To: "Elizabeth Hilborn" <ehilborn@mebtel.net>, "nafex" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [nafex] Grafting techniques
Date: Mon, 1 Apr 2013 09:11:44 -0500
Betsy,
I saw that Jerry Lehman weighed in and mentioned bleeding with regard to
nut tree understocks. It can be a major issue.
Ive seen seasoned nut grafters advocate cutting off the rootstock and
waiting (sometimes several days) until they stop bleeding , then grafting.
Have never tried that, but when doing bark grafts, I routinely do my own
modification of what Ive seen described as the Sap-stopper modification of
the Gray graft.
Essentially, instead of totally beheading the rootstock, you just cut about
¾ of the way through the stem and break the top over, leaving it attached to
the understock, to act as a sap-drawer or pressure-relief valve, of
sorts. Then you do your routine bark graft, and come back and snip off the
hanging top once the scion has callused in and begun growth.