Citrus grafting problem and grafting to a water sprout

[Hammer]

There is a 15 year old navel orange tree in my backyard that I cut back very severly a week ago. I left the 6 inch trunk and 4 scaffold branches that are about 3+ inches in diameter
plus some lower laterals coming off of the branches.

On the trunk and scaffolds I do not see any viable cambium. The bark is very thin with nothing that I can see inside of it, except wood. The bark is very tight to the wood. My first question is, in 9a will the bark start slipping when temps get warmer and if not how do I graft to this monster?

The tree has not been pruned in years and there is nothing low except for the branches mentioned above with the addition of a bunch of water sprouts. Healthy ones accually.
I did a google search trying to find out if I can graft to a water sprout. I don't see anything at all (maybe I am the first person to try it??). So, that is my second question.

Thanks,
Matt

[Lory]

Hi Matt!
I would not  risk a bark graft on those conditions.
Better to graft next year on some of the best among the many vigorous shoots that surely will develop this coming spring.
And YES you can surely graft onto water sprouts.
Have a look here,  this guy shows very useful videos about citrus grafting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7msNCYZ19Ug

[Mark in Texas]

I did a google search trying to find out if I can graft to a water sprout. I don't see anything at all (maybe I am the first person to try it??). So, that is my second question.

Thanks,
Matt

Yes, you can and one of my favorite ways to make cocktail trees on citrus, avocados and mangos.  Peach tree example below but it's all the same.  Recently I did 20 grafts, 4 varieties to extend the season (and you would know it today we have an ice storm) on a peach tree that I stubbed to 4 thick scaffold branches last year in order to get shoots to graft to this year.  Last year I did about 50 citrus grafts on older trees - a few cleft but mostly t-bud.
 
This 11 year old tree was 25' wide X 14' tall.



Doing cleft grafts 2 days ago.  I matched the scion girth to the shoots girth to try to get full cambium contact.

[Mark in Texas]

Looks like the image feature is on vacation.  I don't see my uploaded pix.

[Hammer]

I can see the photos. On the shoots that you are grafting to, I see buds and laterals I think. Are they fruit buds or vegitative buds? I would think that it is vegitative being that they are growing on water sprouts, right?

Thanks for the information,
Matt

[Lory]

Great job Mark, that peach tree is a MONSTER, how old is it?

[Hammer]

Thanks Lory. I will do some more grating on it next year on new shoots but I don't want to waste some budwood that I have now. In the video, the guy is grafting to suckers and not water sprouts. Have you grafted to water sprouts before?

Matt

[Samu]

I've grafted citrus and mango scions on new shoots coming up from cut main trunks, they seem to do a lot more vigorous than grafting to an existing regular tree branch.
If it were me, would graft now, if you already have the sprouts and the scions ready. This way, you'll be ahead than waiting till next year...

[Hammer]

Sam,

I have the scions in the refidgerator. I assumed it would be better to graft to the tree in the spring when it really takes off and then do more grafting in the Spring of 2020.

Thanks

[Lory]

Water sprouts are great stuff for grafting.
You could even go for chip budding if you like then some cleft or Z grafts later in the spring

[Mark in Texas]

Peach tree is about 11-12 years old. Was 25' W X 12' H when I chopped it back to induce water sprouts to graft to.

After the 18F in Jan. 2018 I lost most of the wood on my citrus.  What came back is doing great.  I did 83 grafts, most of them on 5 citrus trees.  Within 2 months of grafting I had fruit on some of the grafts. Like this excellent Eustis limequat which is immediately produced 29 fruit on one graft/branch.  Limequat is superior to key lime in all respects including cold hardiness.

[Lory]

Awesome tree Mark