Author Topic: Modified bark graft for Mango  (Read 4345 times)

simon_grow

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Modified bark graft for Mango
« on: May 26, 2019, 07:53:38 PM »
I’ve been doing a lot of bark grafts lately and I found that the regular bark graft often leaves a large gap which takes a long time to fully heal.

Here is a typical bark graft video
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sk_sgkLzD5c

When I do a bark graft like that, it is difficult for me to make the parallel cuts to the bark of the rootstock so that the cut perfectly matches the width of the scion.

Here is a Sweet Tart scion I bark grafted onto a two year old seedling using the regular bark graft as shown in the video above.






For my modified bark graft technique, I perform the graft the same as in the video except I make the the two parallel cuts wider than the width of the scion. This will ensure that the bark i peel back is wide enough to cover the entire cut ends of the scion.

After you make the oversized cut, you insert the scion and match one end of the bark flap so that it completely covers the cut end of the scion. You then take your blade and make an additional vertical cut that follows the contour of the other cut end of the scion.

By doing this, you can precisely match the bark flap to the size of the scion leaving as small a gap as possible between the bark flap and the bark from the rootstock.

Here is a picture after I made the additional cut following the contour of the scion.


Now you can tuck the extra sliver of bark next to the bark of the rootstock. If you wrap it carefully, the extra sliver you cut is hardly noticeable, especially after it heals.





Here is a double bark graft I did last year using this technique. If the rootstock is large enough, I sometimes put two or three scions onto the tree in the hopes that at least one will take. Now that I’m getting better with this technique, I will only put one or two because this technique has a high rate of success for me. The bark does have to be slipping to do bark grafts.

I couldn’t decide if I wanted this branch to be Sweet Tart or Lemon Zest so I put on one of each variety. Since they both took, I will probably remove the Lemon Zest since I have several LZ trees already.







Simon

edzone9

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Re: Modified bark graft for Mango
« Reply #1 on: May 26, 2019, 08:07:36 PM »
Excellent you must make a video step by step of your method !
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gozp

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Re: Modified bark graft for Mango
« Reply #2 on: May 26, 2019, 08:59:55 PM »
wow awesome work, simon. Looks clean too

edzone9

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Re: Modified bark graft for Mango
« Reply #3 on: May 26, 2019, 09:48:43 PM »
I’m tempted to try this !
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skhan

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Re: Modified bark graft for Mango
« Reply #4 on: May 27, 2019, 05:39:16 AM »
Thanks for sharing.

The typically v style bark graft has been successful enough for me but I think I'm prone to damaging the scions.

I'll try your method next time, looks cleaner

carcarlo

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Re: Modified bark graft for Mango
« Reply #5 on: May 27, 2019, 10:13:49 AM »
Great work Simon , I got to try to do this one.You should try to make a vid. so we can see  the angle cut & complete scion insertion and how the bark flap makes contact, please do!!
Carlos
« Last Edit: May 27, 2019, 10:33:22 AM by carcarlo »

ScottR

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Re: Modified bark graft for Mango
« Reply #6 on: May 27, 2019, 10:39:28 AM »
super excellent work Simon, your experience show's in your workmanship 8)

simon_grow

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Re: Modified bark graft for Mango
« Reply #7 on: May 27, 2019, 02:41:39 PM »
Thanks everyone,

My technique is identical to the video I posted except that I make a wider cut on the bark flap and I also make a third cut on the bark flap to precisely match the width of the scion.

If you zoom into the 5th and 6th pictures, you will be able to see that I tucked the extra bark flap away. You can only see a very thin line that will almost disappear as it heals.

The Sweet Tart graft actually flowered and is holding tiny fruit which I will remove soon.
The LZ graft is the taller vegetative growth and the Sweet Tart is the smaller flower panicle





Simon

edzone9

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Re: Modified bark graft for Mango
« Reply #8 on: May 28, 2019, 06:47:19 PM »
Awesome technic !
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Chandramohan

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Re: Modified bark graft for Mango
« Reply #9 on: May 30, 2019, 04:43:35 AM »
I have been trying to 'top work' my Male gummigutta trees for many years now with zero success! I have been making the bark slits as in the  video. But last year I saw a youtube video, where in the grafter was shaving off the curved portion in the centre of the slit with a chisel. Then I realised the reason for my failure!!! When you make two vertical cuts 5/16" apart and peel down the bark, the cambium layer on the rootstock between the two cuts is curved like a cylinder! So when you insert a Scion which has been cut, like in the video, only the centre line of the scion, which has no cambium layer, makes contact with the cambium layer of the rootstock! The sides of the scion, where there are cambium layers does not make contact with the curved cambium layer of the rootstock. So the graft does not take. After I started shaving the centre of the slot with a chisel, I am getting 100% take!!! I use different width chisels to suit the scion thickness.




There is one more graft behind.

« Last Edit: May 30, 2019, 10:21:16 AM by Chandramohan »

Oolie

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Re: Modified bark graft for Mango
« Reply #10 on: May 30, 2019, 06:06:20 AM »
I have been trying to 'top work' my Male gummigutta trees for many years now with zero success! I have been making the bark slits as in the  video. But last year I saw a youtube video, where in the grafter was shaving off the curved portion in the centre of the slit with a chisel. Then I realised the reason for my failure!!! When you make two vertical cuts 5/16" apart and peel down the bark, the cambium layer on the rootstock between the two cuts is curved like a cylinder! So when you insert a Scion which has been cut, like in the video, only the centre line of the scion, which has no cambium layer, makes contact with the cambium layer of the rootstock! The sides of the scion, where there are cambium layers does not make contact with the curved cambium layer of the rootstock. So the graft does not take. After I started shaving the centre of the slot with a chisel, I am getting 100% take!!! I use different width chisels to suit the scion thickness.
Unable to upload images!!!!

Excellent. If I understand correctly you are matching the curve of the chisel to the circumference of the rootstock.

I noticed some grafting knives have rounded tip sections ideal for scooping out/ shaving a cupped portion of the scion, but I watched a chip/shield budding video which showed removing the wood portion entirely in favor of using only the bark and bud as a scion.

If the edge of the blade is only straight, then it makes sense to do an offset cleft graft where the scion is not directly centered, but offset from the center of the rootstock, where the cambium matches.

Chandramohan

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Re: Modified bark graft for Mango
« Reply #11 on: May 30, 2019, 10:26:06 AM »
Oolie, No, I am removing the curved portion of the rootstock  and making it flat by shaving it with the chisel. The chisel is straight. I am now consistently getting excellent results.

simon_grow

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Re: Modified bark graft for Mango
« Reply #12 on: May 31, 2019, 01:50:09 PM »
Chandramohan, thanks for the tip. I’ll have to try that next time I work on a larger tree.

Simon

Chandramohan

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Re: Modified bark graft for Mango
« Reply #13 on: June 01, 2019, 08:06:55 AM »
Welcome!

Oolie

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Re: Modified bark graft for Mango
« Reply #14 on: June 01, 2019, 08:31:07 AM »
Oolie, No, I am removing the curved portion of the rootstock  and making it flat by shaving it with the chisel. The chisel is straight. I am now consistently getting excellent results.

I imagined it totally differently. It makes perfect sense now.

Thank you very much!

JF

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Re: Modified bark graft for Mango
« Reply #15 on: June 01, 2019, 12:03:52 PM »
Thanks for the tips Simon! I normally do bark or whip on thicker wood when I top work a tree. it’s interesting that you preform it on pencil thin rootstock.

simon_grow

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Re: Modified bark graft for Mango
« Reply #16 on: June 01, 2019, 01:10:44 PM »
Anytime Frank. I typically do bark grafts on much larger rootstocks but the example I showed was on very thin rootstock because the tree had a previously failed cleft graft and the rootstock had tiny thin shoots that were too small to cleft graft.

I was going to discard the rootstock because it wasn’t growing well but instead, I decided to practice my bark grafting. If you take a look at the scion I used, there are no swollen buds on it. It is pretty much an impossible graft because the rootstock was bad and the scion was horrible.

When I graft, I like to leave some branches and leaves to keep the tree active but in some of the examples I posted above, I completely chopped off the top because it was do or die for the rootstock.

Simon

Felipe

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Re: Modified bark graft for Mango
« Reply #17 on: June 01, 2019, 06:10:33 PM »
Simon and Chandramohan, thank you very much for this useful information. Next time I will put in practice ;-)

Chandramohan

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Re: Modified bark graft for Mango
« Reply #18 on: June 02, 2019, 05:24:03 AM »
Welcome!

simon_grow

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Re: Modified bark graft for Mango
« Reply #19 on: July 19, 2019, 06:43:52 PM »
I removed the Sweet Tart blooms and the scion is now growing vigorously even though it is mostly shaded. The LZ scion right next to the ST was exploding with growth at the same time as the ST and I didn’t want them to compete for space so I removed most the new growth from the LZ scion.

I’m keeping a few random LZ scions on different rootstocks to see if LZ might be more fruitful on different rootstocks.




Here’s the potted Sweet Tart grafted using a regular bark graft. This one has hardened its growth and is ready to go into the ground.




Simon

edzone9

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Re: Modified bark graft for Mango
« Reply #20 on: July 20, 2019, 07:26:20 PM »
Simply n just tried one of your MBG on one of my cocktail tree crossing fingers !

Ed
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