Fruitwise apple tree grafting, the cleft graft

[Kljeco95]

in the name of this fat (protection)

[KyrgyzKings]

Hello as paste with which you is called have smeared shanks and a trunk. I not so understand English, but, is ready to translate the text by means of the program. I will be grateful to you for the answer. Thank you very much!

[pinkfloydeffect]

"wheres my knife, that's my favorite knife" hahaha

[krupter]

can I use bees wax to do that

[stephenhayesuk]

@krupter I use Tenax grafting wax, plain beeswax it too stiff. One of my old books has a recipe for grafting wax-1 part tallow (I think this is animal fat) 2 parts beeswax and 4 parts resin, melted and stirred together.

but Tenax is widely available and only about £4 for a 200g tub which will last for years and allow you to graft 100s of trees, so I wouldn't bother trying to make your own.

[AstroRef68]

Good job!

[JenStotland]

I just want to say I've managed to successfully graft some pencil-sized scion onto some seedlings, my first successful grafts, thanks to you.

I started the rootstock from your grocery store apple seed and some people are telling me they will be unreliable. The scion wood was given to me by an orcharder (Brian Boates). Do you think there will be a problem with the rootstock?

[stephenhayesuk]

cheers Jen

The stocks we use, Malling-Merton (MM) 106, 26, 27, 111 etc (different stocks are used in the USA) were raised by selective plant breeders over many years and are

predictable. If you raise your own stock from a pip, you can't be sure how large it will grow, how healthy it will be, how many years before it fruits etc.

Since a fruit tree is a long term investment, I prefer to begin with known stocks and scions. But no harm experimenting as long as you know the risks.

[Florinvld]

How good of you, athousand thanks !

All the best !

[agrotis79]

how old is this tree in this video?

[stephenhayesuk]

10 years old

[rtlmf]

Hi, after seeing your video last year I was really impressed and inspired not only did I graft i let my friend video me milking our cow, robbing our bees and even butchering chickens. We made a lot of how to videos to help other people. It's a great thing. Check us out at "how to milk a cow by hand" and see what you started. Russ in Alabama.

[iazzy50]

I have yet to find such video but thanks for the reply and great video u have here!! ;)

[iazzy50]

Can this kind of grafting apply to bougainvillea? And can this be done if the plant is already growing with flower and leaves? I want to graft different coloured bougainvillea in one plant. Can it be done? pls advice, thanks!!

[stephenhayesuk]

Hi. I cannot advise on bougainvillea as I only graft apples and pears which are decidiouss hardwood tree fruits. I am sure there are some other tubes where this sort of grafting is addressed.

[zeu97]

i made few graftings me and my father this weekend ... i would be verry happy if you will take a look :) right now i am uploading it ..have a nice week... , u can replay me on YM-zeu97

[JenStotland]

Is it special grafting wax that you use or beeswax? Also, is March 19 too late to collect scion wood? (I have a farmer in Annapolis NS who wants to help give me some). Thank you for sharing this with us!

[stephenhayesuk]

a proprietary brand of grafting wax called Tenax.

March 19 should be OK, it depends on your local climte. also some trees burst into life earlier than others in spring. The key thing is that the scion wood should be dormant.

[JenStotland]

The trees are definitely all still dormant around here. Thank you very much!

[AstroRef68]

Hi,

I'm from USA what kind of WAX do I find here to use for grafting.

thanks.

[ballhitch2]

hard to buy scion wood online, you should sell your prunings as a side line. money for old rope. just a thought...

I'd buy some

keep vids coming

[786free1]

How do you store the scion? Can you just stick it in a bottle of water?

[dabeshu]

It's insane that you can even do that.

[fly2000jtb]

So feb cutting grafted in sept same year?

[stephenhayesuk]

No. The follow up video was made in September. Grafting was done in late March with wood cut in February and stored cool and damp.

[stephenhayesuk]

Here is the follow up video of this tree grafted over by rind and cleft grfting eaelir this year, taken in late September 2008. Most of the grafts have taken but they have not grown away very well. They might have done better if I had found time to control grass and weeds around the tree and sprayed fungicide against the apple scab you can see on the leaves. They should grow away in 2009.

I got better results than this from working trees over with 20 or so grafts on multiple smaller branches

[botchalism]

Where's the follow up of this video?

[stephenhayesuk]

not done it yet, will do

[SamuelitoRubio]

I love your videos, and I have 2 questions. First, how old should a tree be before I try grafting onto it? and second, I live in Minnesota in the u.s. and it isn't nearly as wet here as England, do you think it would be advantageous to give the tree extra water for a while after grafting?

[stephenhayesuk]

You can graft on to a tree of any age or size, just choose the right technique.

If the tree is well established, I don't see any reason to water extra, but it wouldn't do any harm especially if you are in a dry hot country. A top dressing of mulch (such as compost, farmyard manure etc-but not right against the trunk as this may damage the bark) around the tree helps retain moisture.

[hamzazaitoon]

what is the waks

[stephenhayesuk]

A grafting wax I bought from a big garden centre, it is called Tenax grqafting wax.

[lecorfec]

So you are enjoying Opinel for grafting in UK!

Because of the crowned hand, I guess?

[stephenhayesuk]

I have used Opinels for 20 years, such a versatile and useful knife.

We are having a panic in UK about knives at present since one young person a week is being stabbed to death. The newspaper editors think banning knives will solve the problem of violent people who have no respect for the rights of others to live.

I might go to prison for 4 years for having this helpful multi purpose tool in my pocket! Better to attack the attitudes not the implements. Cherish freedom while you can!

[Paitro202]

i think its 6 teens a month

[stephenhayesuk]

anopther 16 year old boy killed in London last weekend, 17 so far in London this year, so about one every 2 weeks. That's 17 deaths too many, but criminalising upstanding taxpaying citizens with an Opinel in their pockets (me, for example) will not solve the problem.

[bluzy25]

Thanks for the post, please clarify something for me, Can you graft a fruiting apple on to a ornamental apple?

[stephenhayesuk]

yes, no problem

[MonicaLewandowski]

Can you graft fruit branches onto non-fruit trees?

Is it better to get a branch before winter and store it to graft or can you take a branch from a tree that is blossoming and graft it onto another blooming tree?

I like your videos!

[stephenhayesuk]

Thanks, glad you like my videos'

No, you can't graft fruit trees on to non-fruit trees, it has to be apple to apple, pear to pear (or quince) etc.

I advise against taking growing or blossoming wood to graft, it is much better to cut the wood during winter dormancy and store it in a cool damp place, then graft it on to growing wood. In Europe (England anyway) that means take the wood in January of February and graft in April.

[crock703]

jesus, that's an incredible saw.

[stephenhayesuk]

The Silky Fox range of pruning and forestry saws are Japanese made, and are as you rightly say incredible. The saw in this video is the Silky Fox Big Boy, really a forestry saw but handly for making big cuts. We use the Silky Fox Gomtaro 300mm Apple saw for most pruning work, you can see it in some of the other pruning videos.

[stephenhayesuk]

re my comment on the video that 'it's too late to graft this year' clearly that was an incorrect statement, or I wouldn't be grafting. I don't use a script!

I meant that the best results are obtained from grafting DORMANT wood on to ACTIVE GROWING wood, and it's now (7th April)too late to obtain dormant wood unless you already have some in store, in which case you can graft if you get a move on. Grafting using growing scion wood in very dodgy and I wouldn't try, not for apples anyway.