Prostrata grafted with Itoigawa: progression Thread

[Malix]

Setting up a new progression thread for this Juniper. Hoping to track its progress through the years. Bought this out of a wholesale landscape nursery cuz. it had some interesting movement many years back. Then about 12 years ago I added the deadwood by using the Taiwanese technique of pulling the fibers in long strings off the trunk rather than cutting and gouging, and carving it away. I think it leaves a vastly superior result when making shari or jin.

after being left alone for many years, I sourced a mother plant for scions of the Itoigawa variety of Shimpaku. For the first time last year I tried grafting and out of 3 or 4 graft attempts only one took. This year I made many more grafts and hopefully by improved technique more will take.

 

[kosure]

Gosh, that deadwood certainly is lovely. What was your grafting technique the first go around, and what did you try this time? Obviously if only one graft took, something went wrong but did anything specific happen that led you to the new technique?

 

[Malix]

Not much different really. The main thing was actual technique as follows. Last time the way I placed the scions was probably not giving me the most likelihood of mating cambial layers. This year I tried different angles to see which might work better. Last year I tightened the living crap out of the scions with grafting and electrical tape. . Likely choking them off. My though at that time was that them not moving was really important. But This year I felt the need to balanced stability with letting the cambial layers exchange nutrients and water. Last year I tried wrapping them in plastic bags with sphagnum moss. So much fidgeting around the newly inserted scions made me want to tighten their tape down more. This year I tried para film. Less fussing around and moving he scions made me feel better about that aspect of it.

Just general experimentation of technique based on a little experience.

Here is a great tutorial if it helps. He also has other articles worth reading if you search the blog. .

grafting-utah-juniper-a-post-without-words