Maybe the squirrel???? Just to taunt you??

That is strange though... was it just new growth that was knocked off or the entire bud knocked out of the T??
I'd say if it is just the new growth.. it should bounce back fine..
Hard to tell what is going on in the pics..
But then.. I am far from an expert.. that would be just my opinion.. and you know what they say about opinions.. LOL
hope it is fine...
Reminds me.. I need to check on my buds.. I've been running and running for a few weeks now.. Hoping that now that kids are settled in in school and eldest son is home things will get back to "normal" if there is such a thing.. LOL
Gina *BabyBlue*

did a bud count last night...

failed.....
Rio Red
Star Ruby
Mato Buntan
Sarawak Pummelo
Owari
Vainiglla Sanguigno
Chaffin
China Satsuma

Questionable.... (Top of bud is green and healthy looking but bottom of bud is brown)
Shasta Gold
Navelate

Still waiting to tell.... (looks good for now but needs more time to tell for sure)
Midknight Valencia
Cara-Cara

Doing great...
Etrog
Varigated Pink Lemon
Algerian Clementine
Spring Navel
Chironja


Sure wish I could get at least one of the grapefruit to take.. Are grapefruit difficult to bud?? Even when I budded them to my eureka lemon they did not take.. I will try again But I am quickly running out of places I can bud to..
Looks like I might need to just buy another grapefruit tree in the spring..

I noticed anything I put on my Satsuma trees failed...

I will be redoing the grafts that have failed.. Not sure that the bud wood is still any good for some of them and ran out of a few varieties...
At the very least I have expanded my variety collection by 5 possibly 7.. and I am very pleased with them...

Gina *BabyBlue*

Gina, Chironja is a grapefruit. Even though it is listed as a grapefruit hybrid.

That makes me feel a bit better.. for some reason I was thinking it was a Satsuma type.. guess I need to go look up the varieties again.. Hubby Is looking forward to grapefruit.. didn't want to disapoint him..

I will have a package out to you soon.. Will E-mail you when it gets in the mail..

Gina *BabyBlue*

Gina, thanks for the followup on shipment. What do you know, most of the ones that took are the freebies from me. The best things in life are usually free. Well, you can holler another batch as long as I have them.

Marsh Reed grapefruit is one that is doing fine (pic above). Just the growth on Alg. clementine is knocked off. The bud is still wrapped in the T. Just have to wait & see.

Chironja, also roots very easy. Sometimes rooting a mature cutting is just about as good as budding. Especially when the cutting is rooted in a 4" Root Builder container. - Millet

Joe, I'll tell you.... THANKS!!!! I could have paid same price for one tree alone for the price of all the bud wood I got.. Even if the only ones that make it are the 5.. that is still a swinging great deal!!! Plus I have the added bonus of saying "I DID THAT!!" I am a grafting addict!!!

I was on the verge of giving up on grafting.. I am sooo glad I didn't..
I am tickled PINK that the V Pink Lemon is doing well!!

Thanks for the info Millet!!! I'll try and root some cuttings when it gets big enough..

Gina *BabyBlue*

It is a thrill to see a bud grow esp. on rootstock that I grew from seed!! Well, at least 2 of 9-10 took so I guess I didn't do too bad for my first time T budding. I got a tavares budstick yesterday that I T budded on my lakeland - with a little more confidence this time
Where the growth got knocked off on Alg.Clementine, it is still green but no new growth.

Patty and Gina, that is really exciting on your progress.

When I started out was really skeptical. I used kitchen knife, and rubber bands. No grafting tapes and other amenities. About 3 out of 10 buds I did really took off and was amazed that they easily outgrew the potted parent plants in terms of size in just one season.

Now, the only high failure would be due to quality of budwood and experimentations. If I do things normally using proper timing and budwoods that I myself took from a friend's tree, and selecting the destination brnaches properly, I would only get 1 or 2 failures for every 500 buds. Grafting tapes and nice grafting knife really helps boost the success rates.

One of the key to increased success rates based on my experiences is how long the buds are exposed to the air once you cut them, if you can minimize that time, it increases your chances. So I would usually prepare the destination T first before I cut the bud. It takes me less than 10 seconds to cut the bud and insert in the T, it used to take me 10 minutes to do it. With more practice, you'll gonna zip by.

Now that my existing trees have reached mature canopy size, it is taking me more than 10 hours to decide which branch to graft to...

That's funny Joe. I'm stil not sure what a good destination branch is, so I just guessed on the lakeland. Got my fingers crossed. BTW, most of stock that I budded onto were smaller than pencil sized which is not good for a beginner.

Joe,

I can attest to the good knife and tape.. I gave my dad your knife to be sharpened after I had used it a few times (20 or so) and I did a few regrafts while he still had the knife.. Goodness how I fumbled and made nasty cuts.. it took me longer and the grafts were no where near and clean cut and nice looking.. I gave up after only 4.. none of which took..
Got the knife back and did 10 grafts in half the time it took me to do the previous 4 and they looked much much nicer...

I think important things to know for a novice....


#1 Make sure the bark is slipping!!! *no matter how pretty or nice or well wrapped the T-bud won't take!!*

#2 Good SHARP CLEAN knife.. Clean knife with rubbing alcohol..
Knife made for grafting was much easier for me to handle.. ( I think that practice with any knife on disposable wood so your hands are use to the feel of the knife and it will go faster when it is the real thing..)

#3 Quickness.. ( I cut the T then the bud then I stick the bud in my mouth while I open the T to receive the bud.. this way both bud and T are not exposed to air too long..)

#4 Tape... after trying every thing under the sun.. the grafting tape works much better than any thing else I've tried.. (Eventually I hope to be good enough to use more non conventional "tapes" i.e... plastic baggie cut into strips.. )

#5 Eye level working... My grafts went lots smoother and looked better when I placed the pots on the table and was able to have my working area at eye level.. I tried a few where the pots were on the ground and the cuts were way off..

#6. cut the "tail" off the bud AFTER the bud has been inserted IN the T.. reasons... the tail tends to be an easy handle and the cut lines will line up.. (see photos where bud is far from the horizontal cut.)


Maybe over time these things will not sway if the bud takes or not near so much.. but for now these are tips I've gotten from forum members and mistakes I've made... I can't think of any other important things for novice to know.. but if I think of any I'll post them... All "tips" for a beginner I might have missed or forgotten welcome???
Might just start a "TIPS" for beginners post...

Gina *BabyBlue*

Yes Gina, I coulda used some good tips a few weeks ago LOL. I read where Malcolm Manners wrote he puts the buds in his mouth. Saliva is better than water.
I just checked the budded one & the 3 almost inch long leaves it had are laying in pot! Anyone know why? I don't think it was a squirrel - the pot would be fallen over. It is still green on both so I hope they will grow back if possible.

I might have to get some more bud wood in the spring and try these over again.. I trimmed back the bark that was growing over the buds.. some probably a little too much..
Here is what is still alive..

Algerian Clementine


Cara Cara


Chronja


Etrog


Midknight Valencia


Spring Navel


Varigated Pink Lemon


Don't think this one will make it... as you can see I trimmed back some of the dead part of the bud as well..
Shasta Gold


Ones that did not make it....

Rio Red
Star Ruby
Mato Buntan
Sarawak Pummelo
Owari
Vainiglla Sanguigno
Chaffin
China Satsuma
Navelate

The Cara Cara is on my Manderinquat.. my Manderinquat died back to just 5 inches above the graft line with no leaves.. I put it in ICU and it has bounced back with now having about 6 new branches and the Cara Cara looks like it might be growing..
Just a matter of waiting to see what is going to grow and what isn't..
Am I notching them ok?? deep enough?? far/ close enough to the buds??
As they are all located on various other tree trunks I can't break or bend above the buds to force them.. The temps in my house range from 65*F-72*F and some times up to 80*F when kids think they can get away with bumping the heat up and camping out in front of the heater..
So the temps are good..
Thanks for all the advice and input!!

Gina *BabyBlue*

Thanks for the update Gina! I can't believe 3 months went by since. None of mine made it. I know now that the bark was not slipping.
Almost ALL the plants are sprouting new growth now, so the bark is slipping. This would be a good time for me to T bud.
Do you think you took the tape off too soon?? I woulda left it on longer..any opinions? I only have one graft that took, & it is one of 2 avocados that I ..what's it called again.......... uh, WHIP & Tongue graft!
It has 3 buds growing & everyon tells me to leave the tape on till spring.
Should I post pic? Glad you brought this back up to top Gina. What did you use other than budding knife? A utility blade? That's what I used. That much difference huh?