Ontario Fruit Explorers

["joe calico" <jcalico@sympatico.ca>]

Biz,

1. I’ve sent my address direct to your email.
2. With respect to the Lee Valley gizmo, I was one of the suckers that bought one two years ago.  My experience suggests that you should not waste your money.  I purchased one then went out and purchased a mechanical pencil sharpener (because the taper of the sharpened scion end has to match exactly the taper of the hole).  Anyway, I tried it on apple, pear and euonymus (yes, euonymus although euonymus is rather difficult to achieve success).  I did not have a single success with any of the grafts.  Now, I noticed three significant things:
1. When you use the Lee Valley bit to drill into the stock (trunk) it got rather warm (hot in some cases) due to friction.  I then slowed down the drill speed but found that it still got warm and the bit did not seem to expel the shavings very well so that they started to bind, creating crumbles, heating effect, etc.
2. With respect to the scion stick, when I sharpened it using my newly purchased mechanical sharpener ($20?) I found that it did not leave a clean surface like you would find on a freshly sharpened pencil.  Rather, it produced a not-so-smooth surface due to the tearing of, sometimes the bark, other times the cambium.  To be fair, that may have been due to the condition of my scion wood but I’m not totally convinced. 
3. The thickness of the scion stick has to be of the exact diameter of the drilled hole.  So, the best order of things is to start with a scion stick that is thinner than the widest possible hole using the Lee Valley gizmo.  Sharpen the stick to a point.  Then using the Lee Valley bit, slowly drill at the desired angle on the stock.  90 degrees generally produces the best all-around cambium contact between stock and scion wood but experiment with somewhat lesser angles as the sharpened scion stick never produces a perfectly concentric result due to the non perfectly cylindrical shape of the cross section of the scion stick.  Then, seal with some favourite wax sealant.  To maintain good cambium contact and stop the wind from working on the implanted scion stick try different techniques such as using a pin to ‘nail’ the scion and stock together, etc.

 

By the way, the Lee Valley gizmo comes with significant instructions but you still have to improvise/experiment.

 

If you buy it, good luck and let me know your success.

 

Joe C

 

-----Original Message-----
From: labruscagrape-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:labruscagrape-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Biz Storms
Sent: March 29, 2007 3:13 PM
To: 'Ontario Fruit Explorers'
Subject: Re: [OFEX] FW: [NAFEX] grafting questions - continued.

 

Hi Tom,

 

I certainly like cleft graft method – especially since the grafts should get a lot of “push” from the tree’s energy. I think I’ll give the other method a try, just as a comparison. With the cleft graft you don’t have to wait for slipping bark.

What time of year did you tackle the cleft graft? I’m also going to try Lac Balsam as the sealant, unless someone has tried it and discovered it doesn’t work in this technique. I have had good experience with the Lac Balsam overall, and it’s easy to find.

 

Has anyone seen the recent Lee Valley catalogue with the grafting gizmo’s? You sharpen the scionwood in a pencil sharpener and then use a specific size drill bit – in a corresponding size to locate the entry point on the tree. I know it might sound good in theory … ? Since they carried them last year – they must be selling, otherwise they’d be dropped from the catalogue. Make’s you wonder how badly the pencil sharpener mangles the cambium layer and just how many of these grafts actually succeed? At least you don’t run the risk of cutting yourself. ;-)

 

And now a question for Joe – regarding the espalier grafts. Since our computer files were recently compromised, I have lost your info about the type of grafts you prefer for your espalier. Sorry – but I’m need to ask again. Which graft method has been most successful for you, and do you wait a year to graft on each new pair of arms?

The first tier of arms, which grew last summer, were badly hit by the bunnies this winter. I’m trying to determine if I let them grow back from their current state, to deliver energy to the tree; cut them back and perform a whip / tongue graft with new variety; or opt for a chip graft in early June when the weather breaks. Know any good bunny recipes!  ( Those &*^%$)^#  rascally rabbits went down the length of the first trellis wire, and chomped their way through a year’s worth of growth on 95 trees. Just like eating a row of kernels on corn on the cob! )

 

Cheers, Bizmark.

 

-----Original Message-----
From: labruscagrape-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:labruscagrape-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Thomas Olenio
Sent: March 29, 2007 11:21 AM
To: 'Ontario Fruit Explorers'
Subject: Re: [OFEX] FW: [NAFEX] Whip and tongue with two different sicons?

 

Hi Biz,

 

This is the first style graft I ever did.  I performed 4-5 and they all took.

 

I simply used an axe and hammer to gently open the split, then used a wood chisel to open the split for scion insertion.  Really easy to match cambium as you can work with larger scions.  The pressure from the tree wanting to come together holds everything very tightly.

 

The cleft graft can introduce disease so be sure to fill the open crack with something like pruning paint, grafting wax, beeswax, toilet sealing ring wax.

 

 

Note the gap in in diagram “B”, this needs to be filled, otherwise it will introduce water and disease to the center of the trunk.

 

Easy smeashy.

 

Later,

Tom

 

-----Original Message-----
From: labruscagrape-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:labruscagrape-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Biz Storms
Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2007 10:49 AM
To: 'Ontario Fruit Explorers'
Subject: [OFEX] FW: [NAFEX] Whip and tongue with two different sicons?

 

 

 

Good morning to the group

 

I have pasted this entry from nafex over to our group - and was wondering if

anyone has tried this? I am looking at experimenting with cleft grafts on a

group of trees that I'm renting from a neighbour's orchard. I also might

give this a go with bald spots in my own orchard, instead of trying to

encourage dormant buds to sprout.

 

To Joe and Joe - I'll be posting your Ashmead's Kernel scionwood this

afternoon or tomorrow morning.

 

Cheers, Bizmark.

 

 

 

You can insert a shaved scion anywhere on the main trunk you want. You

merely cut a 2 or 2.5 inch slit vertically on the trunk (when bark is

slipping), pry one side up with a screw driver or whatever, and slip your

scion in - shaved side to the trunk. Seal up all air access with childrens

modeling clay, then paint the whole affair with grafting glue to anchor

everything in place and prevent dessication of the scion. Whatever angle you

set with the scion is the angle you get as a branch. In my estimation, far

more practical than looking for a limb stump to bark graft. Plus, you can

set a new branch where there is a bald spot on the trunk. Works REAL good

with small diameter scion wood! Neat trick when you think about it!

 

Kenneth Quattlebaum

 

 

 

 

 

From: "Randall Burd" <burdrs@comcast.net>

Subject: [NAFEX]

To: <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>

Message-ID: <00bc01c770c7$cce2b1c0$6501a8c0@D42MRG21>

Content-Type: text/plain;      charset="us-ascii"

 

Is there a way to graft two different scions using a 'whip and tongue'-like

approach? The multigraft trees that I have purchased commercially all appear

to have been grafted using a bud method, often leaving an undesirable acute

branch angle?

 

Any suggestions?

 

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