JoeReal

It is a lot of work, but it can be done. Especially if you have a highly paid assistant, my daughter, proud of some of her work. It would be exciting to know a couple of months later if some of those she did are successful or not. I think she has a green thumb like Dad.

JoeReal

Another Bark Graft Sample. Left side is Tavares Limequat, on the right is Calamondin.

JoeReal

Bark Grafted with Calamondin

JoeReal

Big piles of wood, fruits and blooms:

JoeReal

Fruits and blooms carted away.

JoeReal

The topmost limb remains, but that too will be taken out.

JoeReal

Major scaffolding taking shape now.

JoeReal

Limb by Limb they're falling.

JoeReal

It's hard to get there in the middle, but not with a chain saw

JoeReal

Saturday, March 29, 2008. Spent most of the day doing the ultimate grafting work. My graduate studies professor called me to help him topwork his 20 year old Chandler Pummelo tree. Although this tree has sentimental value, only 2 years out of 20 it has produced fruits of high quality. The other 18 years, the fruit quality were lousy. We don't get enough heat here in the colder Northern California, unlike Southern California. So only those years with extremely good heat waves and unusually warm winters did we get good crop. Having been inspired by my 80-n-1 citrus tree, my professor called me up, and I agreed to help him convert his tree. Converting the whole tree is generally called topworking. He loved Calamondin so much, so we converted this pummelo tree over to Calamondin. I also added a stick of limequat into this tree.

Below is the tree, the one in the middle or 2nd to the right. The leftmost is a lemon, then the Chandler Pummelo, and on the right is the Navel Orange. These are mature 20 year old trees. The Chandler will be converted over.

Richard

Very nice work. Given the time of year, the vigor of the Pummelo, and the amount of material removed there's a good possibility all of the grafts will take.

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JoeReal

Exactly why we timed it today!

MediaHound

Paging Dr. Real, you're needed in the citrus grove
Good work!

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chong

Very impressive work! Almost a shame to cut down a nice looking tree with all those fruit.

Are any of the wood from the Pummelo still okay for grafting? I would be interested in some. In another thread, I mentioned to you that I have an 18-year old Citromelo that I was interested in grafting onto. Then it just occurred to me that I also have an Oro Blanco that is around 4-ft tall that I could graft onto as well.

Thank you.

Chong

Richard

As Joe mentioned, that Chandler needs a lot of summer heat to produce good tasting fruit.

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bencelest

It looksvery similar to what I did to my Italian prunes

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Banana Nut

bencelest

The scion is a French Prune and the host is an Italian prune

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Banana Nut

bencelest

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Taylor

Y'all are over the top! Great grafting skills. I can't do it, but I will try sometime.

Keep us updated with the progress of the French Prune and Pummelo.

Also, what happens when the scion(?) bud out? As in, I see weeping cherries, I guess, and a vertical branch comes out and overtakes the weeping part. I assume it is grafted as the vertical branches bloom white, and the weeping branches bloom red. Have they been grafted? And should the vertical branches be cut off? I see this all too much on trees that people buy expecting to be weeping and turn out to be a regular tree.

chong

My Oro Blanco is in the greenhouse, where the temps get to 95°F easily in the summer, even with the full length(21-ft) vent wide open. Any higher than that, I have to use mechanical ventilation.

The Citromelo is outside, so maybe, I can graft other varieties instead of Chandler.