Was branch bending today and accidentally broke off a limb I grafted last year. Fortunately it’s a variety I have plenty of already.
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Time to regraft Clark.
Tony
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Crud. Any way to wrap it back up to see if it will heal?
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Could probably nail it but I think this one I just need to let it go.
The thing with a graft union is that just the new scion growth is bound to the root stock. The middle part remains disconnected. I learnt this the hard way too!
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New sprouts on the top of stubs are vulnerable to breaks like that as well. They’re not really strong until they begin to envelop the top of the stub with new wood.
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That could be repaired and cut back to a stub. Faster than regrafting. But it would need support and additional pruning for a yr or two to avoid it happening again.
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Did that on a peach graft. I graft was small so I wrapped it back tightly with parafilm. That was in late fall. I have not checked it since.
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I snapped one similar to yours but it had some bark still attached. A little tape and brace and it will be good as new by mid summer. Odd but I use a similar controlled break for narrow angle limbs but I try to do a little less drastic break.
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Yup, I would have just used a straight stick for a splint after removing the small piece in the way and taping the thing as tightly as possible with electric tape and there likely would be no loss of vigor if done immediately. Not all grafts strengthen adequately in a single season, but after the second they are usually stronger than the original. I actually wait until after the second season before worrying about spreading them- they grow faster in more upright position and if they get too stiff, a hinge usually works, unless you cut a strong upright off the graft to weaken the shoot. Then it may snap and require the very repair I just mentioned.
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Are there specific graft types that are more susceptible to breaking than others?
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Rind and clefts are both more likely to break off than saddle or whip / whip and tongue.
Curious why you would be bending limbs this time of year. Are you anticipating this tree will be uber vigorous?
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I don’t know about Clark, but I frequently bend branches while pruning- pruning and branch spreading are part of the same process for me. When you are managing a lot of trees you try to accomplish as much as possible every time you pass through them.
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What a timely topic. I have been thinking about a graft that I made.
I have a T-bud that I started last year that is growing nicely and about 2ft tall.
I trimmed off the original leader just above the graft. All is well except that it looks like it’s just stuck to the side of the rootstock. Just like the original picture. How do these ever get strong enough to hold a tree?
Will it be strong in several years? how long does it take?
In Contrast, the whip/tounge that I’ve done are clearly strong. So much that I can imagine soon that you’ll not be able to tell where it is grafted.
Last few years I’ve gone back to nailing each scion twice in a bark graft and not bothering to install bird sticks. 3/4 inch escutcheon pins. Helps a lot with wind, birds, so far, so good.
Alan,
Sometimes I feel like you know me a little to well. That’s exactly what I was doing bending, trimming, tipping etc. to get these new pears producing. Pruning later can encourage fireblight and allows the tree to grow in the wrong places. Pruning last year would have encouraged fireblight. The trees were not dormant until January so this year has been a little tricky for me to get everything done. Fall dormant oil and copper were never applied. The more trees I have the more work I have which takes me longer to complete.
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Just wait until you are 65 like me. Obsessions get worse with age, and my commitments far exceed my capacity at this point.
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