Author Topic: Grafting annona to lower lateral branches - any secrets to success?  (Read 1121 times)

DrDraconian

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In anticipation of the grafting season coming up in the spring, I thought I might put this out there to improve upon my grafting success.

One thing I have found when trying to graft to my seedling cherimoyas is that it can be difficult to make a multi-grafted tree with a lot of different varieties. I've had great success when grafting a single variety to the top of the main stem. However, allowing that tree to grow a little, and then trying to graft to the lateral branches down lower on the tree has proven problematical. The grafts seem to take, they bud out and the small branches grow a few inches, but then at some point months down the line most of them just start to slowly wither away as the graft is eventually rejected. I've heard from others this is a common problem.  Does anyone have any tips/ secrets they'd like to share that improve the odds on getting these grafts lower down on the tree to take long term?

It's kind of important to me because my yard is very small, and I will ultimately only have room for 1 annona tree in the ground, while I ideally would like to have 6 or 7 varieties growing on it if possible. So  far I've only been able to get a maximum of three, and that was only because that particular seedling branched out very close to the ground and has 3 primary stems, each of which I was able to graft successfully to the apical tip, but not to any of the lateral branches below.  All my other seedlings so far have only 1 or 2 varieties successfully grafted onto them.

Do I simply need to wait until my trees are larger and more mature to have better success?

Richard - San Diego - 10a

brian

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Re: Grafting annona to lower lateral branches - any secrets to success?
« Reply #1 on: January 11, 2022, 10:01:26 AM »
I did not know this was a known problem, but I think I have experienced it.  I grafted ten ilama scion onto a fairly large cherimoya, and I was happy to find that nearly all grafts took.  Then over the next six months some have deteriorated.  I don't rememeber which were upright or not, I will have to go check and see
« Last Edit: January 11, 2022, 10:23:52 AM by brian »

brian

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Re: Grafting annona to lower lateral branches - any secrets to success?
« Reply #2 on: January 11, 2022, 01:06:37 PM »
Upon inspection... I think *all* of my grafts have failed.  The wood looks a bit dark and they have not leafed out despite having fuzzy buds, while the rest of the tree is growing.  What a shame :(

spaugh

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Re: Grafting annona to lower lateral branches - any secrets to success?
« Reply #3 on: January 11, 2022, 01:22:24 PM »
What you need to do to make the grafts more robust on any tree is cut back the ungrafted portion so that it has to also grow back with the new grafts.  If theres a big honking rest of the tree there to use all the energy, its not going to get distributed well to the graft. 

Also for what its worth, its way easier to do what you are doing while the trees are small.  Once the tree gets larger its even more difficult to multigraft or top work cherimoyas. 
« Last Edit: January 11, 2022, 01:25:47 PM by spaugh »
Brad Spaugh

Jack, Nipomo

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Re: Grafting annona to lower lateral branches - any secrets to success?
« Reply #4 on: January 12, 2022, 08:47:23 AM »
Besides cutting back the original tree to force growth in the grafts, lateral grafted branches need to be staked up vertically to encourage growth.  Grafts on vertical branches respond better as a result of geotropism.  Seedling roots go down, shoots go up as they respond to gravity.

Seanny

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Re: Grafting annona to lower lateral branches - any secrets to success?
« Reply #5 on: January 12, 2022, 02:00:21 PM »
Atemoya has strong apical dominance.
On small tree, 3rd branch from top doesn’t grow well.
It get worst when 3rd branch get a little shade from branches above.

I have AP on cherimoya rootstock.
I graft other varieties on the AP branches.

I have a Dream on cherimoya rootstock.
I graft other varieties on the Dream branches.

I have a cherimoya with a few branches.
I graft other varieties on those

There were many graft failures when those trees were small.
Much less failures when the trees were bigger.

Many ways to get a multi-graft tree.


sc4001992

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Re: Grafting annona to lower lateral branches - any secrets to success?
« Reply #6 on: January 12, 2022, 03:10:51 PM »
Jack and Seanny, what you say makes sense. I had a very large cherimoya tree (15-20 ft tall x 20ft wide, cut back every year) with 2 ft diameter trunk which had many big side branches, shaped well (expanded paraboloid). When I mult-grafted that tree I had no problems with new grafts added to the strong lateral branches. Now I removed that tree and I have another tall cherimoya tree which grows to 15-20 feet tall every year straight up next to my block wall and I cut it back down to 15 ft. This tree is also old and has a two trunks of 4-6" diameter but not hardly any laterial/side branches (5ft wide). I have been trying to add new cherimoya/atemoya scions on this tree for many years but all (100%) my grafts eventually fail. I thought it was my grafting timing but now it makes sense what you say.  I should cut it back down to 4 ft tall and only graft on the vertical branches.

I have many other cherimoyas in pots and my grafts on those plants take and scions are growing well. Also did notice if I did not cut off/top the straight branches that I'm grafting to (like a side veneer) my grafts usually would fail. I don't have much problems with other fruit trees but Cherimoyas seems to be more picky on this issue.

brian

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Re: Grafting annona to lower lateral branches - any secrets to success?
« Reply #7 on: August 26, 2022, 08:17:03 PM »
Nine of my ten ilama grafts died by spring, but one is still alive and is finally putting out full size leaves.  A 'rosada' type.  I have some cherimoya seedlings growing that I think are about the right size, I am thinking about trying to graft a branch onto its own tree instead.