Grafting Prunus Mume onto Prunus Rootstock

[AndyJ]

Hey folks.

Just wondering, when is the best time to graft Prunus Mume shoots onto a strong Prunus rootstock? I’ve got a Beni Chidori that‘s grafted and it grows poorly every year and ends up dying back to the trunk and just about stays alive each year. I don’t know what it’s current rootstock is but I‘m thinking it’s not too strong so I’m wondering about taking a shoot this year and graft it onto new rootstock - something like Prunes St Julien. A couple of questions.

1.). Have any of you done this?
2.) What is the best time of year to do it?
3.) Do you take shoots from the end of the donor stock? Or take one branch and cut it into multiple pieces and use each of these s donors?
4.). Any tips?

I’ve successfully grafted Crataegus Laevigata onto Crataegus Monogyna so hopefully I should be able to do it. If I can get a few grafts to take, I’ll grow them on for a bit and if the graft‘s not that great, I could then try air layering them.

Thanks all.

Andy

 

[thumblessprimate1]

Spring or fall works for me.

 

[AndyJ]

Thanks Pirate. The donor hasn’t flowered yet - buds still quite tight and flowers later than my omoi - do you wait until flowering has finished? Or graft with flowers still on the donor scion?

 

[Shibui]

You can graft with any pieces that have one or more buds. That means you can cut longer shoots into sections of 2-4 buds to graft onto your rootstock.
Best grafting is when the scion (donor) is still dormant. That can be before flowering or just remove flower buds as they swell.
Whip and tongue graft usually gives the neatest graft union when well matched but cleft graft is just a little easier and quicker to do for beginners.
Note that grafted trees are not preferred for bonsai due to possible swelling of the graft union and possible mismatch in bark texture or color as the trunk matures.
It is also possible to use budding techniques using a single bud as scion if donor branches are in short supply. Chip budding is used when the trees are dormant. T budding is used when the trees are actively growing in summer.

St Julien A seems to be compatible with all plum varieties but there seems to be some debate about its longer term compatibility with apricots. I'm not sure about its suitability for Mume.

 

[AndyJ]

Note that grafted trees are not preferred for bonsai due to possible swelling of the graft union and possible mismatch in bark texture or color as the trunk matures.

Thanks Shibui. Yeah, aware that grafting is not preferred for bonsai which is why I said I'll layer the tree after the graft has taken if it's not good. St Julien is, apparently, OK - it's quite a vigorous rootstock so hopefully will get some good strongth growth in the first year.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I've done bud grafting with flowering crab onto apple understock. I did bud grafting, where you insert a dormant bud int a "T" cut on the understock. Very little swelling. When healed looks like a natural branch. I did it in late August. The donor buds were current year's growth that had produced dormant buds for the next year.

 

[AndyJ]

Thanks Leo, I’ve not attempted bud grafting before so I might give that a go. I’ll have a look on YouTube to see if there are any instructional videos. Any tips and tricks you’ve picked up with this method?

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I'm not practiced, I only did it once, a fair number of years ago. I took a grafting class, a 4 hours class one Saturday at a local landscape nursery. I don't think I can describe adequately the process. You need to see some one do it. There's a lot of technique in how you hold the scion, to slice off the bus, etc.

If there is a fruit grower's club in your area, the apple grower's who try to preserve antique apple varieties would be where I would go to find a grafting teacher. One 4 hour session and you should be able to to do it.