[Arid_gardener] Re: Apple Rootstock

[Dick Gross]

David, prior careful instructions are necessary to keep the students from butchering themselves with razor sharp knives. You can't spend too much time on this but keep iodine and Bandaids handy.  The sharper the edge and smoother the cut, the faster the wound will heal with either plant material or flesh. Teach safety first: How to secure the specimen, how to hold the knife, etc. A sharp edge will offer much less resistance and accidents are less apt to occur.

 I suggest that you get any species of plant material and some coffee cans filled with wet sand. Keep the plasric lid and drill an appropiate hole through it to secure the cutting.  Use 1/4th to 3/8ths inch stock of any species that will allow the bark to slip if budding.  Slippage is not critical on ordinary approach grafts but the full, vigorous, flow of sap is. The idea is to teach the mechanics of how to match cambian layers first and skill and technique of cutting and tying it off will come with practice. Have the class do several until they have the craft somewhat mastered. Then turn them loose on the real thing. 

A good way to learn is to find any old suitable, sacrificial plant or young tree of any species for practice but critique their work without criticism. A first important step is to recognize wood that is suitable for grafting.

Another good way to learn is to practice grafting any old tree or bush upon itself returning periodically to watch the formation of callus.

Then, when they appreciate the task at hand, turn them loose on the real thing

Dick Gross, Arizona Rare Fruit Growers.

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--- Original Message ----- 
From: "David King" <greenteach at adelphia.net>
To: <info at crfg.org>
Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2006 11:16 AM
Subject: Apple Rootstock


> Hi...
> 
> Sorry to bother you - I know this is exactly up your alley, but I'm  
> grasping at straws:
> 
> I've got a UCLA Extension class in plant propagation going on right now  
> and all of them want to try their hand at grafting.  At The Learning  
> Garden where I teach, we have about 7 different apple trees and so I'm  
> hoping I could get some apple rootstock to teach them some grafting - I  
> know it's out of season, but under the heading of 'nothing ventured,  
> nothing gained' thought I'd drop you a line and see if by some chance you  
> might know of someone or some company that has something like this lying  
> around I could buy for my class.  I suppose in the future, I could just  
> grow some roots from some apple seeds, but that won't help me get through  
> this class.
> 
> I often refer students to CRFG - I have a lot of respect for all you do  
> and hope one day to spend more time with fruit trees.  I was a member a  
> while back as well as the North American Fruit Explorers, but time, being  
> what it is...
> 
> And speaking of which, thanks for your time,
> 
> david king
> 
> -- 
> David King, Garden Master
> The Learning Garden
>   www.thelearninggarden.org
>   office  310.722.3656
>   FAX 310.861.8680
>  
>   A garden, where one may enter in and forget the whole world,
>  cannot be made in a week, nor a month, nor a year; it must
>  be planned for, waited for and loved into being.
>  Chinese Proverb
>
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