Author Topic: T-Bud grafting of citrus  (Read 1499 times)

poncirsguy

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 713
    • Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, 6a/6b
    • View Profile
T-Bud grafting of citrus
« on: August 15, 2022, 11:00:30 PM »
Mature New Zealand lemonade T-Bud grafted to New Zealand Lemonade seedling looks good. The brown spot is the leaf scar.


Galatians522

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1824
    • Florida 9b
    • View Profile
Re: T-Bud grafting of citrus
« Reply #1 on: August 22, 2022, 08:30:42 PM »
Mature New Zealand lemonade T-Bud grafted to New Zealand Lemonade seedling looks good. The brown spot is the leaf scar.


Nice work! Looks like a take to me.

poncirsguy

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 713
    • Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, 6a/6b
    • View Profile
Re: T-Bud grafting of citrus
« Reply #2 on: September 05, 2022, 07:22:48 PM »
The graft took and is growing.




Galatians522

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1824
    • Florida 9b
    • View Profile
Re: T-Bud grafting of citrus
« Reply #3 on: September 05, 2022, 08:58:54 PM »
Great job! The tree will put more energy into the bud if you cut half way through the trunk a couple inches above the bud and bend the top over. The leaves on the rootstock will continue to feed the bud, but the tree will put most if its energy into the bud because of apical dominance. A lot of times this is needed to force the bud into growing.

poncirsguy

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 713
    • Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, 6a/6b
    • View Profile
Re: T-Bud grafting of citrus
« Reply #4 on: September 10, 2022, 07:06:40 PM »
I have broken the tree over.


Galatians522

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1824
    • Florida 9b
    • View Profile
Re: T-Bud grafting of citrus
« Reply #5 on: September 10, 2022, 10:13:37 PM »
Looks good! Now all you have to do is wait. Of course, that is the hardest part!

poncirsguy

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 713
    • Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, 6a/6b
    • View Profile
Re: T-Bud grafting of citrus
« Reply #6 on: September 10, 2022, 11:17:57 PM »
It does seem to take a long time.  It won't fruit next year but it will  in 2024.

brian

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3355
    • Pennsylvania (zone 6) w/ heated greenhouse
    • View Profile
Re: T-Bud grafting of citrus
« Reply #7 on: September 12, 2022, 01:24:22 PM »
Nicely done!

I have almost completely given up on T-bud grafting.  I know it is supposed to be reliable but I must be terrible at it as mine always fail. I have better success with cleft grafts, and because I have no shortage of scion material it works out well enough.  I imagine if you were buying single sticks from the clonal program then every bud counts

Galatians522

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1824
    • Florida 9b
    • View Profile
Re: T-Bud grafting of citrus
« Reply #8 on: September 12, 2022, 07:21:21 PM »
Nicely done!

I have almost completely given up on T-bud grafting.  I know it is supposed to be reliable but I must be terrible at it as mine always fail. I have better success with cleft grafts, and because I have no shortage of scion material it works out well enough.  I imagine if you were buying single sticks from the clonal program then every bud counts

It is very effective on citrus and stonefruit. I have had poor success rates with a number of other fruits.

kumin

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 709
    • USA PA 6b
    • View Profile
Re: T-Bud grafting of citrus
« Reply #9 on: September 12, 2022, 08:24:26 PM »
In the case of budsticks, the lower end of the flush fills out to a rounded stem. Buds cut from this region are nice and symmetrical and handle ideally during the budding process. However, the very first leaf axis may be "blind ", that is missing a bud, or having an underdeveloped bud. Fully developed buds from this region of the stem work fine.
The central region of the flush is a bit less rounded, but usually has well developed buds. Using these buds is a bit more work as they're not quite as symmetrical as the first section.
The third section is the end portion of the flush and the stem cross section tends to be highly angular, actually  triangular. This material is capable of functioning as budding material, but the budding union carpentry is a challenge depending on cultivar and stage of development. Good carpentry is essential for success.

jbclem

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 53
    • USA, California, Topanga, 9b
    • View Profile
Re: T-Bud grafting of citrus
« Reply #10 on: September 21, 2022, 06:24:37 AM »
kumin, thanks for the descriptions.  Since I haven't achieved much success with citrus grafting, they are very useful.  When I used to buy budwood from the UCR(UC Riverside) collection (before they doubled their already high price), much of it came as very angular wood and I always wondered if that was contributing to my lack of success.

Not having access to budwood, but having a number of young citrus in containers (and a few older in ground), I've been cutting buds from the middle of live branches where the small branch is at least round.  No success yet and I don't know if this is because my designated trees don't seem to have slipping bark, or the buds are small, or because it's a bad way to collect buds.  Do you have any thoughts about this?

pagnr

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 941
    • View Profile
Re: T-Bud grafting of citrus
« Reply #11 on: September 21, 2022, 06:58:53 AM »
Not having access to budwood, but having a number of young citrus in containers (and a few older in ground), I've been cutting buds from the middle of live branches where the small branch is at least round.  No success yet and I don't know if this is because my designated trees don't seem to have slipping bark, or the buds are small, or because it's a bad way to collect buds.  Do you have any thoughts about this?

It could be a good place to start, using your own material, as it eliminates some factors involved in failure, i.e. incompatibility and incorrect budwood storage.

Any ideas why the failures are happening in your case ?
Bud dies by infection via petiole scar.
Fungus infects under tape, whole bud goes fuzzy grey and dies.
Bud looks good until tape removed then it dries off and dies soon after ( not healed ).

Chip budding is another simple technique, doesn't need bark slipping.

You could try using different tapes.
Buddy Tape or Parafilm can have better results, as you don't need to remove the tape for the bud to shoot.
Weather and irrigation can also be important. I usually avoid overhead irrigation until buds have shot.
Hygiene can be important, clean hands and tools might also make a difference.
With correct technique, very tiny buds can be quite successful.

kumin

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 709
    • USA PA 6b
    • View Profile
Re: T-Bud grafting of citrus
« Reply #12 on: September 21, 2022, 10:11:01 AM »
cbclem
This is a grafting technique I use nearly exclusively for my Citrus propagation. It does require slipping bark, which is found when the cambium is active. The cambium is tightly adherent during times of stress such as drought conditions, as well as Winter dormancy. A very slender, flattish scion containing 2 buds is preferable. A smaller scion is less likely to break out due to insufficient knitting of cambial tissue. The scion has the bark epidermis sliced off on both surfaces, increasing cambial contact. I prefer to leave a very thin layer of cambium on the scion, rather than damaging the deeper cambium.
Photos of a simple graft for joining a small diameter scion with a range of similar or larger diameter actively growing rootstocks. These have worked very well for me in the past.

Selected Poncirus rootstock.


Scion donor F2 citrange plant.


Scion severed from donor.


Epidermis shaved off of scion side 1.


Epidermis shaved off of scion side 2.


Shallow downward cut on rootstock - avoid cutting into wood.


Scion ready for insertion. Leaf area has been reduced to 25-30% to reduce transpiration.


Scion fitted for insertion.


Graft wrapped with parafilm.


Completed graft showing flush of growth present at time of grafting.


An example of this type of graft after 18 days. This graft will be re-wrapped until healing is complete.


« Last Edit: September 21, 2022, 05:13:32 PM by kumin »

poncirsguy

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 713
    • Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, 6a/6b
    • View Profile
Re: T-Bud grafting of citrus
« Reply #13 on: September 21, 2022, 04:33:28 PM »
Thanks;  Very nice demo.  I have done that a few times with little success.  IU was grafting same size scion to trunk diameter.  as of 9-21-22


jbclem

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 53
    • USA, California, Topanga, 9b
    • View Profile
Re: T-Bud grafting of citrus
« Reply #14 on: September 22, 2022, 09:49:52 AM »
Kumin, a very useful tutorial. And the photos really enhanced the description which I didn't quite get until I scrolled down and saw the photos.  I have a few questions:  first, what's the size (diameter) of the scion...it looks like about 1/8" or less.  Second,  from the photo it looks like you've lined up the scion with the left side of the cut so the cambiums match up, but to also match the outer side of the scion are you tilting it a bit?  And third, since you've made the downward cut on the rootstock with a knife, why do you say the bark needs to be slipping?

For my situation, with only small/thin scionwood and buds available, it's definitely worth trying.

kumin

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 709
    • USA PA 6b
    • View Profile
Re: T-Bud grafting of citrus
« Reply #15 on: September 22, 2022, 02:18:03 PM »
jbclem
Kumin, a very useful tutorial. And the photos really enhanced the description which I didn't quite get until I scrolled down and saw the photos.  I have a few questions:  first, what's the size (diameter) of the scion...it looks like about 1/8" or less.  Second,  from the photo it looks like you've lined up the scion with the left side of the cut so the cambiums match up, but to also match the outer side of the scion are you tilting it a bit?  And third, since you've made the downward cut on the rootstock with a knife, why do you say the bark needs to be slipping?

For my situation, with only small/thin scionwood and buds available, it's definitely worth trying.

My preference for slender, flattish scions is twofold: The smaller scion fits under the flap more neatly, and as the scion grows the the healing tissue will knit more strongly than a larger offset with a thicker scion would.
 1/8" is a good diameter. In this type of graft I actually prefer angular scionwood as it provides flatter surfaces. The cambium is shaved on both sides of the scion to increase cambial contact. The tilting you refer to is caused by the scionwood being angular and rotated in a spiral in it's natural state. The angular surfaces on the scion don't ascend in a straight manner, but rather on a twist. The spiraling rotation is common on plants and is seen on pine cones, as well as pineapples, among many other plants. 

The reason I use slipping bark for this graft is I'll perform this graft at any time from June through July when temperatures a high. The slipping bark is accompanied with a moist cambium, helping in the race against desiccation. Slipping bark also contributes toward a neater graft with closer matching of the grafted surfaces. I've done a good bit of grafting and find Citrus among the easier procedures. Persimmons, have been less successful, often followed by losses due to incompatibilities. 

One note: I actually prefer the cut surfaces on the scion to extend up farther, extending to the top of the flap.

More recently I've modified the procedure to provide more stability and make wrapping the graft more secure, less shifting of layers while wrapping.


I prefer to shave the bark a bit higher than this example for increased cambium contact.


The objective of this graft is to achieve maximum cambium contact.


Wrapping from the closed side works better, as it pushes the tissues closer together, wrapping from the opposite side tends to not push the layers together as closely.
« Last Edit: September 22, 2022, 03:17:56 PM by kumin »