might be timing, or lilacs might be more difficult to graft.  Or there may have been compatibility issues.

Still I am excited that one did take and is growing vigorously.

All three of the lilac offsets that I separated from mature bushes, grew.  One was eaten by deer or rabbits, but is recovering.

Laburnums, grown from cuttings late Winter 2013, are growing.  They were eaten by deer or rabbits, but are recovering.  I had to move them again, because of an easement issue.

Ning started pussy willows from cuttings.  He started a hedge.  These were just pencil thick, or thicker, and about 18 inches to 2 feet long, taken from a big pussy willow at the Vancouver place.  He simply pushed the cuttings into the moist ground, about half way, in Feb.  All are growing.  Willows are very easy.

I updated on plum cuttings already.  All approx 8 Hollywood plum cuttings struck.  None of the approx 8 Shiro plum cuttings struck.  About 1/2 of the approx 8 flowering quince cuttings struck, but they are not growing vigorously.  The forsythia cuttings are touch and go.  2 still seem alive.

Lilac Growth on Separated Offset

Shinseiki Asian Pear Graft

Laburnum from Cutting.  Year 2.

Pussy Willow from Cutting.  Year 1.

Jonagold dwarf apple graft.

Grafting Followup. 4.25.14

Apple Graft at 2 months.

 Following up on grafts from late Ferbruary.

Deer browsed one of the Asian pear trees, including a nicely growing graft.  *#&$^%$ Deer.

The apple graft is Jonagold.  The rootstock is a sucker that sprouted from roots of an apple  tree that I cut down.  That tree never bore and was susceptible to fireblight, and too vigorous.  I thought it was dead, but now a few years later there are sprouts from the rootstock.  So I grafted a couple.  I removed the wrap today.  It's not clear when to remove.  Too late and the wrap girdles the tree.  Too early and it might not be healed.

This was growing nicely so I thought it might be healed.  Lucky guess, it is.  Nicely healed whip and tongue graft.  Happy.

This is much better than a cleft graft, which leaves exposed open wounds.

Lilac Graft at 2 months.

Not all of the lilacs took.  This one did.  They are in a hard to reach spot.  This is the best photo I could make.  At least this one is growing.  A couple others are in the "maybe" category.

Puttering. 4.20.14

Redmond Linden Sapling.  2nd Spring.  

Amanagawa Cherry.  2nd. Spring.

Here is the rest of the weekend.

The Redmond Linden I planted late fall / early winter 2012 has lush rapid growth.  So far deer have not munched on it.  So far.  I can't tell yet if it will have flowers this year.

The Redmond is at least a week, maybe 2, ahead of the Greenspire lindens.

Amanagawa cherry, which wound up in the chicken yard, is blooming nicely.  This is its 2nd year in ground here.  The chickens like to dig under it.  The roots must be deep enough that it's not a problem.

Prairie Fire Crabapple.  Blooming nicely.  I think it will be in peak bloom on wed when the honeybees arrive.  Meanwhile I used paintbrush to transfer pollen from Prairie Fire to the fruiting apples.  This is the 1st Spring, I planted it last fall.

Canary Weigela.  I planted this last summer.  Deer or rabbits munched on it.  It made a nice comeback.

The lilac grafts are difficult to photograph under the larger bush.  Some seem to have taken and are pushing growth.  Not as fast as the parent bush.  Which I guess is expected.  As long as they grow, it's a success.  This one I accidentally stepped on while doing chores and managed to bury it.  Then discovered it later.  It looks broken, but OK.

Peppers are ahead of expectation.  The poly tunnel is the way to go.   I uncovered them today so they get some air.  The Red Portugal has peppers.  Those seeds were planted late December and raised under lights.  The others were started later.  I watered them today and re-covered.  Soon they can stay outside.

The tunnel is not so good for garlic chives.  The tips of the leaves are burned.

Prairie Fire Crabapple.  1st Spring.

Canary Weigela.  1st Spring.  2.20.14

Lilac Graft at 5 weeks.

Pepper Red Portugal in Poly Tunnel.

Peppers in Poly Tunnel.