The winter was so cold that for the first time, my grafting compound froze inside the tool shed.
Now it's worthless. More like a rock than glue.
Doc Farwell's is now only sold in the gallon size for 53 dollars!
I bought some online from Ace Hardware. It's tanglefoot brand branch sealant/grafting compound.
No one else in town seems to have it, nor anything similar.
If you order online from Ace, they don't charge for you to pick it up at your local Ace Hardware.
Check you grafting compound before you go to graft. It may be too late.
I'll keep it in the house actually next year.
John S
PDX OR
(didn't see jafar's post till logging in ... but here's my response to John)
Good suggestion, John. I just had the same experience, embarrassing. Had the fellow I was working with searching his place for ‘wood glue,’ a one-time suggested alternative. But my remaining quart of Doc was solid, and yes, it had frozen, several times this winter.
Asked a seasoned professional nursery manager today if they sold any Doc Farwell’s -- nope. And she had no idea where to find any.. As none of the mega ‘home improvement’ conglomerates appear to carry it either.
A gallon, though
Though I can’t remember being without it in the last thirty years ...so I’d better look for the alternative you found. Here: http://www.acehardware.com/pro.....77.1305664 ...not very useful “reviews,” is it yellow?
Strange how this type of goop's still being suggested for “tree repair,” when general consensus is that it’s best ‘not’ to coat tree wounds. So thanks for the research ..now I’ll need to determine how much (if any) I’ll need ~
Good ol' 'OBC' (now a long way from me!) ... they've got the 'green stuff' in quarts. Which I've long suspected is the same formula - only green. I think that was actually confirmed by an HOS member ... supposedly the 'bright yellow' was to make the grafts visible.
Anyway, before I'd purchase a gallon, I'd try this: http://obcnw.com/docfarwellsda.....quart.aspx
Found this 'warning' quite timely: "**OBC Northwest will NOT ship product during freezing temperatures (est. Oct.-Mar.) If shipped OBC NW cannot be held responsible for product damages**" -- In the future mine would/ will live in the basement ~
First impression one day later. It doesn't dry very fast. One day later it was still gooey and raining. I chose not to put on the goo today after grafting in the drizzle. I'll wait until it's drier.
I remember one year I put even Doc Farwell's on in a rainstorm and it was 100% washed off. A different time, somewhat later, I waited to put it on because it was raining. Then I realized I forgot to put any on for a week or two. Then I put it on. I believe that the graft still took.
John S
PDX OR
Last season I used two chopsticks to test the holding power of yellow Doc Farewell versus another white latex building material product that has sealing and slow dry properties similar to your black gooey stuff from Ace you mention. Doc Farewell set up very fast (matter of hours) inside at room temperature and was very strong. The other latex remained tacky for four times longer and very stretchy like rubber cement would be. I concluded that Doc Farewells should be dried indoors for a day and used as an accident preventer (a cast) that would keep everything in place. The other softer slower drying products should be good on top of the yellow Doc to keep it from cracking open.
PDX OR or anywhere near here is no place to keep grafted trees outside of the shelter of a greenhouse while healing, such as for stone fruits that don't like it here so much as apples or pear. By healing, I mean transplanting or any breakage or cuts on the root systems. They really need to be sheltered overhead well until about May.
Pardon my ignorance - is the grafting compound for all grafts, or just ones with big wounds like cleft grafts?
I haven't been using any grafting compound at all, but mine are all whip-and-tongue. For those, mostly I've been using vinyl grafting tape to tightly wrap the joinery for a tight cambium seal, then parafilm to wrap the rest of the scion to prevent dehydration.
This year, I ran out of vinyl tape, so I cut ziplock freezer bags into half inch strips and used those. The stretch property is a little different from the vinyl strips, but with some practice they seem just as tight. I double wrap. The main difference is how tight they can be stretched without breaking. Then I ran out of parafilm, which is expensive stuff, so I used thinner polyethylene strips cut from thinner food bags, for covering the distal aspect of the scions. The thin polyethylene can't be stretched much at all, but seem to wrap OK and I don't think that part of the scion needs as tight wrapping.
So far all of my grafts look OK. Last year they all took, apple, pear, plum, persimmon, ginkgo, and kiwi. I did lose 2 of the 2 fig grafts. Fig wood is delicate. I don't know yet about this year, too early to say.
You don't need a sealer if you covered all of the cut surfaces and seams with parafilm. It is to keep things from drying out.
I think some easy to graft species with optimal conditions could graft with no tape or sealer. Others, you can do everything you can think of and still might not take. Then stuff in between.
Jafar, thanks for the information. I looked back through photos I took of past grafting efforts, and mostly I wrapped in parafilm. On some, I dipped the cut end in melted candle wax too. They all took.
We might have an advantage here in that much of spring grafting season is wet and not sunny. Maybe they don't dry out as much here.
Already I'm seeing some plum and pear grafts growing. I'm enough of a novice that it's still exciting to see that.
The black stuff from Ace did heal and dry, just slower, like Rooney said. I know others like Jafar can get a higher rate due to cleanliness and precision. I haven't gotten there yet. I still get a pretty good rate, but I need the rubber bands and grafting glue.
John S
PDX OR
DanielW said
- is the grafting compound for all grafts, or just ones with big wounds like cleft grafts?
Good question; for me, it’s only necessary for the larger ‘top working’ projects - and maybe the tip-top of the whip & tongue scion ..to keep it from drying out. Cleft & bark grafts have a lot more exposed area in need of protection.
And as far as the Doc Farwell's compound, I’ve often wondered about the value of their bright yellow 'grafting' mix ... realizing that color may attract more attention than desirable. I’d done a set of complex bark grafts on a tree ..just close enough to a sidewalk (headed to & from a school) that the bright yellow apparently drew enough attention that the grafts were snapped off… If I purchase more Doc, it will be their green formula.
I do feel Doc's the best, due to drying time, ease of cleanup and 'reflective colors.' It had been described to me that the ‘black tarry stuff’ heats up too much in the sun (before full leaf and critical callusing time) and might stop the union.
The last whip & tongue grafts I made used only Grafting Bands and a dab of ‘wood glue’ on top ... though I’ve long wondered if that ‘tip dab’ is even necessary ... as open cuts on pruned trees never ‘dry out’ 
Gosh, I haven't seen Tanglefoot in forever. When I was a kid (Looooong ago) it was used as a "sticky band" to prevent insects from climbing tree/plant trunks or vines. Nasty stuff. It will be sticky a looong time if it is what I recall.
OBC does indeed sell acrylic compound by the quart.
I have used both parafilm and kitchen plastic wrap in the past as combination sealer/support for grafts and those have worked well.
Idyllwild
simplepress
jafar
Marsha H
Viron
1 Guest(s)