Author Topic: Let's Boost My Grafting Confidence!  (Read 2854 times)

Kevin Jones

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Let's Boost My Grafting Confidence!
« on: May 13, 2020, 06:32:19 PM »
I'm just getting started with grafting... but I am beginning to see what all the fuss and excitement is about.
I would appreciate if members with grafting experience would list plants they find the easiest to graft.
I figure I should learn on the easier plants... gain confidence and experience... and then work my way into the more difficult choices.
Baby steps!
Thanks for your input!

Kevin Jones


barath

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Re: Let's Boost My Grafting Confidence!
« Reply #1 on: May 13, 2020, 08:07:20 PM »
Apples and stone fruit are the easiest I've grafted.  The hardest I've grafted are persimmons (they are very sensitive to timing).

Some, like avocados, are easy but require extremely fresh wood.

Kevin Jones

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Re: Let's Boost My Grafting Confidence!
« Reply #2 on: May 14, 2020, 09:51:50 AM »
I do like plums.

Kevin Jones

stephen

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Re: Let's Boost My Grafting Confidence!
« Reply #3 on: May 14, 2020, 10:12:10 AM »
I've had pretty good success, albeit not 100%, with avocado and citrus. I agree that persimmon is challenging.

ScottR

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Re: Let's Boost My Grafting Confidence!
« Reply #4 on: May 14, 2020, 10:24:57 AM »
Apples and stone fruit are the easiest I've grafted.  The hardest I've grafted are persimmons (they are very sensitive to timing).

Some, like avocados, are easy but require extremely fresh wood.
Agree with Barath, Cherimoya's are fairly easy again right timing help's like avocado & eugenia's.

giorgosgr.

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Re: Let's Boost My Grafting Confidence!
« Reply #5 on: May 14, 2020, 10:34:58 AM »
For me the easiest thing is mulberries, never had a failure and i am bad at grafting

pinkturtle

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Re: Let's Boost My Grafting Confidence!
« Reply #6 on: May 14, 2020, 11:11:37 AM »
Soft wood like Pear, apple and Annona have higher rate than hard wood.  I have difficulty with guava, my success rate is only 10%.

giorgosgr.

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Re: Let's Boost My Grafting Confidence!
« Reply #7 on: May 14, 2020, 11:16:30 AM »
also grape vines are easy

Jack, Nipomo

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Re: Let's Boost My Grafting Confidence!
« Reply #8 on: May 14, 2020, 11:37:40 AM »
For a challenge, try grafting macadamia.

shaneatwell

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Re: Let's Boost My Grafting Confidence!
« Reply #9 on: May 14, 2020, 12:45:14 PM »
Easiest for me have been stone fruits, loquat, white sapote, surinam cherry. Struggled with avocado and citrus a bit at the beginning. Still failing with eugenias/syzygiums/guavas.
Shane

spaugh

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Re: Let's Boost My Grafting Confidence!
« Reply #10 on: May 14, 2020, 03:30:26 PM »
Guava is like mission impossible for me.  Stone fruits can be done blindfolded.
Brad Spaugh

Luisport

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Re: Let's Boost My Grafting Confidence!
« Reply #11 on: May 14, 2020, 04:15:18 PM »
Guava is like mission impossible for me.  Stone fruits can be done blindfolded.
I will try 2 or 3 guava trees on very protected spots... maby you could do the same.  :)

pinkturtle

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Re: Let's Boost My Grafting Confidence!
« Reply #12 on: May 14, 2020, 04:51:21 PM »
Guava is like mission impossible for me.  Stone fruits can be done blindfolded.
I will try 2 or 3 guava trees on very protected spots... maby you could do the same.  :)

Maybe grafted to a seedling may increase the success rate which I have not yet try.  I am grow seedlings and hope they are ready next year.

Orkine

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Re: Let's Boost My Grafting Confidence!
« Reply #13 on: May 14, 2020, 04:56:49 PM »
Without a doubt, White Sapote and Loquat.
If you store the scion and root stock in the same room, you may return to find out you already have a take. :)



K-Rimes

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Re: Let's Boost My Grafting Confidence!
« Reply #14 on: May 14, 2020, 06:33:04 PM »
Without a doubt, White Sapote and Loquat.
If you store the scion and root stock in the same room, you may return to find out you already have a take. :)

Indeed, I grafted both white sapote and grumichama just last week and both appear to already be budding.

Also grafted loquat a few weeks ago, but not seeing any movement. Grafted surinam cherry, and white jaboticaba as well, but nothing from those either.

FruitFool

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Re: Let's Boost My Grafting Confidence!
« Reply #15 on: May 14, 2020, 07:25:12 PM »
Figs appear to be easy and so are stone fruits.
Guava has been the hardest but I am learning that the fresh scions do better.

-FruitFool

giorgosgr.

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Re: Let's Boost My Grafting Confidence!
« Reply #16 on: May 15, 2020, 07:09:59 AM »
Without a doubt, White Sapote and Loquat.
If you store the scion and root stock in the same room, you may return to find out you already have a take. :)

Is autumn (in zone 9b and above) a good time to graft loquat? since its a season of active growth? or is it better to wait for next spring?

JoeP450

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Re: Let's Boost My Grafting Confidence!
« Reply #17 on: May 15, 2020, 08:07:03 AM »
Hey Kevin,

I feel annonas are pretty easy, I’ve been grafting atemoya and cherimoya onto reticulata and soursop rootstock using cleft grafts and zip tie method my est 80% success. How I’ve failed in past: do not water your newly grafted annonas with a hose carpet bombing method! Water seeps into parafilm then into graft union and rots your scion union! Instead I use a Home Depot 1 gallon pump sprayer with wand to direct water directly to roots so to avoid rotting the graft union. Here is a picture of my first approach graft I did, and my first jack fruit propagation, Excalibur red...I utilized zip ties....seem to use them for everything in garden from grafting to steaking and securing plants.

Best of luck man, grafting is an empowering skill.






spaugh

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Re: Let's Boost My Grafting Confidence!
« Reply #18 on: May 15, 2020, 10:15:14 AM »
Without a doubt, White Sapote and Loquat.
If you store the scion and root stock in the same room, you may return to find out you already have a take. :)

Is autumn (in zone 9b and above) a good time to graft loquat? since its a season of active growth? or is it better to wait for next spring?

You can graft loquat any time of year, it never goes dormant and isnt affect by heat or cold. 
Brad Spaugh

odin.9

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Re: Let's Boost My Grafting Confidence!
« Reply #19 on: May 15, 2020, 10:21:33 AM »
I’ve been grafting atemoya and cherimoya onto reticulata and soursop rootstock using cleft grafts and zip tie method my est 80% success.






how long before you remove the zip ties? I imagine there would be long-term damage if they were left on too long.

Kevin Jones

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Re: Let's Boost My Grafting Confidence!
« Reply #20 on: May 15, 2020, 10:24:38 AM »
Here's a few photos of my second attempt to graft my "Black Star" Suriname Cherries.
This is one of the more vigorous individuals.
I'm using clothes pins over the graft to reinforce the area.
Soft of like clamping a wood glue joint...seems to help.
The Eugenias have really hard wood.
Last year I attempted to graft a large lot of "Black Stars"... zero takes with tape alone. All duds.
Then I attempted to graft Eugenia Calycinas with tape and pins... Success!
This year I attempted the "Black Stars" again... with pins... Success!
I can't prove that the pins help... but they sure don't hurt:







Kevin Jones

CA Hockey

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Re: Let's Boost My Grafting Confidence!
« Reply #21 on: May 16, 2020, 07:18:48 AM »
Disagree re persimmons. I find them very easy to do... I have some to my 12 year old last year to teach him and he was 3/3 and I don't think the particularly cared, just wanted to be done so he could go back to what he wanted to do.

Apples are considered very forgiving - I taught my wife how to do several this past year with high success rate.

Figs are also forgiving, but easier to do for us in February or March when latex isn't so high but still great take rate.

Avos do well but are finicky and new growth is very susceptible to heat/high temps/heat waves

Stone fruit is also forgiving

Citrus has high success rate in spring and summer

Cherimoya also has high success rate.

Mangos are super forgiving for us in July and August

By forgiving, I mean high success despite your technique.

Good luck

JoeP450

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Re: Let's Boost My Grafting Confidence!
« Reply #22 on: May 16, 2020, 11:38:02 AM »
I’ve been grafting atemoya and cherimoya onto reticulata and soursop rootstock using cleft grafts and zip tie method my est 80% success.






how long before you remove the zip ties? I imagine there would be long-term damage if they were left on too long.

Hey Odin,

I started these approach grafts about 40 days ago then cut off main stem from mother tree. Plan is to cut of zip ties in another month. I’m going to steak them so wind does not stress the young graft union. I attempted 5 approach grafts 3 Excalibur red and two TM red, 2 Excalibur red and 1 TM red were successful. I used the zip ties to secure branch union then wrapped over the zip ties and graft cut with parafilm.

-joe

barath

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Re: Let's Boost My Grafting Confidence!
« Reply #23 on: May 17, 2020, 11:57:28 PM »
Disagree re persimmons. I find them very easy to do... I have some to my 12 year old last year to teach him and he was 3/3 and I don't think the particularly cared, just wanted to be done so he could go back to what he wanted to do.

Apples are considered very forgiving - I taught my wife how to do several this past year with high success rate.

Figs are also forgiving, but easier to do for us in February or March when latex isn't so high but still great take rate.

Avos do well but are finicky and new growth is very susceptible to heat/high temps/heat waves

Stone fruit is also forgiving

Citrus has high success rate in spring and summer

Cherimoya also has high success rate.

Mangos are super forgiving for us in July and August

By forgiving, I mean high success despite your technique.

Good luck

When did you do your persimmons?  I've only tried doing D. kaki on D. lotus during spring, and somehow the timing never worked and it didn't take...