Was looking forward to my first grafting project this year. I went into the backyard for the first time in ages and saw to my horror that my pluot was threatening to come out of dormancy. (In PDX).
Took the scions because it seemed harmless to do so. The buds are just barely beginning to swell (tried uploading pic, but keep getting an error). You can see some white, but nothing green. If I were to try using them, is there any chance of success, or would it be a total waste? The internet says you should use dormant wood, but I don't understand if dormancy is more like an on / off switch or slow buildup.
They are currently each others' pollinators but not doing a very good job of it. So that's my motivation to try grafting at all, FWIW.
Thanks!
I think if you're ready to go with roots starting to push, and you are very careful in the handling, you can be successful. One of the reasons the dormant wood is called for, I believe, is because swelling buds are more fragile. Give it a go.
Careful not to knock off your buds.
White sounds like a flower bud, you don’t want those for scion wood. You want pencil diameter, often considered water shoots, and usually growing straight up. If your source tree is large, check the North side for slightly delayed shoots.
Water shoots should be one year wood, and their tightest (often smallest) buds are growth buds, which will show green when emerging.
Having grafted at the societies spring event in March, folks would often bring in wood harvested “that morning.” Sometimes flowering; we’d rub off the flower buds, search for the tightest growth bud, and place it along with a couple adjoining buds (a 3 bud scion) on the stock.
If you collected and refrigerated wood as described above, I’d say it has a good chance of success. There are usually lateral buds at the base of the main bud, so if the main bud’s removed (rubbed off), one of the two remaining buds will usually take.
DawnN subject stated
Too late for plum scions?
More than likely not a problem regarding plum grafting takes to hybrid other plum trees, yes. However dependability as far as fertilization to apricots or any of the other hybrids, no, because (unfortunately) they just won't and nothing will pollinate them here in the PNW as there are various other issues besides the learning how to graft them.
Grafting:
Apricots do push early so if for ornamental purposes you must graft then (my 2 cents worth) try keeping scion storage temperatures down to as near a 32 degree place or slightly lower and as long as possible. Try the graft when the hosts bark starts to slip.
Fertility issues:
The biggest PNW problem is "lack of flower fertility". One being an issue that hybrid prunus of almost anything are unable to provide pollination of other hybrid pistillate prunus.
The other being that flowers are so bothered here by our wet seasons. One of which may be overcome by creating a tree shelter place such as apricots at the SE demonstration garden. Shelters Jan-1 through Mar-20 are key.
That said, I do agree with the others comments such as rubbing out new or pushing flowers to increase grafting success.
HOS: Isn't there a bulletin or pomona precaution concerming NW plumcots yet?
As always there is a help desk at these events for suggestions as to what best be an effective pure breed cultivar of plum as many are hybrids that should as far as your pollination issue be avoided, and to graft, certain plums are less likely to work on some plum hosts such as species prunus domestica.
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