AUGUST MEANS GRAFTING TIME

 OK here my cleft grafting I did at home. Jenny gave me 6 of each: The Quince BA29 and the Colt Cherry rootstock.

And I had lots of M739 Apple root stock left over from the ones that did not take last year, which is part of setting up a community heritage orchard project.

A local farmer decided he wants to offer one of his paddocks to plant an Orchard where people who don't have the space or cant grow their own fruit can go and help them selfs in the future.  It is a very nice generous idea but I imagine will be a huge learning curve in just how much work is involved in maintaining an orchard of 150 fruit trees. 

I spent last winter going around all the old orchards in golden bay collecting scion form heritage trees. 

We got about 70% success rate from our first time experimental grafting.  

We grafted on to the M739  a very vigorous root stock, suitable for all soil types and is resistant to phytophora and wooly apple aphid.

I grafted Hetlina apple which is my all-time favorite and some Monti’s surprise which is a large cooking apple.
                 Scion 

sterilise tools

cut rootstock

                      cut scion

Make a cleft cut into root stock

Match cambium

putt grafting tape around

don't forget to date and Label!!!