One of our 30 year old fruiting pear trees blew over, and snapped off 2 feet above the ground a few days ago. I've heard that trees can be grafted in winter. Anybody know if you can successfully graft young branches onto an old (but previously healty) stump? I have 2 other pear trees that I could probobly use branches from for the grafts.

Anybody have any basic techniques? I'd rather try and fail then write it off completely.

Thanks!

-- Marty (Mrs.Puck@excite.com), December 08, 2000

Answers

I worked in a nursery for a few years and did alot of grafting,we did Jap. maples but I think it would be the same for fruit trees. I will tell you step by step what we did and you can see if you can modify it.

1. the understock {what you are grafting to} must have stronge roots and be dormat. 2. the sign wood{what you are grafting to the understock} should be at the same stage of dormacey as the understock. 3. both the sign wood and understock should be the same caliber{width} 4. taking a very sharp knife place a slit in the understock,making sure you enter the core just alittle. 5. cut your sign wood off of the parent tree making it look like a spear. 6.place the sign wood into the understock so that it fits tight,do not force it you will damage it. 7. take a rubber band cut so it is long not a hoop and wrap it tightly around the slit ,so it holds the whole thing together. 8.get "tar" sold for grafting and seal the wound and band well ,no air should get in.{you maybe able to use wax} 9. we would force the plants at this point{turn the heat up in the greenhouse and add moisture to the air}it is also called sweating. 10.leaf buds should form on the understock and sign wood at the same time,it means it is working.{this can take a few weeks} 11. after about 6-8weeks carefuly remove the band and tar.

I hope is makes sense. If you have any questions just ask.I do not know what to change since you are doing itoutside. also w/ your tree being so big you may only able to graft to any branches left. I dout you can graft to a stump,the cell make up is not the same as in a branch. Good luck

-- renee oneill{md.} (oneillsr@home.com), December 08, 2000.

Root stock is avaliable from Bearcreek nusery,as an alternative to using what you have.

You can also graft into a larger rootstock.I would need to look it up.I remember a friend doing it with apple.

If you want you can use plastic wrap instead of grafting wax, if using smaller rootstock.It also helps keep moisture in.

We kept them in a cool dark place for abt 10 days, then put them out in the nusery bed for a year, then to the perminant site.

Check With Extension for a pamphlet on grafting and more info.That is where we got our help.

-- sharon wt (wildflower@ekyol.com), December 08, 2000.

Found the info on bark grafting It says to graft when the bark slips on the root stock.that is early spring.

Still,I can send you the info,if you like.There is also a method for getting rootstock off stumps by burying them.If you want,I'll dig that out to.Hope this is of help.

-- sharon wt (wildflower@ekyol.com), December 08, 2000.

Agricultural publication G6971 — Reviewed June 15, 1995 Grafting Ray R. Rothenberger and Christopher J. Starbuck Department of Horticulture, University of Missouri-Columbia

http://muextension.missouri.edu/xplor/agguides/hort/g06971.htm

Browse this web site. sending private e-mail with links.

-- JR (jr3star@earthlink.net), December 08, 2000.

You can certainly try it, they do that kind of grafting in Europe. If the tree was a graft that you planted, either on sturdier roots, or with a dwarfing interstock, you may be dealing with a tissue incompatability that caused it to snap off in the first place. If that is the case, the results are doomed to ultimate failure again in future.

I kept my text books and I really suggest that if you want to pursue this, you get your local library to order you a copy of 'Plant Propagation, Principles and Practices', by Hudson T. Hartmann and Dale E. Kester, published by Prentice-Hall, Inc., ISBN 0-13-680991- X . Look up the sections on cleft grafting, bark grafting, and saw- kerf grafts. Depending on the diameter of your existing trunk, one of these may work for you, but it would be impossible to explain them all here.

You could also try rooting cuttings of your tree, using whips from the downed section, keeping them cold thru the winter to callus off, and treating with auxins to help them root in spring. If your original tree was a graft between different roots, a dwarfing interstock, and producing branches, the resultant tree would grow on its own roots to whatever size it is genetically programmed for, and would not remain a dwarf (if it was before). Again, this book explains all of that.

-- Julie Froelich (firefly1@nnex.net), December 09, 2000.