Just did my first budding. The bark slipped pretty easily. I did two varieties onto two different trees. I used 70% rubbing alcohol to sterilze my hands, the blade, the bark spliter and the point of the graft between each budding. Do you think think the rubbing alcohol is a sufficient sterilizer or should I have used bleach?

Oh, one other question. How long and what is the best method for storing the wood in the fridge? Wrapped in paper towels? No paper towels? Holes in bag? What?

I dip the budding knife in 5% bleach solution between varieties when I remember. That is all.

I store the budwood in damp paper towels soaked in 5% bleach. I check them every week or two to make sure no molding. I seal the zip lock bag. The budwood keeps OK for at least 2 months.

Bark splitter? You don't split it with the budding knife?

Well, I will first say I know nothing on how to graft (yet, will be learning) but I can offer up my nursing opinion on rubbing alcohol. We have a saying in nursing: "Rubbing alcohol is good for moving germs around." In fact, nurses and doctors are moving away from using rubbing alcohol to cleanse an injection site. It really doesn't kill much of anything. Bleach (sodium hypochloride) WILL kill just about everything. 1:20 is probably sufficient. Kills bacteria, fungii and viruses. For what that's worth

Patty, this is very new for me! And not quite consistent with my limited experience... We were always using rubbing alcohol in our OR back in 2006-2007. Perhaps, things have changed since then. also, I was germinating about 20 FD seeds recently. The fruit where they came from was moldy and I was tossing one or two molded seeds almost every day... After about half of them were gone, I gave a few minutes of an alcohol bath to the rest. Never seen mold since then and all seeds eventually germinated just fine. So, I would say that rubbing alcohol does kill mold. Perhaps, bleach is better - I never used it.

Good luck!

I always use hydrogen peroxide. Dip a clean cloth in hydrogen peroxide & wipe the blade down, that's about it.

GT, isopropyl alcohol will kill mold, because mold is a plant (well, not really, but more plant-like than a bacteria-like). So, yes, it will kill mold. But not so much bacteria or viruses. Hyrogen Peroxide as long as it still fizzes is actually better than isopropyl alcohol, but a diluted bleach solution is the best at killing everything. So, that's my 2 cents worth, and hopefully, you all will hold my little hand when I try grafting. I really hope I can get Xie Shan mandarin and Ugli Tangelo budwood from UCR. I've then got to figure out what rootstock would be best for these (probably trifoliate?) and then find out where to order the root stock from here in California. And order all the supplies! Hopefully, I'll have a little greenhouse up in my yard by then. If not, our patio table will have to suffice

I don't use anything.

Laaz,

Thank you very much! I was very curious about hydrogen peroxide and was planning to use it instead of isopropyl.

Patty,

Seems like I did not quite understand your comment on alcohol not killing anything. I meant using a substance to kill mold in particular since mold is the enemy. Good luck with locating Xie Shan! I am looking for it too but seems like I am out of seedlings for this year, so it should wait for spring 2012. I would love to get Ugly too. Actually, I have never seen the plant and did not hear of anyone having it. Will check a few more local nurseries in a week or so.

Good luck and thank you for the clarifications!

GT, isopropyl alcohol does not do a very good job killing bacteria or viruses, which is what we're more concerned about in the medical area with human beings And, viruses transmitted on your gardening tools as well. I understand mold is the big thing with grafting, but also, we don't want to spread viruses with our plants, either. I clean my garden clippers with a 1:20 bleach solution when I'm trimming up my ornamentals. But, if this isn't just a big worry with grafting knives or clippers, then maybe alcohol or hydrogen peroxide is fine. Studies done with humans have found that the sites prepped with isopropyl alcohol were not any lower in bacterial count than if the site wasn't cleansed at all. So, that's the rational from a nurse