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  • From: Chris Garriss <cgarriss@garriss.net>
  • To: Nafex <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [NAFEX] Apple Grafting
  • Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2010 09:50:28 -0400

This may be a "novice" question, but...

Over 35 years ago I grafted ~100 different apples, part on Malus ranetka and part on Malus antonovka - both acquired from the now defunct Bear Creek Nursery - over a period of several years.  I experienced 100% "takes" with the ranetka, and 90-95% with the antonovka.  Alas, those trees and I parted company, and I was once again in grafting mode in other than an occasional basis.  At this point, and over the past few years, I have moved from standard trees to M111 as rootstock - my age has as much to do with the change as anything, at over 60 sooner production is better than later ;-).

I've purchased the M111 rootstock from several different sources, and have found that the success rate with M111 to be only in the 50-60% range.  I've grafted using the same piece of scionwood onto 2 or more rootstocks.  In some cases all have taken, in others 1, 2 or even 3 have taken.  In other cases none.  While I admit that part of the "error" might be mine, it seems that not all of it can be (or at least I do not hope it to be).  Is this lower take rate normal for M111, or is there some other factor that may be at work?  If normal, is there some other rootstock I should be looking at?  I have ruled out dwarf rootstocks - too many deer, and the occasional bear.  Also do not want to deal with the excessive support conditions of some of them.

As a further bit of information, in some cases neither the rootstock nor graft ever broke dormancy, in some cases the graft "tried to" but the rootstock never appeared to and in some cases the rootstock did, but the graft never did.  In the first two cases, of course, the result was a dead stick with an attempted graft.

Any thoughts, ideas...?

Thanks.


  • [NAFEX] Apple Grafting, Chris Garriss, 04/16/2010

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