blockhill - forest garden experience & education

North Canterbury

Collecting, storing and posting scion wood

Collecting, storing and posting scion wood

Collection
Scion wood is collected during the dormant season from shoots that grew the previous year. In North Canterbury that is June - July. Vigorous growth of at least a 30 centimetres make the best scions. Water sprouts from up in the tree usually make good straight scions. Do not collect scion wood while it is frozen, and avoid wood that has been damaged by cold.

Storage
After cutting, scions should be tied in bundles, labelled, and stored under moist conditions in a temperature range of 4 to 7c. Bundles wrapped with damp paper towelling, sealed in plastic bags, and placed in a refrigerator store well providing it does not contain apples, pears, or other ethylene gas-generating fruit, as this is reputed to ruin the scion wood. However, wood sealed in plastic bags may not be affected?

Grafting time
Choosing when to graft can be tricky. What you want to be doing is performing the graft when the host tree or rootstock is waking up in the spring and the sap is rising and buds starting to swell, prior to blossom or leaf burst. Generally the grafting proceeds in the same order the trees flower and fruit, but earlier. Starting in mid to late august with almond followed by cherry, plum, peach & nectarine, nashi, pear and finally apple in late September.

At grafting time, cut off and discard the tip and base of the scion. Buds near the tip are often flower buds, and those near the base are often weak buds. The remaining portion of the stem is used to make scions each containing three to five buds.

Direct or Green Grafting
Scions of apple and pear (possibly others?) can be collected and grafted immediately in early spring. Mid August to mid October in North Canterbury

Postage
When we send scions they are bundled and labelled, sealed in a resealable bag with a wad of damp paper.
  grafting 
Quince root stock for grafting dwarf pear and loquat

Quince root stock for grafting dwarf pear and loquat

Botanical name   Cydonia oblonga
Details   Quinces are used as a root stock for producing dwarf pears, loquat and other quinces.

Root stocks can be created from root suckers, stool bed or seeds from overripe fruit planted in late autumn.
Flowers   White
Fruit / berries  
Tags     graft  dwarf  fruit tree  pear 
Benefits   The primary benefits are smaller trees that fruit sooner
Negatives   Many cultivars of pear are not directly compatible with quince and require double grafting with a compatible interstock
Pears grafted on quince have shorter lifespan than on seedling grown root stocks
Quince trees are prone to suckering, sending up growth from around the base of the tree and near damaged roots. These can be used as rootstocks.

Apricot – Seedling mix scion / bud wood

Details   Assortment of healthy apricots fruiting at different times.
Price   $3.90  each
Price for 2 or more   $3.50  each if you buy 2 or more
Tags     fruit  graft  scion 
Out of stock

Plum - Dan's Early scion / bud wood

Details   First plum of the season (December in North Canterbury). Japanese of medium size
Price   $3.90  each
Price for 2 or more   $3.50  each if you buy 2 or more
Price for 4 or more   $3.00  each if you buy 4 or more
Tags     plum  scion  grafting 
Related info Out of stock

Apricot – Moorpark scion / bud wood

Details   Freestone variety that has superbly flavoured fruit that are medium to large in size. Skin is deep yellow with orange blush that's fuzz free. The soft and juicy flesh of Moorpark allows the fruit to be suitable for fresh eating, bottling or drying. A mid-season variety best suited for cooler climates.
Price   $3.90  each
Price for 2 or more   $3.50  each if you buy 2 or more
Tags     fruit  graft  scion 
Related info Out of stock

Direct graft nectarine

July 26, 2018
3 x scions from goldmine direct grafted onto seedling peach at 2 locations - west end of log mound 4 and in front of container house
  graft  nectarine  july  2018 
Learn to graft fruit trees (seasonal)

Learn to graft fruit trees (seasonal)

Grow your knowledge of fruit tree cloning through the ancient art of grafting. Learn by seeing and doing with hands on examples and one on one tuition and explanation. We will cover:
  • Collecting and storing grafting (scion) wood from desired trees
  • Understanding and propagating rootstocks
  • Grafting tools and techniques
  • View many examples of grafted trees of various types, complexity and age
2 hours
  July   August   September  
$80.00

Grafting calendar

There are 2 main activities related to grafting that are season and weather specific.
  1. Collecting desired varieties of scion wood from healthy trees while they are dormant. For deciduous fruit and nut trees this is mid winter or late June to July in New Zealand
  2. Grafting the stored scions onto the appropriate rootstocks in early to mid spring when growth is commencing. Here in North Canterbury this is from early August to to mid October.

Correct timing is only part of the grafting process. Make sure you familiarise yourself with the technique, compatibility and after care for the best results.
Spring grafting season for fruit and nut trees August - October

Spring grafting season for fruit and nut trees August - October

Wood is cut and graded in June for dispatch in July – August. On receipt, scion wood will need to be stored refrigerated until the appropriate local grafting time.

Length: 150 – 170mm with 3 - 4 buds

Diameter: 5 – 12mm


Grafting is the process of adding part of a known, desirable tree onto existing, growing roots of a similar species. This process offers many benefits such as having many types of apple on a single tree or influencing the characteristics of the tree such as size, soil requirements and disease resistance.
  June   July   August   September   October  
  graft  fruit  trees 

Rootstock compatibility for different types of tree

Scions of desirable species must be grafted onto a suitable, compatible root system or ultimately the graft with be rejected by the host tree.
The roots determine to size, growth rate and suitable soil conditions for the tree while the scion controls the flowers and fruit type and timing.
Most are only self compatible and so apple must be grafted to apple but as usual there are exceptions such as almonds onto peach.
  grafting 
Plum - Black Doris scion / bud wood

Plum - Black Doris scion / bud wood

Details   Japanese plum of medium size, with purple black skin and dark red sweet, juicy flesh. Ripening mid to late season.
Price   $3.90  each
Price for 2 or more   $3.50  each if you buy 2 or more
Price for 4 or more   $3.00  each if you buy 4 or more
Tags     plum  scion  grafting 
Harvest     March  
Learn More Out of stock
Nashi - Hosui scion / bud wood

Nashi - Hosui scion / bud wood

Details   Absolutely delicious to eat, Nashi Hosui pears are renowned for their sweetness, juiciness, and perfect balance of acidity. Their large, golden-brown fruits boast a distinctive russeted texture, and their fine consistency adds to their appeal. Additionally, Nashi Hosui trees are partially self-fertile, simplifying the pollination process for growers.
Price   $3.90  each
Price for 2 or more   $3.50  each if you buy 2 or more
Tags     fruit  graft  scion 
Harvest     February  
Learn More Out of stock
Cherry - Mix scion / bud wood

Cherry - Mix scion / bud wood

Details   Selection of large fruiting cherries suitable for eating fresh, varieties unknown
Price   $3.90  each
Price for 2 or more   $3.50  each if you buy 2 or more
Tags     fruit  graft  scion 
Harvest     December  
Out of stock