Grafting technique!

MichaelS,
I think your climate is similar to mine. (hot dry summer, cool to cold wet winter?) Mild weather, not much frost.
I think so.

I graft (not just side but all kinds except thread and root) a lot in spring (late winter) but lately I have started to graft more in Autumn. (about mid March to early April here which would be mid September early October there)
Thank you.

My reasons:
1/ It gives you an opportunity to graft twice per year if you don't have much time in spring.
Make sense.

2/ With pines, I find I do not get the bad swelling at the graft union which I sometimes get in spring. (when I say spring I actually mean late winter here - about mid Feb to mid March in the US)
Very interesting! :) Thanks for noticing this phenomenon. I will have the answer for you soon (I have been trying to do presentation with Windows paint program!!!)

3/ By grafting in autumn, the scion has a long time to unite with the stock before the pressure of growing (increasing heat and light) forces it into growth.
In other words it will form a nice firm, fully healed union and but then remain dormant until spring when it takes off at the same time as the rest of the tree.
Thank you for letting us know.

It works very well on Conifers but also on deciduous.
Excellent!

With tropical evergreens like citrus, I like to do them when it's still quite warm. Even mid summer if you can protect them properly.
I agree.

Also, I noticed in your last pic that all the leaves of the stock has been cut off!
No, I did not cut all the stock needles off. I still leave those in the ends of the branches.

Normally with conifers the stock is cut back in many stages - slowly reducing the front of the branch until the scion is very well established. With a small scion on a heavy branch, this should take up to three years before the graft replaces the original!
I agree with you 101%. I have been reducing the stock needles for this tree at least 3 times already. Those small scions were recently just showed the elongated buds and that time the plastic bags were removed. With this tree, I am expecting that I can completely cut off the stock needles in few months. It means it takes about 18 months since the grafting time! You said it should take up to 3 years! The difference of the time maybe due to the way we control the auxin production of the tree differently.
Bonhe
 
I will present more details about the side graft. Hopefully, new comers are able to get basic information from it, so that one can perform this task without sweat and failure. Oh, even though if one fails, you will understand what is the reason and correct this in the next try!


The grafting on the plants is almost as same as the grafting on the human skin. They share same principle. Human skin graft has 2 types: split graft and flap. Split graft is liked the side graft for the plants. Flap is liked inarching graft for the plants. Split graft or side graft does not have vascular supply, so it dependent on vascularization from the recipient site. Flap or inarching graft has its own vascular supply and is therefore not dependent on the recipient bed. The decision using a graft versus a flap is dependent on the condition and requirement of the recipient bed. A well vascularized bed can accept a split or side graft while an avascular bed required flap coverage. Choosing between split or flap is depended on what area it is needed to be covered.


The fluid movement of the tree is so important in success of the grafting. The tree hormones: auxin and cytokinin are the main role in this process. Auxin is produced in the stem, buds, tips of leaves. Cytokinin is produced in the root tips. Auxin is transported from the manufacturers down to the roots. Cytokinin is transported from the root tips upward to the apex of the tree. Those hormones are transported throughout the tree corresponding to the fluid movement of the tree. If there is no fluid movement, those hormones will stay in wherever they are.

Auxin promotes:
  • Stem elongation
  • Inhibit growth of lateral buds (apical dominance)
Cytokinins promote cell division in plant roots and shoots.
  • Primarily promote cell growth and differentiation.
  • Axillary bud growth
  • Leaf senescence
  • Induce resistance against plant pathogenesis.

The ratio of auxin (A) to cytokinin (C) A/C has an important role in the plant growth. If:
  • A = C : callus formation

  • A > C : induce root formation

  • A < C : induce growth of shoot and lateral buds
Bonhe
p/s: I want to continue this, but I'm having a trouble to put the table up here! Now I have to find a way to do that, or I just have to type without the table.:(
 
[table=head] Cause| To avoid
Insufficient vascularity of the recipient site | Timing*. Choose the recipient site and type of grafting
"Fluidoma"| Timing $. Careful place the scion with good compression ¥
Infection| Good care of the scion
Scion is not aligned with stock| Good alignment ¶
Mechanical shearing force| Good compression ¥
[/table]
 
Last edited:
* The fluid movement is needed to heal any wound. In the winter time, the fluid flow is almost ceased in the deciduous trees, but not conifers. However, the flow will be slow down a bit at this time for conifers. In the summer, fluid flow is reduced in the broad leaf trees due to the extreme heat (summer dormancy).

$ The more fluid moves, the more bleed the wound has.
1.png
2.png


¶ Either C1 or C2 of the scion must be aligned with D1 or D2 of the stock to get desired healing process (in this area, A/C ratio will be almost 1.
scion.png

stock.png
Bonhe
 
¥ By giving a good pressure to the scion-stock area through the elastic tape, the alignment of scion-stock will be remained and no space will be formed between the scion and stock. The space formed between stock and scion will be occupied by fluid which may lead to infection or create a big callus in the area. Infection can lead to the graft failure.
scion-stock dislodge.png

The A/C ratio has an important role in healing process. In the scion, the auxin will be dominant.

In the recipient site, C will be dominant at the flap and A will be at the recipient bed and the far end of the wound. A = C at the lateral edges of the wound.

Wherever A/C = 1, neovascularization will occurred with callus. This will help healing the graft and provide the new vascular system to the scion.
scion-stock.png


If grafting is done when the stock is in active mode which the fluid movement is high, chance of getting failure is high. If you are lucky to have the graft taken, the rate of swollen callus in grafted area is increased.

If grafting is done when the stock tree has no fluid movement (deciduous in the winter), chance of getting infection and failure is high.

Above information is my hypothesis. I hope it will help whoever like to do grafting. Remembering this basic information, I can apply it to all my tasks with the tree from propagation (cutting, grafting, air layering) to training (pruning, wiring, transplanting, etc.)
Bonhe
 
It must have taken a lot of time to compose this. Thank you for the insight. I hope to try it next year.
 
Bonhe - Thanks for all of the great information and taking the time to present it in a manner with all of the photos and drawings that all of us can understand. I'm going to put it on my list of things to try. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge.

Jamie
 
I am sorry that I forgot to put the tittle for this table. I can not edit the post any more, so I have to bring it up back here!
Graft Failure
[table=head] Cause| To avoid
Insufficient vascularity of the recipient site | Timing*. Choose the recipient site and type of grafting
"Fluidoma"| Timing $. Careful place the scion with good compression ¥
Infection| Good care of the scion
Scion is not aligned with stock| Good alignment ¶
Mechanical shearing force| Good compression ¥
[/table]
Bonhe
 
This is Kinzu grafted on the Troyer citrus. Over one month, the scion is still green, but no new growth. The rootstock has lot of new shoots.
1.png

Troyer citrus leaves
2.png


I pruned off the new shoots of rootstock to reduce the auxin amount, so that the scion can produce the new growth.
3.png

Bonhe
 
Hi bonhe I just want to confirm. When everybody says the cambium layers much match up. Is it the cambium layer at the flap I am matching up with the scion? Or the cambium layer in the back of the cut of the rootstock to the cambium of the scion?
 
ValorG said:
Hi bonhe I just want to confirm. When everybody says the cambium layers much match up. Is it the cambium layer at the flap I am matching up with the scion? Or the cambium layer in the back of the cut of the rootstock to the cambium of the scion?
Click to expand...
Very good question ValorG. When you properly place the scion into the grafted area, the cambium layer of the scion will be contacted to the cambium of the side cut of the rootstock inferiorly and to the cambium of the side cut of the flap superiorly (please see the above diagram)
Bonhe
 
barrosinc said:
If you have some more images on the process of approximation grafting for junipers... I would appreciate them.
Click to expand...
Sorry for the late response! I just found some old images but not enough, so I had to get some new pictures to describe the inarching graft. Let me remind you about the graft again. Inarching graft for the plants is kind of similar to a flap at human graft. Side graft does not have vascular supply, so it dependent on vascularization from the recipient site. Inarching graft has its own vascular supply and is therefore not dependent on the recipient bed. The decision using a side graft versus an inarching graft is dependent on the condition and requirement of the recipient bed. A well vascularized bed can accept a side graft while an avascular or poor vascular bed (old wood at desired site for graft) required inarching graft.

To do inarching graft, you must get a scion from the long branch (which can be reached to the grafted area) at the same tree or from different tree (this tree will be attached to the rootstock).

I used the San Jose juniper as a rootstock
DSC_0505.JPG

and shimpaku juniper as a scion and performed inarching graft on 1/24/2015
DSC_0506.JPG

1. Prepared the ties. I used IV tube threaded with a copper wire. I made 3 of them.
DSC_0507.JPG

2. Used the sharp knife to make a slice about 1-2' in length on the rootstock (down to the hard wood area). The length is depended on the size of the scion: the bigger it is, the longer the slice is.
1.png 2.png


3. Made same slice on the scion
3.png

p/s: pictures in 2., 3. and 4. showed the cork oak branches as an example because I did not take pictures of those steps in 2015!
Bonhe
 
4. Placed the scion on the rootstock. Make sure that their cambiums will be approached together at least in one side of the slice. It should have no gap between them!
4.png


5. Wrapped the ties around the grafted area and twisted the copper wire enough to keep the scion in place. I used wood glue to make sure no gap between the scion and rootstock
DSC_0510.JPG

I made two grafts 1 and 2 on the tree with same scion branch!
DSC_0511.JPG DSC_0512.JPG

The shimpaku colander was hung over the San Jose juniper container to accommodate the graft
DSC_0508.JPG

Bonhe
 

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