grafting

ohiojim · Apr 27, 2012

anyone here do fruit tree grafting ..can you graft a granny smith to a crabapple, i've been trying but won't take, but i'm new to the sport

60 acre hillside · Apr 27, 2012

Did you graft new growth to new growth while dormant? did you hold the parts together with wax or vinyl tape?

Gene Dotson · Apr 27, 2012

My dad was an excellent grafter and if I remember, he always said to do it before last freeze. He cut both trigs at a sharp angle alw wrapped string around them to hold them in place together, then worked beeswax around them and then wrapped with light cloth or gauze. Just let the string and gauze to rot naturally without bothering them.

He had one tree with 4 diffrent varieties of apples from late summer to late fall. Also had one tree with 4 different varieties of fruit, apple, peach, pear and plum.

The grafted branch determines what is produced, regardless of the parent or host stock and any similar host can be used. I would say yes, that the crabapple would be a good host for your domestic apple(s)

Right now is likely too late to do it for this year, but what have you to lose by trying? Biggest stress now is the leaves catch the wind and nay destroy the splice before it has a chance to heal.

Gene

MarkWV · Apr 27, 2012

needs done before bloom, new wood, same size diameter, cut at angles, wrap electricians tape around, leave on til fall,then split tape, let it stay until next spring and remove, dont know about regular apple to crab apple, cant hurt to try. In my area too late now to graft, WV,

Anonymous-0 · Apr 27, 2012

Apples will graft to apples and pears & possibly plums but not peaches, different seeds.

Search engine "Grafting apple trees" plenty of info there.Methods..

Bleeding Orange SW Iowa · Apr 28, 2012

Like others have said, make sure graft and rootstock are same size, dormant, and cut at same angle. Use a VERY sharp knife and maximize the grafting surface by making a long cut with the grain. Then cut short matching back cuts into each grafting surface. This will create a pair of "keys" that lock the two pieces together when taped. Make sure that the cambium layers of each piece touch each other as much as possible to maximize the rootstock's ability to "feed" the graft. If you mess up and don't manage to cut matching surfaces, don't sweat it! Just cut the offending piece back a bit and start over. When you are happy with the match, rubber band it, tape it, and let nature do its work.

Granny Smith should work on crab apple.

Anonymous-0 · Apr 28, 2012

I was told "kernel on kernel and stone on stone".
That's why peaches don't work on apple.

Areo

Leroy · Apr 28, 2012

graft and root stalk do not have to be same size. if they did you could not put 4-5 different grafts on one root stalk. Grandpa did it all the time and he had what he called grafting wax that he used and said if you had just a slight air seep in to the graft it would not grow so I see no way that the tape could be made air tight. Grandpa has been gone for 35 years now and died at 98.

Bleeding Orange SW Iowa · Apr 28, 2012

Leroy, you are correct. There are many grafting techniques, some of which involve scions that are much smaller than the rootstock. IMHO, however, I think that the technique I described is best for a beginner. I did not want to complicate the issue for ohiojim, a self-described struggling novice. Once basic grafting is mastered, training and experience will open up more advanced methods. I do not profess to be an expert, and did not mean to open an argument. I do have some experience with grafting, and thought I could pass that on.

grafting

ohiojim

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60 acre hillside

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Gene Dotson

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MarkWV

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Anonymous-0

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Bleeding Orange SW Iowa

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Anonymous-0

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Leroy

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Bleeding Orange SW Iowa

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