I enjoy grafting with Joe's bark grafting method - thank you Joe.
I'm searching for parafilm on local market since begining of the year w/o success, so I'm using Teflon tape (intended to be used by plumbers .

Please can anyone make comparison of Parafilm/Teflon characteristics?

Here is what I can say about teflon:

Tape (role): 12 mm * 10 m * 0.075 mm
Material: PTFE (Polytetrafloureethylene) or similar polimer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teflon

Strechable
Easy to work with (well with some practice)

Checking 2.5 months old graft:
Bud can break through
No signs of deterioration yet

Not sure if they will ship to Croatia, or what the costs would be, but both of these companies supply grafting tape by mail.


http://orchardvalleysupply.com/

http://www.frostproof.com/index.html

I have read about, but never tried, the tape mentioned in the following post, which I copied from another message board. Maybe someone else here has tried it. Of course, 30 mil sounds a little thich to me.

Ned

"The best grafting tape ever, rubber electrician's splicing tape, might not be called that any more at your local hardware store. I just bought a new roll, and it is labelled "splicing tape, self-fusing". It's still 30 mil rubber, 3/4" x 22', with the plastic backing.

A.M. Leonard has para film tape and also buddy tape. The buddy tape is perforated in about 1 inch sections. and works very well. It is a Japanese version of parafilm It does have some Uv resistance. For t-budding my preferance is chip budding tape. It is 2 mil and clear. The bud can actually be seen through the tape.
Web: amleo.com

I've been using the clear UV resistant clear plastic tape that is 1/2" wide. I seem to get the hang of it. It's difficult to use at first. Now with that clear tape, I don't need to use rubber band. It is quite strong and sturdy. I learned how to tie it so that I can easily remove it once the graft took. It is just too slippery, but I have good success rates, the same as parafilm tape.

The major advantage of the clear plastic tape is that it is way cheaper than the parafilm. 1,000 feet of it is the same price as 100 feet of parafilm. And it is a lot easier and less messier to remove than the parafilm tape. It is now becoming my favorite choice for binding and wrapping.

And that's where the major disadvantage comes in, you will have to remember to remove it once the graft took! Otherwise, the grafted material will implode. With the parafilm, you can wrap it and forget about it. If the buds start to sprout, it will push through it.

About the teflon tape, it should be good to use during the summer as it will reflect the excess heat. It is just too slippery for me to use. But if you can use it, make sure to make the last loop with a slip knot so that you can remove it. Major disadvantages include of not visually seeing through if the bud has taken or not without unwrapping. Also, during wrapping, you could wiggle the bud and it might be out of alignment, and the opaque tape, you have no clue if the grafted material went out of alignment like spilled out of the flap. Another disadvantage is the cost of the teflon tape, it is too expensive per unit length. But if that's the only one you've got, you can make it work. I have used masking tape on pear grafts, but have not used them on citruses due to the adhesives that could get dirty.

like what Bonnie has shared to me, you can cut plastic strips from wrappers of sliced bread, and they would work well too. Actually my very first graft, I used plastic wrapper from sliced bread, simply because I couldn't find any parafilm, and the internet did not hit mainstream yet. It was so hard to use, but hey it worked.

I have come to prefer the poly tape, in the 1/2" and 3/4" widths, for the reasons Joe points out. Parafilm works good for some situations, especially where the tape needs to conform to an irregular surface. I sometimes I use both. One problem I have found is that parafilm, in the heat of the South, will tend to split too soon, exposing the bud sooner than desirable.

Ned is right about the parafilm especially the parafilm M. This one has no UV resistance and is expensive. Is is good for wrapping the scion when doing bark inlay, bark grafts, whip and tongue grafts or cleft grafts to keep the graft from drying out. Parafilm M is used for laboratory work to prevent contamination.

I use the parafilm tape for bark grafts, but for T-budding I often use strips of very thin plastic cut from the bags that the newspaper comes in-- I actually made a knife with 2 parallel blades 1/2 inch apart to cut the strips-- works great.

What I do actually is a combo this past weekend of grafting spree. Did several budding and bark grafting for comparison about performances in the fall season.

In my bark grafts, I wrap the union with clear UV resistant poly tape. Then I wrap the rest (just the upper part) of the scionwood with parafilm. This way, I save on having to tie a rubber band, because the poly tape is strong enough, a lot stronger than parafilm tape. The parafilm on the upper part of the scionwood, helps prevent moisture escape but would allow the buds to sprout whenever they wanted. I would simply pull off the knot from the clear poly tape once I can see that the graft union has healed very well.

I will post pics on this perhaps next week.

This has really saved me on parafilm, and time. The combo tape method seemed to work very well too. But unless the results are in, they are just experimental at this stage.

You can look for Parafilm where they sell laboratory supplies (like beakers, funnels, etc).

Usually the laboratories or pharmaceutical companies sells them very expensively. But if you have a friend at a research or university who can spare you some, why not try?

I have used the parafilm and find it works great on my apples, peaches and pears, but I can't a test to it when it comes to citrus as i have not tried it on citrus. Also be being in the north it has taken about 4 months for the parafilm to degrade which it just the right amount of time for my grafts.

Suzan, You can get parafilm tape here for a reasonable price. Simply type parafilm tape in the search engine.

http://orchardvalleysupply.com/

http://www.glad.com/plasticwrap/pressnseal.php

I wonder if this product would work. I don't know if you've seen ads for it, you put an item between two pieces of sheet, run your finger around the edge of the item, and it's sealed. It's very similar to parafilm.

...just something I saw on tv and wondered if it would work...

As long as the wrapper can exert and keep pressure on the graft union without breaking for at least 2 weeks or until the union heals, allows for some oxygen movement, but prevents escape of moisture, then it should be okay.

Depending on type of grafting, you may need reinforcement to the union for one season. Budding, usually just 2 weeks is often enough if the temperature is between 80 to 90 deg F which is the optimum temperature for healing of the union.

Last year I was experimenting with teflon.
Here are few results (those are my first grafts ever, thank you all):
Photos taken in Autumn.

A) Troyer citrange chip budded on Poncirus, I was impressed with that nice and healty healing.
B1) Faustrime, teflon used to help healing of small wounds and supress new growth there.
B2) Faustrime, unwinded for the purpose of this post.


2 photos of apricot bark grafted on a plum.




No parafilm here and, now, I don't care.
Teflon works for me, and cheap,
price of 10 pack (10 rolls, 100 meters total) was less than 3 $.
I'll have that for years...