Fruit, Nut, and Vine Grafting, Tree Propagation, Tree Care
For those who the high prices of fresh fruit in the stores is intolerable, the taste of the commercial fruit is nothing like right off the tree for flavor, those who have Pecan trees that don't produce for various reasons (I spend a tremendous amount of time studying Pecan trees), Grapes / Muscadine vines growing wild, you want to see fruit but they don't produce, I'm creating this Thread to address these issues and turn everyone on to the World of Grafting. Here I am a Mad Scientist, have trees that are 4,5, even 6 varieties on one trunk. I need to collect my thoughts to compose articles with the example pictures I have taken around the property. Once done posts explaining the Art of Grafting will follow. I hope you are interested.
8 Attachment(s)
Pecan Scab and how to Change Variety To Avoid
Pecan Scab is a National menace. It is the disease which turns the leaflets black, turns part or all of the shuck black, stunting the growth and eliminating all nut production. Many that have yard Pecan trees that bare no more have seen these symptoms. By treating your trees in a timely manner with Zinc Sulfate the disease can be reduced but not eliminated. I have successfully eliminated it here thru Topworking the trees, topping off the variety susceptible to Scab and also over treating my trees with the Zinc solution. Today I just want to show pictures of trees here on my place that are in various ages after Topworking.
Attachment 466700Attachment 466701
This Desirable variety Pecan tree is a full 15 years old. Look at its size. Most would think by trunk diameter 5 years at best. Well Desirable is one of the worst varieties for Scab resistance. Planted all throughout the South, 46 nuts to the pound, little packing (the bitter stuff), and over 50% halves mechanical cracked. Once Scab evolved to attack the Desirable orchards suffered substantially. There are fungicides thru rotation the Scab can be kept in check but none available to the Homeowner. Enter - Topworking. This particular tree has been so weakened this is the third time I cut out my work and re-grafted the Scions on the trunk. A Scion is a middle section of a branch from last years growth that has been selected and harvested by the Grafter in February and stored in the refrigerator till needed. I don't have pictures on hand to show you now but later posts will have examples. I collect them from my trees every year because I have highly resistant pecan trees here now through Topworking. You can see the buds growing out of the Scion, the 1x2 screwed to the tree is a bird perch, someplace a bird can land hopefully not on the tender new growth. Last year I Topworked a 120 tree orchard in 2 days, it took me a week to recover from each day, I was slinging steel and wood.
Attachment 466702
All the sprouting buds below the graft must be removed constantly. You leave one limb normally, on this tree I left 2 because it is so weak. I cut them off and graft a pollinator once the graft is the dominant growth.
Attachment 466703
Here another tree of the same age had a problem above the original graft. I cut the tree down in winter after it stored enough Sap to push new shoots the following year. One of the shoots I grafted a piece of Excel variety in case the Excel tree I bought dies I will have a Scion to grow another. This is a one year old graft, a recent storm broke one side above the new graft but it is budded back out nicely.
Attachment 466704
This Stump was handled the same but was a much stronger root system. A neighbors large pine tree fell on to our property grazing the side of this tree killing over 1/2 the tree. As you can see only one sprout is allowed to be dominant, the others although cut back are still left to help produce energy pushing the dominant shoot to 10-12ft this year. I will cut it back leaving a limb below the graft then graft Gafford variety (the best in my book) turning this tree into a producer with 3-4 years. Gafford really starts bearing early.
Attachment 466705
Attachment 466709
This is a 4 way Pecan grafted tree I did 4 years ago (we are in the 5th growing season) varieties include Gafford, Headquarters, Desirable, Syrup Mill. A close-up shot is following.
Attachment 466711
In the morning I will expand on this post with more examples and explanations. I would hate if someone fell asleep trying to read a too long post.
5 Attachment(s)
Topworking Mayhaw Trees for High Quality Fruit
All across the South are Mayhaw trees, a member of the Hawthorn family. Their taste is like a wild, tart Crabapple. As the fruit develops it looks like little apples. We go out in the Pearl River Swamp when the fruit starts to ripen, shaking the limbs hanging over water so the fruit drops in. Since it floats we just dip it up with a minnow net. I had a spider drop down in my shirt and bite me on the side on one of these trips causing my to loose all smell and taste for a long time. We never identified the 8 Legged Freak spider but by the hole left in me you knew what did it. Anyway as written above Mayhaws just shake free, ripening over quite a few days, so you have to revisit the tree to collect most of the fruit. The technical term is "Shatter". If your Mayhaw Shatters it does not hold the fruit once ripened it falls to the ground. Mayhaws are harvested like pecans, big Vibrators shake the tree and the fruit falls onto tarps that are used to pick all the little fruits up.
Attachment 467146Attachment 467145Attachment 467147Attachment 467148
This tree I Topworked end of last Winter to Maxine. Maxine is a Mayhaw that friut size is .80in, blooms several weeks later missing late frosts in most cases, does not Shatter so I can harvest 90% of the fruit at one time, and has a better taste. I bought one Maxine for the source scion wood, have grafted several trees over here. The first picture you can see a overall view of this first year's growth. I think I put around 20 grafts on this one (only 1 didn't take). Second and third pictures are closeups of a few grafts.
Attachment 467149
This Mayhaw Topwork job is in its 3rd year of growth, last year we harvested a 5 gallon bucket of fruit. I was hoping to get another this year but the late freeze killed all the fruit. Not fruiting this year it will be loaded next year so I should get enough for a little batch of wine. Numerous "shoots" are popping up from the roots, these will be air layered to propagate into new rootstocks for this Fall's planting.
1 Attachment(s)
This is the First Pecan Pie Using Last Years Pecans
Growing your own Pecans is so rewarding, also marrying a Pennsylvania Dutch woman who is a Baker. We are just getting into last years pecans for this pie. It's too good looking to just post here, Cooking Crappie will need a picture for the Chow Hounds too.
Attachment 467409
4 Attachment(s)
Making Use of New Crabapple Tree Pruning
I ordered 4 Crab Apple trees last fall. Your have to order fruit trees 7-8 months out these days to get decent selection and stock quality. This spring I received a Virginia, Wickson, Chestnut, and Transcendent Crab Apple trees. When they are planted some pruning is required as the top buds are too numerous for the Rootstocks pruned roots. I always have old Rootstocks of various variety. These I practice knife skills on and if the grafts take its a bonus. I had 4 take, one of each. These will be planted in the Fall after the Heat is over.
Attachment 467741
After making the cuts using my knife and match up the Cambium of each side (Cambium is the light green line between the Bark and Wood) I first wrap the graft in Parafilm to protect it from water intrusion and prevent the graft from drying out. Afterwards I have found on small caliper grafts Electrical tape, specifically Scotch 88, is the best compression tool to go over the Parafilm with. Posting this now will act as a primer when grafting is in full swing, you will have a understanding of what I'm doing.
Attachment 467742
Once the graft takes you keep all sprouts below the graft cut off so all the energy goes into growing a better graft union and new variety wood. These old Rootstocks will need root pruning before planting so also what top wood will need equal pruning so you keep the Roots ahead of the Top Wood.
Attachment 467743
Even with the heat wave the grafts from April have mended very well. In the picture above the Graft Union is centered.
Attachment 467744
