Over a week ago I grafted 17 new buds.. out of those 3 have failed and 4 are half brown and half green *bottom half is brown*. The rest look healthy.. a couple have even sprouted thorns.. I'm not peekaboo cooking this time.. I can tell fairly well through the grafting tape that they are brown or green so I am planning on leaving the tape in place and not even removing to check on the graft till next week end at earliest.. At that time I will regraft any failures.. I have kept all of the grafted trees in my dining room where I am able to keep the temps down to at most 85*.. We were back to having nasty HIGH temps last week.. Temps are down but humidity is up even higher due to rain we got..
I will take pictures of all the grafts that make it..

Gina *BabyBlue*

Good luck Gina! I too budded 9 days ago...were yourbudsticks from JoeReal too? They seemed sooo tiny! It's really my first attemp at budding... uhm, other than I cleft grafted (I think it's cleft - slanted cuts) a different variety of fig about 2 months ago on a fig tree and I now see a bud growing from tip of it!!!!! YEAY Do you use the rubber bands? I did on most but will cut them off soon cuz I think they may be in the way of the bud growing out. I see one that looks like it's turning black. Post pics of what's going on & I will too -- good, bad & ugly LOL.

Hi Patty,

Which buds are so tiny? I give out more buds than ordered in most cases and attached a lot of freebies at my expense and have charged far less for the actual share of cost. I hope that those freebies can more than offset the other budwoods that would seem to be unfit. I would even say that most are adequate size with some bigger than necessary. I can graft "tiny" budwoods unto 1/8" diameter sticks, that's the lowest size I can be successful with. Not all the buds on the stick are meant for grafting, that is why there's some extra. But I can assure you that most are perfect sizes for budding as far as most of T-budding require. Excepting perhaps the Australian finger limes, those are really super tiny budsticks, as they are of type "micro"citrus. Aside from the A. Finger lime, the rest are more than decent size for most grafters to take budwoods from. I just pass on mostly what I get from UCR, and fairly distribute them, balance the sizes of sticks and number of budwoods to each participant willing to put in their share, and I favor no one, except randomly for whatever end of stick we end up with.

How do you take out the bud? I made sure you should be able to take out most buds comfortably with a total length of 1/2" to 1" from the scionwood. Big buds do not really mean more success rate.

Oooh Nooo Joe, I did not mean to insult you at all. I am very happy with what you sent - including the freebees! It's just that I'm a newbee at grafting & the buds are tiny to ME. My gosh, I look at my finger lime & NO WAY will I even try to take a bud. Too tiny! It is not what you sent Joe, it's just me. Mind you, I've really never done this before, ecxept for a cleft graft of 1/4" thick fig branches for a practice (your instructions!), & it took.
Some of the branches that I buded on are less than 1/4 inch, so that may have been my problem too. I did not mean to say that you sent bad budsticks. I was just not ready for how small & precise the buds had to be cut. I have to say that I was afraid of cutting the buds of the triangular ones...didn't think they would take, but so far so good!
Have patience with me; I am new to this. Didn't mean to offend you & so sorry if I did. It just comes down to my inexperience of budding...I had a hard time with it. I also did a bark graft on one...seemed easier to me & it looks good.
I DID read that beginners should not use triangular budsticks to start & to use at least one yr old rounded budsticks, so I partially blamed it on that...because I am a beginner. Everything I know, I've learned by trial & error, so this is another. I never got budsticks before so it was just a comment that the buds seemed small ---TO ME. I feel confident enough to try bark & more cleft grafting. If whatever I did doesn't take, I will learn what I did wrong...it's not thebudsticks you sent.
Please forgive me if I offended you, I very much appreciate what you sent! And yes, to ME the budsticks seemed so tiny! But, I look at possible budsicks that I have & they are worse! (tinyer) I am just a newbee.

Patty,

That's good to know. Sometimes I over react so I apologize. It takes quite a while before you get the hang of it. There are times that the only budwoods I got are microscopic, and so I try them anyway. But to my amazement, they took and sprouted much better than the bigger ones. For tiny buds, I use bare razor blades to take out buds but regular budding knife to cut out the T and insert the buds. But practice makes perfect. You'll be successful sooner than you'll know it.

Regards,

Joe

here are the good the bad and the UGLYYYYY...
Algerian Clementine


Cara-Cara


China Satsuma


Chironja


Etrog


Mato Buntan Pummelo


Midknight Valencia


Navelate


Rio Red


Sarawak Pummelo


Shasta Gold


Spring Navel


Star Ruby


V. Pink Lemon


I will Be grafting the ones that failed tomorrow... A friend of my daughters came over to spend the night.. she is going to set in on a "grafting class" (let them watch me) I was thinking of letting the girls try..

Gina *BabyBlue*

hey, would it be too much trouble for you to video tape it and maybe post it on youtube or something for us to watch? that would be great. Let your daughter's friend hold the camera?

I'll e-mail my mom and ask her to send over her camera in the am..
I don't know about youtube.. what is that?
I'd gladly post a short video if it turns out and I have some place to put it on the web..

Gina *BabyBlue*

Nice job Gina. Thanks for posting pics - even the failures! After I saw them, I went & got mine & clipped off the tape & rubber bands (where I used them) starting with the last one I budded 2 weeks ago tomorrow. It was brown, & so were the next 4!!! GRRRR
I wanted to start throwing things at it. Then the 6th one was still green so I re wrapped it. I did 6 on one P Trifoliate with branches. Only ONE was pencil size - I budded 4 onto it. Then I checked the first 3 I did - 2 on P Tri only 1/8th & 3/16th inches diam. Hard to do with the triangular buds on so small stock. Last was bark graft. Those 3 are still green so far. I thought for sure, if any would die, it would be those2 buds...go figure.
Did you use rubber bands?One of the last "skinny" 3 I didn't, & it looks good. I DO NOT LIKE T BUDDING!! I still have some budsticks in fridge, but they might be too old as I just got them in mail 2 weeks ago today. But, I will try again tomorrow.
Also Gina, do you leave an opening where the thorn was or do you cover it with a layer of tape?
I budded 4 buds on that 20 inch pencil sized branch...only the bottom one took (so far).
This will not discourage me from grafting more varieties on my BT fig tree. The first one I did took. Got 3 more to go!

Patty,
There were three others that did not take that I did not get pictures of.. odds... 7 fail, 7 took (for now) and 3 iffy...

I used two different tapes and yes I did use rubber bands on some.. I honestly can't say what tape was best and if the rubber bands made that much of a difference.. As there were no repeat grafts.. if I had done 17 of same variety I could say better my opinion on one tape vs. another and the rubber bands..
I do have to admit I made the mistake of cutting the tail off the bud before inserting it.. leaving the tail on gives me something to hold on to and I can cut it flush with the horizontal part of the T..
I was trying to rush through as I had so many to do..

I am pleased and shocked that the V Pink Lemon is doing so well..

I did half of what I needed to regraft today with my youngest daughter watching and her best friend.. then I gave the girls exacto knives and let them do a graft of their own.. They did fairly well for first time.. and being 14 yrs old..
I did not get video.. the camera made it over about the time it was getting too hot to continue.. The girls were just starting to take the supplies inside.. I would have done it inside but I don't think the quality with out brighter light would be worth showing.. Maybe tomorrow AM I can get hubby to run camera (and not get his finger in the way) while I do a couple grafts..

Gina *BabyBlue*

I didn't get any video of the grafting I did.. I thought about it but if I make a mistake I'd rather not pass on my "bad habits" to those just starting.. I'm still learning.. And I do much better behind the camera..

Of all the grafts none of the grapefruit or pummellos made it.. So I regrafted all of them.. trying different root stock this time.. I think of these pictured only 6 or 7 survived..
There is one that the bottom is brown and the top is still green.. so I still have hope for it.. but I did a regraft just incase..

I will try and get some photo updates up soon..

Gina *BabyBlue*

Gina,
What rootstock did you use and is there a rootstock that is better for different varieties. In other words do different varieties of citrus take better on different types of rootstock?

I am getting ready to attempt a few grafts and have a couple different rootstock's. I will have to get the names of each one.
Andi

So far my Marsh Reed & Algerian Clementine have budded out! Looks good.
The bark graft is still green but the buds didn't leaf out yet.

Andi,
I wish I could tell you.. all the buds I did to my FD & 'swingle' didn't take.. the rest I grafted to my "adult" trees.. and I have no idea what their root stocks are.. I tried to match alike varieties.. but right now I have no grapefruit "type" variety..
So right now my collection is a buncha multi graft trees.. I think the finger lime is about the only tree that I didn't graft to.. LOL
My hubby says I went a little graft happy.. I need to get my hands on some more root stock.. This IS getting to be an ADDICTION!!!
I'm starting to run out of places to graft TO!!! LOL

Now to figure out how to "force" them.. can't bend them over like I did with the root stocks... Small notch above the bud right?? I need to go look at the budding tutorials again..

Patty,
Congrats!!! My Algerian is looking good.. but the bud is just sitting there looking pretty for now..

Gina *BabyBlue*

Well, the 3 are still looking good exceptsomething knocked off the growing Algerian Clementine bud!!! Here it is- you can see it laying on soil . The Marsh reed at left (attempted red arrow) is still doing good. On the right one, the red vertical line on trunk is where it broke off - it's still green. Another red mark below is where the bud is laying. Who or what knocked it off?

My pics are not so good, but you can see it leafing out. Will the Al. Clem. still come back! It's still green there. Buddinman gave me some hope for it.
Don't have a clue as to why it is knocked off. Tall Pot never got knocked over.