It had been noted that some of the other locals are having not very much success making good sweet cherry grafts this year. I have also had this problem with one particular variety of sweet cherry and it is a subject for me with that particular variety that I'm still looking into. (bud swelling, good graft, but no growth)
I can see this year that I am (other than example above) having good takes. I collected them per this schedule:
http://home.comcast.net/~hollaus/Greens ... Scions.htm
Prunus is reportedly easier to fall graft. Prunus is usually a tough candidate for winter grafting because of higher than our average local temperatures that our springs can afford to give us. (with low temperatures prunus can't callus [heal] properly)
Scions should also be collected from healthy trees which can be a limiting factor for us locals west of the Cascades. Prunus even worse because as a species are even more distressed than are other species of fruit trees. To try and compensate for these "ills" of prunus and due to the fact that prunus is generally harder to store over the winter anyways; -Is the reason why I think the plan in the above link of prunus storing has worked out very well for me.
In this next link I have grafts done as little as 18 days ago and as much as 35 days. They were collected locally of myrobalan plum and apricot x plum hybrids. The left images are even double grafting successes in prunus:
http://home.comcast.net/~hollaus/Greens/2011/grafts.htm
The storage container I use is the equivalent of a nine inch paint roller or similar kind of thing where the scions can remain all winter long on the inside and out of the point of contact from the wetter moisture of the nap of the roller from the outside. (should any water freeze on them is an opportunity of freeze injury and dehydration). This also helped me eliminate any worry of mold growing on scions. Only need to worry about sealing tight from the environment with freeze wrapper, plastic or what ever -just make sure it is air tight.
Even now what I have left in the fridge are a few cherry grafts still looking really good!
I think I see scions for prunus at the end of "fridge" life expectancy.
I'm still confused about sweet cherry but most other cherry and plums as in the previous example are fine and the double graft looks nice enough to cover (i think) in a picture.
http://home.comcast.net/~hollaus/Greens ... Double.htm
Scion and interstem were finished indoors but not inserted to the stock just yet. The weather stayed so bad the graft went back into refrigeration for more of scion storage. It was a week later on a better day the top was worked on a 2-3 year old rootstock that had been cut all the way back a year ago for grafting this year. This one I can remember fitting really good and lining up almost perfect, not always so easy.
I expect that one to replace itself very quickly because the age the rootstock is and because it is mature enough to compensate additional fertilizing into the root system. It was a couple applications of Alaska fish fertilizer along with the watering when the days were hottest during the past 10 days.
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