This year Spring arrived late but our trees are finally bursting with new leaves. This also means it is time to get grafting.
I've been grafting for several days now so I decided to stop and take a few photos to relay a few grafting tips.
For me, the grafting process begins by sizing up a young sapling pecan tree and deciding which grafting method is best suited for that particular tree. The photo at right shows a small tree that is the perfect size for a bark graft. For a detailed description of the bark grafting technique I use, click
HERE for one of my previous posts on the subject.
I like to be aggressive in preparing the stock tree for grafting. I start by removing any basal sprouts and very low limbs. I then remove much of the remaining top growth to leave a single stem to accept the scion. The height of this cut was chosen because it is a comfortable height for me to work on when sitting on my cooler full of scions (photo at left). By removing over 2/3 of the top of this tree, I'll be forcing the tree to put all it root energy into sprouting the buds on my scion.
If the stock tree has a lot of rough bark, I use a wood rasp to smooth the bark in the area where I plan on placing the scion. Smoothing off the bark makes the remaining bark more pliable and allow for a tighter fit over the scion. Use the rasp with light touch. Shave off to much and you can cause the bark to tear when the scion is inserted.
I inserted the scion in my usual way. Note that the bark is already forming around the scion (photo at right).
Once the scion is fully inserted I always check for gaps between the scion and the stock. In photo "A" above, the yellow arrow points to an air gap between the wood of the stock and the scion. Using my fingers to apply pressure, I can close that gap ("B" above). Air spaces between scion and stock always lead to graft failure. So I use a staple gun to hold everything tightly in place ("C" above).
Once I cover the graft with aluminum foil and a plastic bag, I always count the number of exposed buds on the scion. If I find more than two buds, I prune the scion down so only two remain (photo above). I like to limit the number of buds on the scion so that the remaining shoots will grow more vigorously.
The deer herd in my area seem to have developed a fondness for the flavor of newly emerging pecan leaves. So to prevent any deer browse on my new grafts, I always cage the tree in 2 inch by 4 inch welded wire (photo at left).
