Hi!
I have some questions:
I would like to grow some seedlings and then graft them with the T-budding method, now a few questions:
1. You're supposed to grow your seedlings like long sticks, without letting them to branch, right?
2. I don't understand, you have those long citrus seedlings for grafting. You put the graft in below the middle, so what happens with the upper part of the seedling? Is it cut away? If yes, when after grafting is it cut away, and at what point it is cut away exactly?

The reason to grow the rootstocks tall and straight, is to get flat, budless areas on the stock, where you can easily insert T-buds, or make the cuts for a chip bud. Any small branches tend to make it physically harder to insert the bud, and tape up the budding. Clean straight stocks, will have no knots, stumps, wounds etc below the budded area, and fairly even straight stocks give a choice of budding height. Failed buds leave wounds on the stock, which may create weakness in the trunk, so budding very low can cause problems.
It is not impossible to bud into zig zag stems such as Flying Dragon var, or bent stocks etc, just harder, and far harder to hold the bud in place to tape up. Also you can only bud onto upward facing surfaces on the stock, otherwise the sprout will bend too much to grow upwards.
Budding is usually performed on stocks with leaf growth above the bud site, and later lopped or bent to force the bud. or partly cut back at the time of budding. Usually 2 or 3 weeks are required to heal the buds, after which the tapes can be cut and buds forced if the season permits.
I dont cut back too cloce to the bud, in case the top dies back, taking the bud with it, ( another reason for plenty of rootstock height )
Grafting is performed after the upper portion of the trunk is removed, and then cuts are made to insert the scion stick. There are many methods of grafting, each with its particular knife cuts required.

Forcing a bud can be done by 4 different methods--cutting, bending, breaking, or notching (done mainly on limbs). Some say the bending down or breaking methods help speed growth of the bud (since you don't loose the top).

I posted a step by step tutorial a while back. Have a look here link

Lazz- that is some serious angular wood you have there--do you ever have any trouble with the bud rolling on you when tapeing??

Never had a problem. Just make sure the bud is flat against the rootstock.

Lazz, thanks for that tutorial. I have it bookmarked for the day I will be able to try this on my Flying Dragon seedlings IF they germinate!

I would have started them off all wrong. I had planned to plant them in their final row, in-ground, in full sun. I didn't realize the bud needs partial shade until it's established, so containers will be important when that time comes. I may sink containers and turn weekly so they can grow without rooting into the ground, move them to partial shade, and once the buds take, then plant them permanently in full sun!

I may just practice this with some of my other citrus by budding one kind onto another, just for fun!

Suzi