From the Editor’s Garden 2005

Fall blew in on a windstorm this year, the normal mode up here, but this year it seemed to be nearly a month late.  I usually have a killing frost by the end of August, and it was the beginning of October before frost finally took my beans, squash, and pumpkins.   The winds blew…

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root grafting

Did You Know? Dr. Dinkel sometimes gets 2 grafted trees per single rootstock using an interesting method he calls root grafting.  Those long taproots we often cut off to fit the tree into a pot can be used as rootstock by grafting directly onto it in some cases.  The best success is with a 12…

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Bench Grafting Stone Fruits In The Spring

  By BOB PURVIS Bench-grafting stone fruits in the spring can be done, but the requirements for success are more rigorous than are those for apples or pears.  In late January I discussed with Dr. Brian Smith, the stone-fruit breeder at the University of Wisconsin at River Falls, what the requirements are for bench-grafting cherries.  …

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GRAFTING FRUIT TREES SUCCESSFULLY

  —by Lamond Hardy 312 N.E. 80th Ave. Okeechobee, FL 34974   (The following article was found by Bob Boyer. It was used with permission from Countryside and Small Stock Journal, v. 79, no. 2. March/April 1995. The methods that Lamond Hardy describes were developed by him beginning in 1931. Regardless of whether one accepts…

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MESSAGE FROM CLAIR LAMMERS ON USE OF ROOTING HORMONE IN GRAFTING

    Clair Lammers of Fairbanks sent the following email on April 23, 1998.   “I tried something different while grafting this spring. I dipped 64 grafts in HORMODON 1 (Indole-3-butyric Acid 0.1%). Only one of the dipped grafts failed to grow. Also, I only dipped the graft that was not a complete fit (slightly…

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ESTABLISHING BENCH GRAFTS — SOME LESSONS LEARNED

  by Bob Purvis   I’ve done a lot of bench grafting over the past ten years and then grown the trees in pots or in the garden or (more recently) in a pasture. There have been some good success stories, but also some disappointments. Here are some lessons I’ve learned in the horticulture department…

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A Technique to Relocate Graft Positions

  by Joe Orsi   This year I topworked numerous varieties on to most of my apple trees. Topworking a tree enables you to evaluate multiple varieties in a relatively short time frame and in a limited amount of space. Of course, tills is as long as you can relocate and identify your topworked varieties.…

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GRAFTING IN FEBRUARY ON POTTED ROOTSTOCKS

  — by Dwight Bradley   Old Method.—Like most growers in Alaska, I’ve usually done my apple grafting on bare rootstock in April. With whatever thawed soil I can rob from the greenhouse, I pot the new bare-rooted grafts as soon as I can, and stick them in a warm place to callous over and…

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GRAFTING AND BUDDING OF FRUIT TREES

By Robert A. Purvis, Department of Horticulture/LA, WSU, Pullman WA 99164-6414   Purpose of class: To describe the principles and practice of grafting and budding of fruit trees and to have the student practice the techniques of so doing.   Definition and Purpose of Grafting   Grafting is defined as the art of connecting two…

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FRUIT TREES IN INTERIOR ALASKA

By Robert Fox   Back when I was five years old, my grandmother would send me out to the old peach tree to pick the makings of a wonderful peach cobbler pie. How I loved those pies!   Many years later, I found myself in Fairbanks, Alaska, wondering what it would be like to grow…

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BARK GRAFTING METHOD HOLDS PROMISE

  Clair Lammers has passed along a note from Bernie Nikolai, of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, regarding bark grafting:   Here’s a diagram that Pm told results in 99% success. Just be sure to cut the stock to the hardwood (if s greasy and shiny looking) and put the cut side of your scionwood (the tapered…

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SOME TIPS FROM GARFIELD SHULTS

By Bob Boyer   Garfield Shults, an earnest experimental grafter from Homedale, Idaho, says that cherry plums will double or triple in size if budded on apricot rootstock.   He also says that when grafted, trees will grow much faster and produce earlier if fertilized with “Rico Verde”, a product of Agronics. 701 Madison NE,…

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EFFECTIVENESS OF READILY AVAILABLE ADHESIVE TAPES AS GRAFTING WRAPS

  A variety of materials have been recommended as tape for wrapping grafts including grafting tape, polyethylene strips, parafilm and masking tape. A researcher at West Virginia University conducted a comparison test to determine the usefulness of several tape materials on Golden Delicious’ apples whip grafted onto Antonovka seedling rootstocks. The tapes tested were grafting…

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PROSSER: VIRUS-TESTED PROPAGATING MATERIAL

By Robert Purvis Recently, I sent for and obtained a listing of the virus-indexed fruit-tree scions in the IR-2 repository of the Ag Research and Extension Center at Prosser, Washington, Among apricots they have all the Har- series from Canada, Manchu, Scout, Goldcot, Puget Gold, and about 25 others. Among the hardy plums I noted…

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