harveyc

A really good book on grafting is Garner's Grafter's Handbook. You can search it on Google Books and view pages there for various grafting techniques. I've used about four or five but there are hundreds. I bought the book about eight years ago and was very impressed with it.

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bencelest

Tog Tan:
If the cost scares you, don't be.
You can start with less than 5 bucks. All you need actually is buying the grafting tape through the internet at $2.00 a roll, cheaper if you buy more than 1. And for a starter just use the utility knife (replaceable blades) that you buy at home depot. And that's it. You can use the rubber band that newspapers send you . To loosen the cambium (bark) you can use a dull steak knife. And as Harvey said log in to that book he recommends or just type grafting at Google.
When you get hooked you can buy a grafting knife. It starts at $29 I believe.

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Banana Nut

bencelest

This peach was grafted on 2/21/09 and pic was taken 3/5/09

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Banana Nut

bencelest

another peach grafted just 12 days ago .

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Banana Nut

bencelest

I grafted the following:
golden nectarine
flavor grande plout
Early apricot
la Roda apricot
nugget apricot
Chinese apricot
sweet red apricot
superior plum
Howard miracle plum

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Banana Nut

bencelest

I have one that was just grafted on 3/1/09 and already opening its bud.Pic taken on 3/6/09

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Banana Nut

harveyc

Benny, now I know why I didn't see you at Gene's citrus tour today! Joe was ill and didn't make it but going next weekend, I was told.

My fruit grafting will have to wait next week unless it's ends up hectic like this week.

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bencelest

Sorry Harvey. If I can't get any scions I can't seem to have the energy to go. But what happened to your tour anyway?
My 3 teenagers and I worked in my backyard last weekend.
Is there another tour coming next week?
Joe does not tell me anymore.

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Banana Nut

harveyc

Benny, I believe next Saturday is just a private thing with Joe and a few others. I saw Gene give one tour member a scion and he said something about thinking the disease issue was behind him now. As I understood it, he never had a disease problem but some ag inspectors were hassling him a couple of years ago. Yesterday was a nice day and I ate a lot of citrus. I really like Fremont, Corsica #2, SRA-92 and some of the others. His Gold Nugget was still hanging on nice and I hope mine will fruit in another year or so.

Harvey

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Bob

Are certain seasons better for grafts "taking". I tried a couple of "Don Gillogly" avocados last summer on the water sprouts of my larger 3yr old bush grown from a pit. One promptly turned black the other gave hope for a few weeks before succumbing.

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harveyc

I don't know, Bob, I'm a rookie with avocados. I did several cleft grafts last spring when they were putting on new growth pretty good and had good success.

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bencelest

One sure way of success is when the plant is starting a new buds coming out like right now. Now is the ideal time before the new buds turn into flowers or leaves.
I can imagine those RNAs inside their tissues are so busy replicating for the new growth spurts that are ready to burst. That is the best time. And when you cut the branch and when you open the bark, you'd feel it was so easy to peel the bark. That's the exact time to graft. When the bark is slipping.
You can do it at some other time but with less success.

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Banana Nut

bencelest

Will I be invited when your gold nugget is ready?
Ha-ha- hah Just kidding.

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Banana Nut

harveyc

If I remember, Benny, you're certainly welcome to come taste, though I imagine picking will be slim for quite a while. Maybe my Tango will fruiting around the same time. If some budwood slips into your pocket when I'm not looking, it's not my fault! :P

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bencelest

I cut a long twig of Tachima plum today and grafted them leaving 2 to 3 buds per graft. I also saw many buds are starting to come out with my other grafts.

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Banana Nut

bencelest

I grafted clementine and gold nugget mandarins to a Chandler pomello today.

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Banana Nut

harveyc

Since Gold Nugget is patented I just bought a whole plant of it last March at Clausen (sp?) nursery near Richard for a whopping $16. I didn't notice flower buds on it the other day but do see buds on my Tango which I bought in June at Bonita Creek Nursery, also near Richard (and Jon).

Are you completely out of frost danger now, Benny? The weather has been nice here but we had frost later than this last year.

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bencelest

Harvey:
I got the gold nugget at Gene Lester's last Sunday (March 15) when Joe called me to attend a private fruit tasting. There were only 7 of us altogether and were entertained much better than the week you attended. Gene said over 100 people attended and had to divide the group into 2. The gold nugget tree appears to be an old tree I'd say over 5 years old so I am now wondering how did Gene Lester got the tree from.
From all the citrus that I tasted GN and the clementine were the sweetest so I asked Gene for a branch or two.
The seedless Kishu which was my favorite at the orchard had only flowers at this time so I was not able to taste those. But I have 2 trees now in my yard.
No, I don't know if Salinas is out of the frost now. I am just taking a gamble with what I do now. I am just crossing my fingers. So grafting is a gamble also.
As Joe said, the reason why he was not grafting is he was waiting for 2 days without rain but I gambled to graft even when it was raining (or lack the knowledge of) and I did not noticed the difference. All if not all had took and I am so delighted seeing all those buds are sprouting now. Some are flowers instead of bud leaves coming out.
I've been transferring my bananas also to the ground now and I'll just take precautions if there is an arctic blast if they come. I also removed all of the pstem barks and leaves that turned brown and expose the green pstems to the sun so they have photosynthesis to speedy up the leaves formation. I can also see the new leaves coming up with my bananas.
Ahhh!! Spring is here!!! (crossing fingers).
Also, Joe does not want to divulge his secret of having to spray my bananas and plums and apples for aphids, powdery mildew etc.... but I tell you buy it from him because IT WORKS. He may ask you privately to buy it if you see him.
All of my plants are so invigorating because of IT. My roses, citrus, apples..... at this time when a lot of buds and flowers are prolifically coming out, before, last year, I was battling to kill the aphids and other insects at this time of the year, now I don't see a single aphid or curled leaves or stains on the banana fruit or leaves. It's going to be a terrific harvest for me this year.

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Banana Nut

harveyc

I'm glad you made it to Gene's Benny. I would estimate the crowd at about 60 but after a short while Kern and his wife went on their own and so did I. The group did not even go and taste Gold Nugget so I searched it out and found it in the center and it made me glad It was released in 1999 according to this article UCR Newsroom: New Citrus Variety Released by UCR so I think Gene has had his for a while. Now that I'm looking, I don't see anything to indicate UCR patented it so I guess I was mistaken. I just looked at my plant and don't see any buds yet and the plant tag doesn't indicate it's patented so you can stay out of jail for now!

I also got a Seedless Kishu recently but don't remember if I've eaten the fruit before.

I already bought the spray from Joe back in January but have not used it yet because I've been too blasted busy. I don't think it's a secret as Joe said he was at the Tulare Farm Show trying to market it. Marketing something is more difficult if you keep it a secret! lol

I think I'll be doing some of the same things to bananas and citrus as you about this time next week when I'm done with orchard pruning and dealing with 25 TC plants from Richard!

Best wishes,

Harvey

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bencelest

Another use of the spray is it is also a fertilizer to a newly transferred banana or any other plant or cuttings. Joe said that the new transferred plant has a greater chance of survival because the spray will kill all of the harmful fungus or nematodes living in the soil and an added plus is the spray is also a fertilizer.
I am using it for all my newly transferred bananas to my pergola plat.
I am seeing my new plants with a new light. They seem to be more green and more turgid each day and hasten faster recovery.
I have so far transferred the following plants to my pergola plat:

5 super dwarf cavendish
1 lacatan
1 enano gigante corm
1 senorita corm
1 babago
3 siling labuyo (Philippine hot pepper)
1 cherimoya ( dying)
1 Early girl tomato

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Banana Nut