Propagation Progress

When I first set up this air layering experiment, basically ring-barking the chosen stem of the rose, I was unsure how on earth the stem was going to stay alive without its 'Cambium' growth layer. I'd always though that all the action, particularly water transport, took part there. Shows what I knew! Not only is the stem alive and healthy but flourishing with new growth like mad.It seems the inner structure of the stem is quite capable of carrying water and nutrients on its own. I assume this is only the case with the young, green, canes and will not start carelessly ring-barking roses with the whipper snipper when clearing weeds.

Air Layering: First Attempt

A rose this ridiculous needs to be shared with the world. It's colour is exceptional, it's scent is pure nostrilisation. Also, the bush itself is about a hundred years old and looks a little worse for wear. As I find nurturing cuttings time consuming, I thought I'd have a go at 'air layering'. Its a nifty little trick where the cutting continues to grow on the bush while it gets busy making new roots. If all goes well I should have a new rose, ready to plant in about 8 weeks.

When gardening it's always sensible to have more tools and implements than necessary. I did however use every one of these including the feline claw cutters which took the tips of the rose thorns.

I have been eyeing of this shoot for quite some time. It ticked all the boxes for air layering as it was straight, vigorous and minimally thorned. It was just a matter of waiting for the massive rose on top of it to do its thing so I could lop it off and get on with it.

The first step was to remove the excess lower leaves and de-claw the stalk. The cut takes place below the first five-lobed leaf.

This device was a moment of brilliance if I do say so. Its a frame to hold the layering material cut out of some 70mm pvc tubing.

Now this is the business bit. Two parallel cuts around the stem, about an inch apart and half an inch below one of the buds. Next a long cut down the stem and the bark/cambium layer just peels off! I am following instructions but I do find it odd that you're supposed to remove the outer layers the whole way round. Its my understanding that its the outer layers that supply water and nutrients and without them how does it continue to grow? Time will tell.

A dusting of rooting hormone follows, to get the stalk in the mood.

The device in action. Definitely helping to maintain a uniform cylinder shape.

The air layering podule is complete. The filling is sphagnum moss thoroughly soaked in water.

The final coat was added the next day. The aluminium foil will keep things nice and dark, the way things tend to be underground. Also it should provide a measure of insulation.

The Massive Mop Graft Update

It's been ages since I've taken updated photos on the progress of the mop graft, the legendary M26 rootstock which I selfishly hoarded away as it had more roots than all the other 19 rootstocks I ordered put together. With its expansive and well developed booties (roots), the mop graft found pride of place in my apple orchard and was crowned with a carefully selected piece of the mysteriously delicious unnamed apple which I have temporarily given the working title 'Corryong Seedling' (patent pending!). The scion wood was cut and delivered with the utmost care by the father of a friend and aside from the mountain ash sized mop graft, there are about 15 strong and healthy maiden trees growing in the nearby stool bed (that is what it's called, I didn't have an accident in my sleep). I have been photographing the tree itself as well as a closeup of the graft so I can get right in there and eyeball the fascinating process of grafting at whatever magnification I desire. The last photo I took was just before the tape had been removed and a great deal has happened since then. I waited as long as I could before removing the tape but it became urgent when it appeared that the trunk was starting to swell beyond the stretch of the tape. A month or two down the track and the trunk has doubled in size, it's becoming hard to differentiate the boundary between the stock and the scion. The tree has put on loads of healthy growth, no doubt thanks to its big feet. Above is a picture of the fruit it will bear should I succeed. This seems inevitable, barring a meteor strike or some kind of giant nibbling rabbit.

Grafting Update - The Unveiling

The only step involved in grafting that no one on the Internet seems to agree on, is when to remove your grafting tape. Too soon and the graft union may not have formed completely, also removing the significant strength the tape adds to the join. Too late and the graft may 'girdle' as the scion bulges or 'muffin-tops' as it is called these days, over the tape. Is there a worry free solution? Certainly. Special grafting tape is available that works like dissolving stitches, protecting and supporting the graft, then bio-degrading when its job is done. However, if you don't feel like paying $45 for a roll of special sticky tape, normal stretchy grafting tape will do the job. But you will have to angst over when to perform the unveiling. Luckily, I have twenty apple trees and can designate one as a sacrificial lamb. I chose this one because the graft looked virile and bulging under the tape and I am photographing it every day to observe its progress. Everything is going well 4 days in and the graft appears to change colour as it reacts to the air.

The mop-graft will be unwrapped shortly if everything goes well with the test graft.

Apple Update

Crofton 20 Cent Mark & Mop Graft Progress

Mop rootstock graft update

Apple Grafting, More Of

The mop rootstock receives an unfair level of care, attention and photography.

If you look closely you can see the whip and tongue graft under the grafting tape. When the graft was done the scion and rootstock wood was well aligned and pressed firmly against each other. A light coloured layer has appeared in the join which I assume is part of the formation of the graft.

Flowering continues.

This is my double grafted rootstock which will produce two of exactly the same apple on the same tree! Amazing eh.

I've never seen this before, its baby Preying Mantis season. This is the second one I've seen in the last few days lurking around in the apple blooms. I hope they like aphids and and are immune to pyrethrum but I'm probably asking too much.

Apple Graft Progress

No words to describe what a relief it was to see the first traces of green poking out from the buds of my apple grafts. That's ancient history now though as the grafts flourish in the Spring sun and rain and every day I can see new growth happening. Only one of the Calville Blanc's doesn't seem to have made it. After sending out the first shoots ahead of all the rest, they have turned brown and things don't look so good. So that's 21 out of 22 grafts or 95.45...% success rate!

This is one of the Bramley grafts outshining pretty much everything else. The scion wood came from the maiden whip of the Bramley tree I bought for my apple orchard. I assume the lack of flowers results from the scion wood being from the central leader as opposed to a fruiting spur. Not sure if I'm right or if one is better to graft with than any other. We'll see.

Here's my Corryong Seedling (as its temporarily called) on the mega mop rootstock and showing good progress. Like the picture below, flowers are developing which is odd but it will be interesting to see what the flowers look like. I'm not anticipating fruit from them quite yet and could only imagine it to create undue strain on the graft union.

Another Corryong Seedling graft with further developed flowers.

This is a Corryong Seedling from different scion wood which was a bit thicker and lighter in colour, also the buds were smaller and spaced further apart. No flowers are developing on this graft.

Apple Grafting - Part I

After months of waiting its time for serious grafting action! 22 apple trees grafted onto m.26 rootstocks to be specific. All the grafts were done using the whip and tongue method after extensive practice on plum prunings. I waited till mid September on the advice that the closer to bud break the grafts were done, the higher the success rate. I could have waited a couple more weeks but it was close enough!

This is me working on the big daddy of the rootstocks I bought. Most of the other plants had reasonable root balls but nothing like this, this ones a frigging mop! It has been granted pride of place in my orchard and I can report that its graft (seen below) is doing well.

Grafting's just not grafting unless you draw some blood. After 22 incident free grafts, I managed to slice myself while cleaning the knife! Good knife though, sharp too.

Clockwise from top left: A mysterious and delicious cooking apple from Corryong yet to be formally named (14 trees), Crofton (2 trees), Calville Blanc D'hiver (2 trees), Bramley's seedling (3 trees).

The apple bed with its many apple trees that I don't know what I'm going to do with.

One of the Calville's showing a tiny bit of growth. # Update: Appears to have died #

The mop rootstock with its Corryong seedling graft.