To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] NAFEX] Grafting prunus (as opposed to budding)
Date: Thu, 20 Dec 2007 22:57:28 +0000 (GMT)
I have to say that my budding success is poor, but grafts close to 100%. I had a Stella cherry for planting at a local primary school and took a piece of wood off it, the buds had burst. I whip and tongue grafted it onto Colt rootstock and it sulked. The buds died back yet I see that there 3ft new wood was made.
I was passed a copy of a book by William Lawson - A new Orchard and Garden (ISBN 1903018102) written in 1618. If is a facsimile edition - the s's appear as f's so you have to have the correct mindset when reading. It is amazing what they new about grafting back then - how little has changed since. I would go further - they were more adventurous that we are. Lets face it the books would as no to grafting an actively growing scion, yet they did as a routine.
It never ceases to please me to see the standard text book rules being challenged and shown that Nature will prevail.
Clifford
Cain Bawtry, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, UK