This is intended to be a down and dirty introduction to grafting. I am sorry it could not be kept to one blog post. I will post the finale in a day or two.
Grafting
is probably considered the most “mystical” of arts in that area
known as “horticulture” as practiced by the gardening public. It
is not mystical any more than sunrise and sunset is, but if you don't
know the basics, it can be forbidding. Know the rules and it's just
as common as a sunrise, don't learn the rules and you are lost.
Soon,
I'll write out the story of how I came to be totally in awe of
grafters and the event that changed my approach to garden science.
In this small intro, I will introduce the basics of grafting as
simply and straight forward as I can.
The absolute first thing to say about grafting is that you are working with really, really sharp knives. Your first priority must be safety - afterall, you will be using YOUR fingers and these knives are sharp. Have bandaids - at minimum, if not a well stocked first aid kit. ALL grafters I know, except those that ride motorcycles really (REALLY) fast, have at least some kind of first aid material in the same bag as their knives. Pay attention. Ask those around you to not talk to you while you are grafting. Do not graft while on the phone. Do not graft while driving. Give that knife and where it is pointed your full attention - all the time that blade is exposed. If it's sharp enough to graft, it's sharp enough to cut into you all the way to the bone. I've done it. It doesn't hurt until it hits the bone and then it hurts for a very long time. Never point the sharp end of the blade towards any part of your body - especially your left thumb - that's the one that gets nailed the most. Please! And thank you!
You
need;
A
very sharp knife
Two
pieces of wood (described below)
And
something to hold them together
Your
sharp knife does not have to be a grafting knife, although if you
intend to graft as an ongoing project, you will find a grafting knife
increases your chances of a good graft. Some grafters simply use
those utility box cutters and break off the old blades instead of
having to sharpen the blades. I found that a difficult tool to
handle – but then again, I am pleased with my grafting knives and
enjoy using different ones on different days, but that's me and my
obsessive/compulsive personality.
But
your knife must be SHARP. Even if you need to stop every
several cuts and hone it a little.
The
“Something to hold them together” has really improved in the last
few years. In the past grafters have used plastic bags, electrical
tape, duct tape (omigaud NO!) and tar. Today we have “Parafilm” and
without it, I would not be a very good grafter. This stuff (can be
found on eBay and Amazon as well as other sites – I even have a few
rolls to sell pretty much all the time as I buy in bulk for my
class). It is not expensive. As you pull on it, to wrap your graft,
the Parafilm becomes more pliable and will actually begin to seal to
itself with just a little pressure. When firmly wrapped, in all but
the most difficult of grafts, Parafilm will hold your graft together.
Certainly as a beginner, you would not normally be undertaking grafts
that were above the cohesion of Parafilm to hold it together.
The
“two pieces of wood” is what makes this all interesting. One piece of wood is a “scion” while the other piece of wood is “rootstock.” The scion possesses the fruit you want to grow on
the rootstock. The rootstock is the rest of the tree that is not
this scion. You can graft five apples to one tree. All the pieces
you graft to the tree are 'scions.' That which holds them from
falling to the ground is the 'rootstock.' In the case of the apples,
the scion is collected because we want that apple's taste or
usability; an eating apple or a cider apple, one that bears in late
Spring and another the blooms in late Summer – whatever
characteristics you feel you want in an apple.
If this is your first shot at grafting, I would strongly urge you to graft apples – the apple tree wood is easier to work with and the chance of success is strong. Citrus is one of the worst as it is really hard wood and difficult to shape. Get some miles under your knife and then tackle citrus.
If this is your first shot at grafting, I would strongly urge you to graft apples – the apple tree wood is easier to work with and the chance of success is strong. Citrus is one of the worst as it is really hard wood and difficult to shape. Get some miles under your knife and then tackle citrus.
The
rootstock can be an existing tree on your property or you can order
rootstock from some regional nurseries – they are not expensive.
One chooses rootstock on it's qualities – some rootstocks withstand
disease or wind or drought or dwarf your tree by a given percent. In
Southern California most experienced apple growers would choose M111.
I order my rootstock (sometimes referred to as “wood” in a
generic way) from Raintree Nursery.
They have always been reliable and prompt.
Now
we get to make our cuts. The scion wood should be about the diameter
of a pencil and the part of the rootstock you are going to attach the
scion to should be about the same diameter – it need not be exact,
but the closer it is the better.
Thanks for dropping by - hope you get the chance to see my interview with Christy Wilhelmi, The Gardenerd on grafting coming out in a few days. And I'll wrap this, and our graft, up later this week.
david
The conclusion of this article can be found at http://www.lagardenblog.com/2018/02/a-first-graft-conclusion.html
The conclusion of this article can be found at http://www.lagardenblog.com/2018/02/a-first-graft-conclusion.html
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