North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Jwlehman@aol.com]

In a message dated 10/24/2010 2:20:40 PM Eastern Daylight Time, list@ginda.us writes:

> Why dig them up?  why not do field grafting? 
>
> Ginda     


I agree with Ginda. 

Have been reading the mail on this and there may be a point which some are missing. Yes, the rootstock being "Bench Grafted" need not be fully dormant. It is best that the scions to be fully dormant. 

Normally bench grafting is done with fully dormant rootstock, the grafted portion of the rootstock is held in 80° while the roots are maintained cold for about two weeks. During this two week period the graft calluses.  The grafted material is then placed back in cold storage until planting time. The reason you would not want to graft root stocks that are budding out is, they are too far along to then plant.  The survival rate of planting bare root material that has begun active growth decreases. 

Let me state it differently.  If you are grafting bare root material that has started to bud out you have waited too long to plant it, your planting survival rate is going to decrease. The graft may take but you can lose the tree because the root system is not ready to support it.   

Jerry