North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Thomas Olenio <tolenio@sentex.net>]

Hi,

Why not leave the trunk, cutting the limbs off, and "topwork" the tree?

This is the practice they use to rework orchards to a new variety.  I have
seen pictures of some pretty large tree trunks being reworked.

Could someone explain why the trunk is left intact for top working?  Is it
to preserve/take adavantage of existing form/shape?  Maybe to get the
grafts out of varmits way?

Thanks,
Tom

--
Thomas Olenio
Ontario, Hardiness Zone 6a

On Wed, 30 May 2001, Bernie Nikolai wrote:

>         Many fellow NAFEXers have a few varieties in their orchards they
> just don't like or want.  Usually we just pull out the trees and replant
> with the varieties we want.  However the last few years I've been
> experimenting and I think I have a better solution.  If the tree is of
> relatively small caliper, under 2 inches in diameter down to about 1/2 inch
> in diameter, just cut off the entire tree at, or almost at ground level.
> Then place 2 or 3 bark grafts on the small stump with the new variety
> wanted.  What happens is the grafts take very well, and using the existing
> power of the established roots, produce a tree that often gives apples in
> only 3 years.  I came across this after about 20 trees were severely girdled
> by voles 4 winters ago.  Rather than pull them out, I just cut them off at
> ground level under the damage and put in bark grafts.  I let all the grafted
> whips grow the first year, and at green tip the second year, cut off all
> whips except the one I chose as the "new" tree.
>         I just returned from my orchard this evening and have 7 for 7 takes
> using this technique from earlier this spring, with the grafts growing well.
> On other trees that I bench grafted and then planted, well, not a single
> graft has taken so far.  This technique is especially usefull in an
> experimental orchard like mine.  Many of the varieties I'm testing are only
> available as scionwood, so its a way to get a nice, healthy tree producing
> apples in only 3 years in a zone 3/2 climate.  I also topworked a few trees
> to compare the results.  They are also producing this year.  However there
> is no advantage to topworking in terms of getting fruit sooner, and its a
> lot easier to put a couple of bark grafts on a small stump than it is to
> regraft several branches of an existing tree.  This technique DOESN'T work
> well on larger trees (much over 2 inches in diameter).  My guess is
> "decapitating" them and putting on bark grafts is too stressfull, and the
> larger trees often die, or at least don't set the grafts but rather send out
> what seems like a million root shoots.
> Bernie Nikolai
> Edmonton, Alberta (full bloom or just past on the apples and saskatoons now)
> 
> 
>  
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