North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Kieran &/or Donna" <holycow@frontiernet.net>]

Anton,  Are you asking me how to do a splice graft?  There's plenty of stuff 
on the Net on how to do grafting.  You only want to do simple splice grafts 
or even better, bark grafts if your stock is larger than your scions.  You 
want to do a nice neat job because your lively scions need to join up quick. 
Far easier for you to have a look see at some pictures than for me to 
explain.  For your practice after looking at the pictures, go cut off a 
maple branch or some kind of fruit branch that needs pruning anyway and 
practice cutting them properly and fitting them together.  Then rubber band 
them or tape them or whatever you are going to use.  No sense in getting 
your initial practice on your valuable scions.  THEN do your for real 
grafts.  I'll tell you a secret, besides having your stock growing well, and 
that is that your cut is not a whittling motion from the wrist, it's made 
using the arm.  I was quite surprised to come across that little peice of 
info in the last year.  I get straighter cuts that way.  I always used a 
utility knife because being a girl I didn't know how to sharpen knives 
properly.  Last year I bought a real grafting knife and think I have learned 
to sharpen it correctly.  I am getting a high percentage of takes this year, 
but having lots of rain is making a lot of the difference.  There's 
absolutely no substitute for having strong growing stock.    Donna