2017 Grafting thread: Open to all - Page 22

Father'sDaughter · April 7, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by rick9748

My heirlooms to use as scions have gotten 16 to 32 of in. larger than my root stock.Is there a method to slow down the heirlooms or speed up the root stocks to adjust size?I can adjust any conditions; light, heat, ect.Any ideas.

Thanks

Rick

Not sure what you meant in terms of measurements. If you can clarify, we'll have a better idea of exactly how much larger. Also, letting us know how large your rootstock plants currently are will help as well.

From what I understand, as long as your rootstock are large enough to graft, all you need to do is find a spot on the scion where the stem size matches that of the rootstock to make the graft--doesn't seem to matter too much how high up on the scion you need to make the cut.

Father'sDaughter · April 7, 2017

All 37 (out of 38) survivors have now been under lights in the basement for two days. I did give them another small drink of water with a bit of diluted fertilizer before taking them down. I peeked in on them tonight before the lights clicked off and it seems growth is slowly re-starting!

b54red · April 7, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by rick9748

My heirlooms to use as scions have gotten 16 to 32 of in. larger than my root stock.Is there a method to slow down the heirlooms or speed up the root stocks to adjust size?I can adjust any conditions; light, heat, ect.Any ideas.
Thanks
Rick

You can give the slower growing plants more fertilizer; but it isn't necessary for the root stock to be as large as the scion. It is an advantage if the root stock are a bit smaller. Just do your grafting with the very top of the scion plant where the stem matches the stem on the root stock.

Bill

April 9, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by Father'sDaughter

All 37 (out of 38) survivors have now been under lights in the basement for two days. I did give them another small drink of water with a bit of diluted fertilizer before taking them down. I peeked in on them tonight before the lights clicked off and it seems growth is slowly re-starting!

Excellent News! Congratulations.

Father'sDaughter · April 9, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by 5haun5

Excellent News! Congratulations.

Thank you!

Yesterday I actually had to raise the lights up a bit, and all have started putting out new leaves.

Today I'll sow my dwarf project seeds for non-grafted container growing. It'll give me a good timeline comparison to see if I need to adjust my grafting schedule next year.

Hellmanns · April 11, 2017

I finally got started grafting today. 72 finished, only a few hundred more!

Hellmanns · April 12, 2017

180, of 180 grafts look good after 24 hours. I'll start back grafting again in the morning.

Father'sDaughter · April 12, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hellmanns

180, of 180 grafts look good after 24 hours. I'll start back grafting again in the morning.

Doing 38 in one sitting was tough enough. Couldn't imagine doing 180!

Glad to hear they're all looking good today.

Gardeneer · April 12, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hellmanns

180, of 180 grafts look good after 24 hours. I'll start back grafting again in the morning.

Wow! 180 out 0f 180 !

That that sounds better than 100% success rate, to me

Hellmanns · April 13, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gardeneer

Wow! 180 out 0f 180 !

That that sounds better than 100% success rate, to me

Only 1 day in high humidity though. The next few days will tell the tale.

Hellmanns · April 13, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by Father'sDaughter

Doing 38 in one sitting was tough enough. Couldn't imagine doing 180!

Glad to hear they're all looking good today.

I was sure dreading it, but after the first 15 or 20 I got technique down and it was really enjoyable. I can't wait to finally get through all of them! I should put a huge dent in the remaining plants today.

b54red · April 13, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hellmanns

I was sure dreading it, but after the first 15 or 20 I got technique down and it was really enjoyable. I can't wait to finally get through all of them! I should put a huge dent in the remaining plants today.

You must plant a lot of tomatoes.

I can't imagine doing that many in one sitting. Good luck.

Bill

Hellmanns · April 13, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by b54red

You must plant a lot of tomatoes.

I can't imagine doing that many in one sitting. Good luck.

Bill

Thanks, Bill.

I used to grow several thousand plants each year for fresh market. Now I only grow 300 or so Big Beef in my tunnel. I'm also rooting the Maxifort tops for grafting some Old German for an outside crop later on.

b54red · April 23, 2017

I knew it would start happening when it got hot and now I am having a much lower success rate with my grafts. Due to some trees being removed my little greenhouse gets too much sun now and I can't keep it anywhere near cool enough for my grafts when they are healing. As a result the plants start wilting much sooner and when I try to compensate by misting them and leaving them in the chambers longer I get various rots on the stems. It looks like my success rate on my last batch of grafts was less than 50% and it will only get worse as it heats up. I could improve my results by taking the chambers inside where it is cooler but since I will be needing far fewer plants as the summer heats up I will probably just struggle along unless my results get much worse.

I am delaying planting a new bed of tomatoes because my Brussels sprouts are still making and I don't have any place to plant in right now. I just made room for some cucumbers and a few squash plants. I still have melons and more squash to plant along with peppers so that second planting of tomatoes will have to wait a bit longer to get in the ground. Out of the first bed so far I have only had one plant do poorly and that one has TSWV. I'm sure I will have a few more come down with it before long as is the usual pattern here and foliage diseases will probably kick up a bit with the hotter days. So far only a smattering of whiteflies and aphids and I haven't seen any stinkbugs yet so that is good news.

Bill

Father'sDaughter · April 23, 2017

Usually I envy those of you down south with longer and multiple growing seasons. And then I read about all the challenges brought on by heat and humidity...

Today was pot-up day for the tomatoes. All 37 grafted plants plus my handful of ungrafted plants are now tucked into larger pots filled with Wondersoil, propped up with skewers, and back under the lights in the basement.

So far I'm not seeing much difference between the two rootstocks -- large root systems and healthy top growth with both. The grafts look really good and solid, and a few will probably pop their clips within the next week.

I am seeing a big difference between the grafted and ungrafted plants, however. The ungrafted were all rootbound, a few have buds, and they are about 5-6 inches taller than the grafted plants. All were started at the same time. This really shows the "set back" caused by the low-root grafting technique.

I'm liking the courser DE (Optisorb) so much more than fine stuff (Ultrasorb). Bill, I can see now how you can just dump it and re-use it, over and over.

The only issue I had today was resisting my natural instinct to plant them deep when up-potting. It was kind of a relief to get to the ungrafted plants and not have to worry about keeping a graft above the soil line.

April 7, 2017	#317
Father'sDaughter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: MA/NH Border Posts: 4,919	All 37 (out of 38) survivors have now been under lights in the basement for two days. I did give them another small drink of water with a bit of diluted fertilizer before taking them down. I peeked in on them tonight before the lights clicked off and it seems growth is slowly re-starting!

April 11, 2017	#321
Hellmanns Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: kentucky Posts: 1,116	I finally got started grafting today. 72 finished, only a few hundred more!

April 12, 2017	#322
Hellmanns Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: kentucky Posts: 1,116	180, of 180 grafts look good after 24 hours. I'll start back grafting again in the morning.

April 23, 2017	#329
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	I knew it would start happening when it got hot and now I am having a much lower success rate with my grafts. Due to some trees being removed my little greenhouse gets too much sun now and I can't keep it anywhere near cool enough for my grafts when they are healing. As a result the plants start wilting much sooner and when I try to compensate by misting them and leaving them in the chambers longer I get various rots on the stems. It looks like my success rate on my last batch of grafts was less than 50% and it will only get worse as it heats up. I could improve my results by taking the chambers inside where it is cooler but since I will be needing far fewer plants as the summer heats up I will probably just struggle along unless my results get much worse. I am delaying planting a new bed of tomatoes because my Brussels sprouts are still making and I don't have any place to plant in right now. I just made room for some cucumbers and a few squash plants. I still have melons and more squash to plant along with peppers so that second planting of tomatoes will have to wait a bit longer to get in the ground. Out of the first bed so far I have only had one plant do poorly and that one has TSWV. I'm sure I will have a few more come down with it before long as is the usual pattern here and foliage diseases will probably kick up a bit with the hotter days. So far only a smattering of whiteflies and aphids and I haven't seen any stinkbugs yet so that is good news. Bill

April 23, 2017	#330
Father'sDaughter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: MA/NH Border Posts: 4,919	Usually I envy those of you down south with longer and multiple growing seasons. And then I read about all the challenges brought on by heat and humidity... Today was pot-up day for the tomatoes. All 37 grafted plants plus my handful of ungrafted plants are now tucked into larger pots filled with Wondersoil, propped up with skewers, and back under the lights in the basement. So far I'm not seeing much difference between the two rootstocks -- large root systems and healthy top growth with both. The grafts look really good and solid, and a few will probably pop their clips within the next week. I am seeing a big difference between the grafted and ungrafted plants, however. The ungrafted were all rootbound, a few have buds, and they are about 5-6 inches taller than the grafted plants. All were started at the same time. This really shows the "set back" caused by the low-root grafting technique. I'm liking the courser DE (Optisorb) so much more than fine stuff (Ultrasorb). Bill, I can see now how you can just dump it and re-use it, over and over. The only issue I had today was resisting my natural instinct to plant them deep when up-potting. It was kind of a relief to get to the ungrafted plants and not have to worry about keeping a graft above the soil line.