LJ, 1 month ago

I actually did the grafting this morning! 15 wee little peach trees will be watched over in the shade until the grafts callous over. Then they can start to get some spring sunshine!

(More photos in the next post)

On the upper part of the image, the rootstock has been cut down & a u-shaped notch (the groove) has been cut into the end. In the lower part of the image, the scion wood end has been cut into the shape (the tongue) to fit neatly in the rootstock groove. The cuts expose the cambium layer in the wood to allow a good graft and for sap to flow up the branch past the graft site.
The 2 pieces - rootstock & scion - fitted into one.
Here the graft site has been secured with a cut rubber band and stretch plastic film. The 2 halves of the graft need to be in contact so they can meld into a single entity.

tg9541, 1 month ago

@LJ my grandfather did quite some grafting in his days. His method for stone fruit trees was to look for suitable small trees in a wild plum thicket, graft whatever he fancied right there, and collect the trees some time later. Besides, many apple trees in the family orchards still have two, three or even four cultivars.