North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Gordon Nofs" <gc_nofs@hotmail.com>]

This is the method I use when I want to try to achieve near 100% takes.
Be It apple, pear, Pawpaw, you name it it is what I use and achieve very 
high percentage of takes. The Bagging process I seen on a TV program many 
years ago and was done at a large nursery in California
=================================================================

GORDON C. NOFS
6422 E. PIERSON ROAD
FLINT, MICHIGAN 48506-2258
PHONE (313) 736-7089
SIMPLE METHOD OF GRAFTING WITH MOST SUCCESS
Grafting equipment : a sharp knife, usually sharpened on one side only.
Flat side is the side that is down against the scion, so select your side
for right or left handed. It makes it easier to control, but not
necessary. (keep clean) rubber strips called budding strips, size .02
x3/8 x 8 can be purchased in small quantities at
mellinger's1-800-321-7444  4 oz.  @ 3.75 will give you 112 strips. They
also have knives, and a good book called "secrets of plant propagation
which shows other types of grafts, and cost is around $ 13.00 it is a
garden way publication.  In place of the rubber strips, you can use 1/2
inch wide strips cut from a plastic bread wrapper. You will need brown
paper lunch bags, and 1 quart freezer bags. I prefer the long narrow type
to be able to cover whole graft. Also needed are twist ties or string.
Take lunch bags, and while flat make a cut on each bottom corner, to take
out 1/2 to 1 inch wedge. This will let light into the graft.     Now lets
gather our scion wood. If you want to practice you can cut wood from a
tree that you have, and later graft it back on to the same tree. But get
scion from a favorite tree you have seen, in a neighbors yard, friend, or
other. There are also many places to purchase scion wood from. You will
want scion wood of as close to the same diameter of the branch or
rootstock that you are going to graft to. I like wood of 3/16 to 3/8
dia.. But have grafted 1/16 in a pinch. I like scions about 4 to 6 inch
long, with about 4 buds. A preventative thing to do is to mix 1
tablespoon household bleach to 1 gallon water and dip your scions into,
lay aside , and take a paper towel and wet, then squeeze out most of the
water, open, and wrap scions in, put in plastic bag, and seal. Put in
fridge . Best temp. Is around 36 degrees, do not keep in fridge along
with apples for the gas given off will make them sprout. But for short
periods its OK.   Now for the graft: the point I want to stress most is
that the cambium layer which is the layer just beneath the bark, which
when you peel off the tree it is on the back side that you would peel
off. The cambium is the part that has to match or make contact as best
you can for it is this contact that is the actual part that nits
together, sometimes called callusing. Which heals the scion and stock
together to continue the growth. We should strive for the best match of
scion to stock, but if not possible always hold your match to one side do
not try to centralize. I find that the best time to start grafting, is
when the trees are starting to push out their buds. This is when the sap
is flowing but dormant scion wood can be put on anytime after, but it is
best to water good a few days before the graft to push growth.  Which
aids in callusing. Take the scion wood, I put mine in one of those very
small buckets with a few drops of bleach in the water. Take to tree where
you want to graft, along with supplies. Pick a branch to match scion as
close as possible. Cut scion at clean sharp angle of approx. 1 1/2 inches
long. Make similar cut on rootstock or branch, and trim till you get as
close a match to scion as you can work to keep flat. This graft I am
explaining, is called a (simple) splice  graft. After cuts match, get a
budding strip or plastic strip, and match up on your scion to stock, wrap
snugly with the strip, and on the top wrap hold finger under and bring
end around and under and pull to hold. Now take a freezer bag, put in
approx. Teaspoon water from scion container, turn upside down, and strip
water from bag leaving small amount of moisture inside which will feed
the scion. Now blow open and put over graft, and tying just below graft
keeping as much air in as you can. Leave room at the top for leaf buds to
expand a little. Now open lunch bag, and put over freezer bag. Tie
loosely. Step back and admire. That's enough. Now leave like this for one
week, then peek in through one of the holes and see if there is new
growth. If you can't see to good make opening bigger on north east side.
When sprouting looks good approx. Two weeks open both bags and leave one
with bottom tied to stay open for few days. It is best to remove late in
the evening, or better yet on a cloudy and rainy day.  I use a waterproof
marking pen to write on 1" masking tape long enough to go around an lap
over at the ends where information is written. I put date, type graft,
variety. These tags last long into fall for me so that I have time to put
permanent tag on the successful growing grafts. The pit type fruits
grafts seem to mold easily, so don't add moisture to them. They are a
problem I am working with now, with some successes.  Nut trees you will
not want to bother for 4 to 6 weeks, but have patience some pecans have
taken 6 to 8 weeks. Apples are the easiest, and I would recommend they be
your first try. In  place of plastic and paper bag, there is a product
called "farwells grafting seal" it is sold by farwell products, inc.
P.O. box 3347, Wenatchee, WA. 98801.   It is yellow. I buy half pint
bottles. To use this: after you have made your graft, paint entire graft
from tip to beyond graft with this product that is all you will have to
do, it protects and seals, and buds will expand and grow right through.
(make sure to watch that grafting rubber does not girdle the graft. They
will usually disintegrate, but if painted may not.      !!!!!do not use
tar based grafting seal sold in garden centers etc. It is not good for
trees at all. Your tree trimming experts will also tell you this if they
know what there doing. Last year I put on 30 grafts in a hurry hitting
all the little branches on a 6 foot rootstock, everyone is growing to
this day ( painted each graft with grafting seal)     now for smaller
scions and larger branches, you can do what is called a bark graft. It is
another simple graft. Cut off branch at half inch and up in diameter,
using scion as prepared before, insert into cut that you will make on cut
off branch and slide in under bark at the slit till you get all the way
in to end of bevel cut. ( it is best to scrape the scion along the sides
to the cambium to make better contact. Tie snugly and put on freezer bag
and paper bag. You can sometimes put more than one scion per cut branch
by spacing around branch.  If your scion wood is of the previous years
growth, it usually takes best, but any age can be used.  Two year growth
may produce quicker, but you must remember that you have a cut branch
inside and only new and future growth is what is going to support this
branch. So don't allow to many fruit on at early years.  Note ! I try to
make my slanting cuts opposite a bud, on both scion and stock. For sap is
going to reach the bud and force to new growth. Keep all other buds from
beneath the graft  to force all growth to scion.  The splice and bark
graft is what I now mainly use. A stronger graft is an improved splice
call a whip graft, but not necessary.





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Gordon C. Nofs
Flint, MI.


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