I have question about grafting peaches All I have grafted before are pears and I am now up near %100 with whip and cleft grafting them. But About peaches. I have heard that they like warm temps to callus over properly. Now I have a greenhouse that Heat to any temp that I need to. My question is what temp to peaches callus best at (right now it is kept at 75-82 during the day and 60 at night) and if using the same method as pears (whip and cleft) and keeping them at the right temp will my success rate be the same? Also I t-budded a few peaches but the bark slipped off so I just tied peach bud slip to the exposed cambium layer will that work?
Thanks
macmanmatty
Macmanmatty,
…I don’t grow peaches, I’ve tried… But I have whip & tongue grafted them at our “Propagation Fair†(formerly the Scion Exchange). With dormant rootstock and scions, in early March we just ‘graft em and send em home,’ no special instructions beyond that of any other new tree, at least from me.
Often the peach scions are so small I’ll have to use a cleft graft, splitting the rootstock to insert them, something more typically done on a 3 - 6 year old limb or stock. I’ve had positive feedback on those peaches, and never any complaints about the easier and cleaner whip & tongue grafts on the same.
Honestly, I’d be worried about giving your tree too fast a start inside a heated greenhouse; unless you plan to do this dormant graft around March … and get it outside fairly soon after the ‘callousing.’ Keep in mind, the graft would be wrapped tight and you’d have to assume callousing had taken place – don’t peek!
As far as Budding, did you do that around August of last year? That’s generally when Budding’s done. If the buds don’t take you can, or should be able to dormant graft that same stock this spring. Or, wait to Bud it next summer if you think they’ve knitted or meshed. Seems the cambial cells would need the protection of the surrounding bark to feed a bud strapped to the stock. …it’ll either go or not. If it’s not looking good, I’d graft it this spring.
Keeping peaches in a greenhouse in the Spring while blooming might make sense. It can prevent diseases, but make sure bees can get to them. Be careful with leaving them in a heated greenhouse all year long. Like most temperate fruit, they need chilling hours. You can cause them to not bloom or not fruit by denying them their required chilling hours.
John S
PDX OR
I am located in zone 9 Florida panhandle. My rootstocks for the peach are just about pushing leafs. So are many of the other peaches around here. I just recently did the t budding as I heard that you can do this in spring and force the bud this year. Why would a head start be bad? Everything that I've read says that peaches need temps around 70-80 to properly callus is that not true?
Thanks
macmanmatty
…Florida … close enough to Georgia for some excellent info I’d guess. Are your rootstocks in the greenhouse? If not, it must be warmer than it’s sounded (over and down) there lately. If they’re leafing - they’re no longer dormant. If your scions are still dormant – I’d graft now. Whip & tongue would be my preference, though we don’t do a lot of peaches that way, most are field-Budded in summer for commercial production; only the custom Home Orchardist’s mess with dormant work on peaches.
If the bark was slipping on your peach rootstock and you were able to carve a viable bud (I don’t know if a dormant bud would work?) from a budstick, it may work - and anything that ultimately work’s is not “bad.†It just sounded unusual and strange to hear of dormant season Budding… until you gave your location as Florida. …Maybe our contributor’s from Southern California will check in -- more in line weather-wise with you.
70 to 80 degrees for callousing sounds nice. Set out after dormant grafting in the Pacific Northwest (in Mid March) ours apparently eventually get what they need. Tell us how you do.
I advise getting your peach stocks to come out of dormancy first, before trying to whip and tongue them.
Once I did a whole swack of plums using dormant stocks and scions. Put them all in a toasty greenhouse. Every single one of them failed.
Apples and pears you can do this with I think, but prunus might need the stock active first. Couldn't hurt to get it active first!
Also, get yourself a little squirt bottle like womens hair-dyes come with, fill with weak mixture of Vit C and water. Use that on all fresh made cuts -- it'll keep the tissues from oxidizing and turning brown. You'll get more takes that way. Oxidized tissue doesn't heal up very well. Apricots in particular like to oxidize their wood.
Make yer cut, squirt a little Vit C on, set aside and make your other cut. Treat that with Vit C, then blow each one off real good and fit them together. Do not touch the exposed surfaces, just blow on them. No spit either!
Some of my peach and plum grafts had started to push and make flower buds does this mean that they have taken? How long should they take to callus? I know that pears and apples will push leaves using only the energy stored in the scion but what about stone fruit and flower buds?
Nope, pushing does not mean that they took. But if you get an inch of growth I would consider that a success. Callusing time? Not sure, but am sure it is heat dependent, the more heat the sooner the callus.
I have had apple scions that pushed their buds in Mid May, then failed for whatever reason. Heat makes them push, but does not guarantee success.
Good luck anyway! Hope they all work for you.
Idyllwild
jafar
Marsha H
Viron
John S
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