Grafting technique!

[bonhe]

Yenling asked me to show my grafting way in other post, so I will create this post for that.
My teacher, Mr. Richard Ota, taught me this.

Yesterday and this morning, I did some grafting on ume, kinzu and meiwa kumquat and black pine. This month is not suitable to do pine grafting in my area, however, because my teacher just gave me some scions of Kotobuki pine and different types of ume yesterday, so I have no choice!

Scions of ume with: white single layer flower, white double layer flower, pink flower with small fruit


and contort ume scion


The rootstock is ume with pink flower from cutting 3 years ago. It has never got flower since then!


Bonhe

 

[bonhe]

Preparing:

1. Soak the dried sphagnum moss into the tap water.



2. Plastic bag, size 5.5 x 3". I bought this on the internet in a bunch of 500 bags for about $5 (I don't remember much)
Using scissors to cut along the bag about 2.2 cm in length.


3. Use sharp pruner to cut scion with 2 - 3 nodes.


4. Use sharp knife ( I use a utility knife here) to make a slice cut about 1.3 cm into the rootstock where I want it to be.


Bonhe

 

[bonhe]

5. Prepare the scion.
- Use the sharp knife to make a slanting cut about 1 cm in length


- Turn scion around 180 degrees and make another slanting cut about 0.3 cm


Now you can see the scion from the lateral view.


6. Prepare the grafting tape. In the past I used the elastic plastic band for this purpose, and it took much more time to perform the task! Since I found the grafting tape 2 years ago, my work is much more easier! I bought this Japanese grafting tape on Ebay. It is so good because it is stretchable and self adhesion.


I fold it into the half to suit with the size grafting


7. Insert the scion into the cutting surface of the rootstock all the way in. Make sure that the cambium of the scion will have a good contact with cambium of the rootstock. Beside that, make sure that there are no gap between the scion and rootstock surface (if you look from the side view, you will know if there is a gap or not).


Bonhe

 

[bonhe]

8. When everything is in place. My left thumb is placed on the flap of rootstock and scion and the left index finger is on the back of the grafting area (I am right handed). My right hand will grab the grafting tape and start wrapping it around the grafting area with good stretching to cover the whole grafting site.


If I found any big gap between the tape and scion like this one, I would use any glue to fill in the gap to avoid the dehydration of the scion.


9. Put some wet sphagnum moss into the plastic bag, then use the bag to cover whole scion all the way to grafting site. Then use the string to seal of the bag beneath the grafting site.


Complete task!


10. I wrote information on the pot to help me remember what I did!


11. Finally, put the pot in the shady place. The plastic bags will be remove gradually when I see the live signs of the scion. That time, the pot will be placed in the sunny place.
Bonhe

 

[bonhe]

With the pine, the site of grafting will be really low, almost right above the soil line to prevent the different bark characteristics later on (for example cork bark pine on regular black pine).

Kotobuki scion was grafted on regular JBP


As I expected, moderate resin was bled from the rootstock surface and scion (It is reason why one should perform grafting for pine while it is still in dormant phase). I hope it will survive!!!!
Bonhe

 

[bonhe]

This San Jose juniper was grafted with Kishu shimpaku in 2010. All of its 5 branches including the apex were grafted. If I don't tell you, you won't recognize this is a grafted tree. I have a great happiness of grafting like my teacher!


The San Jose characteristic bark


Grating area.


We can use San Jose, prostrata, foemina, procumbent nana or California juniper as the rootstocks.

We can use Kishu or Itoigawa shimpaku juniper as the scions.

Bonhe

 

[petegreg]

Fantastic, Bonhe, thank you for your effort and sharing.

 

[CWTurner]

Bonhe,
I don't understand what that "grafting line" is showing?
CW

 

[Smoke]

Awesome tutorial. Very well done. Everyone should save this and print it.

 

[Nwaite]

Thank you very much! Can't wait to try something like this out this spring.

 

[Eric Group]

Awesome tutorial. Very well done. Everyone should save this and print it.

I was going to recommend he post this in resources!

Fantastic job Bonhe, thanks!

 

[AlainK]

Thanks a lot for this very informative thread Bonhe.

I'm planning to side-veneer graft Acer palmatum cultivars (not for bonsai), and it's the first time I've seen someone using sphagnum moss inside the plastic bag, I'll try that, thanks for the tip.

 

[Saizan]

Thank you very much for sharing. Very instructive and very visual!

 

[thumblessprimate1]

Nice resource, man!

 

[bonhe]

Bonhe,
I don't understand what that "grafting line" is showing?
CW

The grafting line is made by the edge of the scion and rootstock. It will be disappeared in the future.
Bonhe

 

[bonhe]

Thank you very much for all comments!
I like this quote: "It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.”
― Mother Teresa
Bonhe

 

[fredman]

"It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.”

Amen

 

[mwar15]

thanks for sharing, how successful are you grafting that many branches at once? when I have done citrus and mangos we only did a couple at a time. Have you compared doing a wedge style graft to a tongue and groove type graft?

 

[bonhe]

thanks for sharing, how successful are you grafting that many branches at once? when I have done citrus and mangos we only did a couple at a time. Have you compared doing a wedge style graft to a tongue and groove type graft?

The shown juniper in this post was grafted in 5 branches at one time, and it took all.
I also grafted Kinzu on 4 branches of Troyer's citrus and it took all.
I don't perform a tongue and groove type so I don't know.
Bonhe

 

[bonhe]

This is a Yatsubusa pine grafted on regular JBP 2 years ago. My teacher told me that I must graft as low as possible!
I pulled it out this afternoon to cut the rootstock trunk shortly.



However, I still leave the short stump there until the winter.


Bonhe