For those that missed the garden demonstration on grafting, you still have time to save scion (top) wood for budding. Look up budding on line since it would take me pages to detail the procedure here. Basically, I would like to say that if you wish to have me teach you in the garden, email me and we'll set up a day for that. You have a couple of months until budding season. The sap in the parent (rootstock) plant needs to start flowing to bud.
Now is the time to collect the scion wood-while it is dormant. A word of caution though.....be sure the varieties you collect are not patented. You are not allowed to propagate patented plants just like DVD movies are protected from being copied. If you are in doubt, look on line or ask me.
To collect the varieties you want to add to your trees, clip a branch that has some dormant leaf (not flower) buds on wood that is about thumb thickness. This will give you a flat enough surface to make the "shield bud" cut needed to insert into the rootstock. Keep your donor budwood moist with damp shredded paper in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Do not freeze. Do not keep under water. Check moisture in bag once a week.
Wood is dormant in January. When the buds start swelling, it's too late to collect, so don't wait. Ask friends, neighbors, and even your favorite nursery for particular varieties you need. Sometimes you might have to pay for the scion wood. Be sure it is not diseased. In plums, cherries and some other stone fruits, ring spot virus is a problem. If the tree was ill last summer, don't chance infecting your parent tree.
Walnut, Pistachio, and Pecan are extremely difficult and would be best to buy already professionally budded and grown out as deep-potted and well rooted trees.
Some fruit plants like pomegranates are on their own roots and don't require grafting or budding. Others can grow on their own roots, but need to be grafted due to soil, insect or other problems. For example, grapes succumb to phylloxera insects if grown on their own rootstocks in large vineyards. Singly in a backyard, there is a good chance phylloxera will not be there, unless your yard backs up to an infested vineyard. Also, grapes can be grafted to be more vigorous in poor soils.
Select rootstocks and top varieties with purpose and enjoy the fruits of your labor under the shade of your trees.
Healthy Gardening.
Ken Brizzi
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