Kitchen Garden Forum

Last year during early winter, I took scions from apple trees, stored them over winter as informed on knowledgeable web pages and grafted them onto trees in early spring and had a 100% failure rate.

This winter or early spring I'm going to try again but without keeping the scions in a bucket of compost as instructed. I'm going to take them and graft directly without waiting. My question is, do I do the deed now before winter hits, in the depths of winter, early spring or when I see actual growth in the tree to which I shall graft.

So the question is when for the best chance of success? Over to you lot.

Cheers, Tony.

Sorry, but what codswallop. to me misuse of the word knowledgeable. Never ever ever heard of such a technique for Apple grafting.

The material being grafted onto rootstock should be cut, walked to the rootstock and grafted. All done while dormant. Get the RHS book The Fruit Garden Displayed.

The dead or thoroughly contaminated scions you used stood no chance, every malignant microorganism in the soil had a chance to enter the wood while it dried out or soaked in the bucket.

Kleftiwallah wrote:as informed on knowledgeable web page

An oxymoron, in my view. With that in mind, though, I suggest that you check the advice I give here against a trusted source such as, for instance, a book.
I suggest you forget about grafting altogether and propagate using budding, as is the modern way. A nurseryman takes two stabs at propagating a fruit tree: the first attempt is to bud in late summer, which has a high success rate and is easy. The second stab is to graft onto rootstocks whose buds did not take. When you graft, do it as a piece using freshly cut wood, prepared and united in a swift operation. And be sure that the union is well sealed, to keep out disease but most importantly to keep moisture in.

Thanks for that Peter. Now Felix, I've been waiting all year to have a second go at grafting, then you go and tell me I've eight or so months to wait before budding. I''ll have a second bash at grafting, but I'll definitely read up on "budding". Cheers to you both. Tony.

There's nothing to stop you having another go at grafting sooner, Kleftiwallah, then the budding later if the grafts don't take. It all amounts to the same thing, is how I see it. Don't be grafting quite yet, though — better to do it just as the sap is stirring in late winter.