G'Day, This is a link to the DG Propagation forum where I put some information on budding & grafting tools needed and other general information. If you know nothing about the subject then read this first.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/929125/
Photo is some of my knives, Top is a Budding knife, Next Grafting knife and bottom is a bought Budding or Grafting knife. The first two I made myself.
Regards Brian
The budding knife I bought fell apart the first time I tried to use it.
The link to your new topic is missing, Brian. Have you done Grevilleas by any chance?
Brilliant brian ...I often watch shows where wonderful migrant gardeners mostly greek and italian graft many different species of fruit onto the one tree due to the limited space, despite a limitation of just an ordinary houseblock, these wonderful gardeners grow most of their food ...we could learn so much from them ...they make it look so easy ...like you they are very experienced.I do admire them very much.
In these troubled times ...when people should have these skills to help with the food budget and for good health ...the fine art of self sufficiency is found wanting.Our children should be taught in school.
gardengal the link worked for me perhaps you need to be a subscriber to see it, I am not sure.
G'Day
Yes the link worked OK for me. It is worth seeing the info from that thread but I'll copy the piece of mine that is relevant and paste it here. Some of the following won't make sense because the photos are missing or are answers to questions from others. If there is just yell.
The method used here is usually referred to as "Bench Grafting" and because of the need for extreme disease control and the controlled environment it is not very practical for gardener/hobbyists but could be tried by using a PVC cover over the plant to maintain humidity.
A more practical method for the hobbyist would be to graft towards the end of Winter or early Spring and cover the grafts with damp (not soggy) Vermiculite cover with PVC and place in a warm position or apply bottom heat with a low wattage globe and it should callus and root in about 2 to three weeks. It would be far simpler to strike the rootstock cuttings and when growing strongly either bud or graft the scion on to the stock and tie firmly with PVC tape or use Buddy Tape if available this works like "Cling Wrap" and does not need tying to keep in place. Photo shows Grape Vines graftlings after 14 days using the Vermiculite, heat and wrapped with "Buddy Tape". Notice the callus at the unions and not shown are new roots about 1" long.
Regards
G'Day All
When I said with PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride)I meant PVC budding tape which comes on rolls similar to sticky tape and is available from some Garden Centres or Hardware Stores. Actually any thing that you can wrap and tie will do the job. Rubber bands are often used and I have used boot lace, fishing line or just string, these all have to be removed after about 3 weeks or they will strangle the growing plant. Rubber usually perishes and falls off and sometimes the PVC will break other times it needs to be removed and the Buddy Tape just stretches until it breaks and is soft enough for the bud shoot to burst through if need be.
With the vermiculite I meant for the new Graftling to be placed in a container and covered with vermiculite but I can see nothing wrong with wrapping the graftling in a plastic bag containing the vermiculite. Any moisture holding material can be used like sawdust etc but vermiculite is in some places easier to get than sawdust but more importantly it is sterile thereby reducing the risk of rots. The answer to question of why not make the cutting longer and avoid the neccessity of grafting has several possibilities.
First the bottom piece is called a rootstock the top piece a scion. In many cases the desired plant will not root or the roots that are formed are so weak that the plant never becomes a healthy well grown specimen. In other cases the rootstock is used to over come soil born diseases or soil conditions such as water logging/ poor drainage or in some cases a drought tolerance that the desired plant does not have.
Re growing lots of grapes I'm now retired but yes we grew a fair number of vines for the commercial growers and interestingly, where a rootstock was needed, they were selections of your American native varieties that are either immune to or very resistant to a lot of diseases that the European vines are not.
The photo is of a patch of young grafted Table Grapes on one of the American Rootstocks.
Regards Stake
This message was edited Feb 22, 2009 8:51 PM
G'Day Billgrubs
Several suggestions on grafting/budding. Get as much info as possible on the conditions and techniques needed for successful grafting. Depts of Agriculture often have pamphlets available and there is a lot of stuff on the Internet.
Other than the knowledge of when to graft and how, the next most important things are the tools. You need a very sharp knife, as close to razor sharpness as possible and good sharpening stones to keep the knife that way. Any knife will do but it is probably easier to buy a grafting knife or knives, there are numerous different types of knives, I suggest you buy a "Budding" knife because you can use that for grafting as well but some grafting knives are not suited to budding.
Another suggestion is to practise the grafting techniques using readily available material, it doesn't matter what type of plant it is as long as it's dispensable.
A good starting point is to cut through a stick or twig using the type of grafting cut that you have chosen, if the cut is not smooth and clean your knife is not sharp enough.
Take the two pieces that you have just cut and place them back together, they will of course fit perfectly, this is what you want to achieve or close to it as possible when you make two cuts from different plants. Practise this until you are satisfied that you have it right then all you have to do is wait for the right time to graft the chosen plants.
To be successful your Rootstock and Scion must be compatible this means they are genetically able to form a union. With your vines the easiest starting point is to take parts from two different plants but the same variety i.e one piece from your "Concord" and the other piece from your neighbours "Concord" or if you like take a scion from the neighbours vine and graft it to your already growing vine. This just tests your ability to graft successfully if you already know the compatibility of your plants then jump this first action. If possible visit your Dept. of Agricuture or local nursery to see them grafting and budding the Dept might even let you have a practise on their plants and then you are ready to start.
Even after 50 plus years I am still learning and I get a great sense of satisfaction when I achieve successful unions and see them grow on to produce flowers and fruit.
Go for it mate and if I can be of any help at all don't hesitate to contact me.
The photo is of a new grape variety that wasn't compatible with its rootstock, at the end of the growing season there were only two alive in that row.
Regards Stake
This message was edited Dec 3, 2008 6:48 PM
Click the image for an enlarged view.
Stake
Barmera
(Australia)
December 3, 2008
6:54 PM
Post #5855730
Edit
I didn't explain but I mentioned your vines because that is what you said you were going to grow but what I wrote applies to any plant you want to graft, the timing may be different but the principles still apply.
Regards
G'Day
When you graft a scion onto a rootstock that scion remains the same except that the correctly chosen rootstock can provide vigour or stunting, if desired, improved quality of the fruit and alter the flowering time or ripening of the fruit but if a "Peace" rose is grafted onto a red flowered rootstock it will not become a red "Peace" and scion material taken from that "Peace" will always be "Peace". I have had people argue on this point but if they have something different it is because a sucker sprouted from the roostock not because the scion has changed. A great deal of enjoyment can be gained by using existing plants in your garden and do as suggested put different coloured roses on the one bush or different fruit trees on the one stock but remember the stock and scion have to be fairly closely related botanically. You can put Peaches, Nectarines and when you gain confidence Apricots on the same plant or Plums (both European and Japanese and American) and Apricot on the same stock but you cannot put Apples or Oranges on the stone fruit or vice versa. The budding or grafting is done either when the plant is starting to grow in early spring for most grafting, and budding when the plant is in full growth. Scion material can be saved from winter prunings by wrapping in barely damp newspaper (any paper) placing in a plastic bag and put in the vegetable crisper in the refrigerator if you are in a very cold area the scion material can be treated as above and buried in the ground deap enough that it won't freeze.
That scion material can be used for early season grafting or kept until the plant is in full growth and used for budding when the new seasons growth is starting to mature green scion material can be taken and used straight away.
To test if your rootstock is ready for budding see if you can lift a piece of the living bark away from the stem with a finger nail, it should lift easily and underneath should be quite juicy or slimy in appearance if it does not lift or comes up but has a furry look it is not ready. This test is not needed with the earlier grafting.
The photo is of an Apricot of a different variety budded onto a limb of an existing tree after a seasons growth, the dead stub is normal and can be cut off at pruning time.
There are quite a number of different methods of budding and grafting I prefer whip and tongue graft and T bud for small limbs and chip bud for limbs more than 1" in diameter but you will find people who prefer a different method. Listen to all, try all methods and use the one that suits you.
Regards
Click the image for an enlarged view.
This is the most important postings from the other forum
Regards Brian
G'Day
I have never had a knife fall to pieces I hope the seller gave you a replacement.
As I said earlier any knife will do as long as it is sharp, really sharp not scraped across a butchers' steel.
Bought Budding and Grafting knives can be from a few dollars to over a hundred dollars and sometimes the cost is in the handle the blades can be quite good in cheaper ones and you don't need a flash handle to do the job.
Brian
I've set up a demo of different grafts, these are demos and I used short pieces representing the stock normally the stock would be longer and be in the pot or ground. At home I can enlarge them about 5 times I don't know if that can be done on DG. If anyone needs more detail D-Mail me your real E-Mail address and I will send a copy of the original photo for you to enlarge.
The first photo is of some of the more common methods of grafting (remembering that Budding is a form of grafting) with the pieces separated and showing the cuts.
From Top to Bottom. Scion stick showing where the bud was cut from, Chipbud where cut is made into about a third of diameter of stock, Chipbud where cut only removes bark and exposes cambium layer, T Bud, Side graft, Cleft graft and Whip and tongue.
I'll show the processes first then explain each in detail.
Brian
This message was edited Feb 23, 2009 12:20 AM
This is the grafts assembled ready for tying with tape. Same order as previous.
Grafts tied with tape to hold the pieces together while they knit and prevent drying out of the cuts.
In the preceding the Cleft graft is not well displayed. The two following should make it easier to see.
Cleft graft assembled.
The next three are of the approach graft. First just the two demo plants that will be joined.
Now the two showing the cut where they will be tied together to knit. You might have to enlarge this to see the cuts.
The approach graft completed and tied.
Brian
OMG Brian ,you're a true Aussie Legend....thanks for showing me how to graft....can't wait to try it on a Frangipani.........
You're a legend indeed Brian!!
The propagating knife I had that broke wasn't cheap, but it wasn't deadly expensive either. As I tend to do, I bought it and then didn't use it for a few months, so it was probably a bit beyond reasonable to take it back to the seller. Hubby fixed it with a rivet.
Okay, I have on hand a Grevillea cooroora cascade, far too many G. Robusta (which I am told is not suitable for this one) and a moonlight and a Honey Gem, either of which I am told would be okay for it - nice straight stems about a metre high.
As I've never done any grafting (my one and only failed attempt on a bay tree a few years ago doesnt count), I'm inclined out of fear to do an approach graft. Is a cleft graft the most appropriate other alternative? And what are my chances of failing with it? lol
(Can you tell I'm chicken?)
This is interesting Stake and bringing back some distant memories.
Have done a few conifer grafts over the years where instead of using tape on the cleft union I have used a very ordinary wooden peg. Always seems to work and allows for expansion. Heard of or tried this? Plumbers tape also works.
Cheers
steve
G'Day
The ties can be done with anything that can be tied but the PVC or more recently "Buddytape" to prevent the cuts drying out have become the common tapes although rubber is used a fair bit, I think that with the pegs you would have to be in a high humidity area or the graft covered with something like Vermiculite, with the bench grafting of vines the graft held itself together, this is achieved by using either an Omega grafting machine or Whip & Tongue by hand. Then the graftling was placed in a controlled heat room after burying in damp vermiculite until callus had formed.
Garden_Gal a long time ago before native plants were grafted I wanted Grevillea banksii which won't grow here because of lack of lime tolerance and I grafted that onto a Grevillea robusta because that does grow here and I got ten years out of that then it died. On investigation I found that they weren't compatible, that is another story, but I still had ten years instead of none. At that time I also experimented (successfully) with eucalypts and in particular Eremophilas also Lagunaria pattersonii. The biggest problem with natives is findind an appropriate rootstock.
With some exceptions our fruit trees are grafted onto the same genus and even species I.E. Peach onto peach seedling, Apricot onto apricot seedling although plum is often used with 'Cots and also peach and Almond on almond seedling or peach. These are all in the genus Prunus and there can still be incompatibilities.
I suggest for starting out you experiment with plants that are in plentiful supply and not too valuable. In the case of natives I found it useful to be able to look at the botanical relationship of plants when looking for compatibility but you don't have to worry about that if you are working with different cultivars of the same species. That is why I made the original statement re Brugmansias. I don't know if there are different species involved here but if there are hybrids then either of the parents should be OK as a stock. I gather that Alistair has the knowledge to sort that out for us.
Golly I'm not getting far with my descriptions of grafting. Am I?
For those who are going to try things out before I have described the operations. You will find a piece of Bike or Car tube taped to the thumb of the hand that holds the knife of real benefit because there is a tendency to use the thumb as an anvil and if you slip quite a bit of damage can be done and remember a blunt knife is far more likely to slip than a sharp one.
Regards Brian
Another question Brian - can I do an approach graft on either side of the stem of the rootstock, or will they eventually get too heavy and split it?
I'm off to find a knife that's fine enough .....
EDIT:
And I'm back with yet another question.
Is there any reason I can't use scion material from a plant that is currently flowering?
This message was edited Feb 23, 2009 8:24 PM
G'Day
No reason against a graft on each side but don't make your scion too long. If you are referring to the Frangipani less than 6" and even just 2". A lot of grafts need support to prevent breaking out before the union is complete. A "Splint" tied to the stock part and the scion if the stock part is an existing tree or if only small then a stake in the ground supporting both is OK. Trying to get a decent photo of my Frangipani side graft for you to see how that has been done. The sun is in the wrong place at present and the union does not show up well. I'll put a photo on this but try and get a better one later on. The scion was broken off and the greenery is new young growth.
Brian
The first thing I need to tell you about is the Cambium layer. The Cambium is absolutely essential knowledge for grafting success.
If you get a piece of strongly growing plant you will be able to peel the Inner Bark back and see a shiny gooey film, this is the Cambium. The Cambium is the part of a plant that can become any part of the plant that is needed. In a healthy, uninjured plant the Cambium becomes on the inside living wood on the outside living bark. If the plant is injured the Cambium at the injury site becomes Callus tissue (This is what occurs at the base of a cutting) to heal the wound. When you have two compatible Cambiums as in a graft then a union is formed. You must have the Cambiums lined up or your graft won't (can't) take (no union). If you are doing a T bud the piece where the bark is lifted exposes the Cambium for the whole section, with the other methods only a thin line of Cambium is exposed and the same applies to the scion. If you cut a piece of growing plant on an angle you can see, on the outside Bark which is sometimes two layers "Dead Bark" & "Living Bark" then a thin line of Cambium followed by "Living Wood" then "Heart Wood" and a varying small ring of "Pith". Only the Cambium really matters and the Cambiums of both stock and scion must be matched the closer to perfectly the better the chance of success. The degree of matching varies with different plants for example, Cherries will usually form a successful union if only matched on one side whereas a Peach needs almost perfect matching.
I suggest that before you start grafting you familiarise yourselves with the Cambium, first peel the bark on some spare material with your finger nail then make a cut and lift the bark so you can see the Cambium then make the different types of cuts and observe where the Cambium layer is. You cannot match the Cambium if you don't know what it is or where it is. Although it might seem self evident I'll say it any case. Practice with non valuable material, this might just be from a big specimen of the plant you want to graft or from any vigorously growing plant available.
The easiest graft to carry out is the "T" bud because the Cambium is exposed for the whole exposed area and the same with the "Bud Schield" scion if the sliver of wood is removed from the Bud Shield, if the wood is to be removed it must be gripped at the top end and pulled upwards until free of the Bud Schield, except with roses it doesn't matter which end. A lot of "T" budding is done without removing the wood but it pays to keep the cut shallow so only a thin piece of wood remains in the bud shield. "T" budding has its limitations for good success the bark should not be too thick (less than 2mm) and the diameter of the stock not too great (less than 25mm). In the photo there are two side grafts first is slightly left of centre in the foreground and just below the leaf to the right and behind it. The side graft is best where the bark and the limb to be grafted are thick like the Frangipani.
Brian
The Side Graft is carried out by slicing through the bark of the Rootstock plant to a depth that reaches the Cambium Layer and just to the living wood this creates a flap that is left on the stock. The scion is prepared by cutting on an angle of about 30 degrees this angle varies depending on the diameter of the scion. You need the cut to start about an inch from the base and the angle should bring the cut out at the centre (pith) of the scion, then a much shorter cut is done on the opposite side of the scion giving a lopsided wedge. The scion is then inserted bigger cut down to meet the rootstock under the flap that was created on the stock then wrapped with the tying tape. It can help in low humidities to place a clear plastic bag over the graft until healing has taken place usually 14 to 21 days depending on the vigour of the plant.
On plants with good, obvious, dormant vegetative buds a Chip bud can be cut and inserted in the same way, the flap will most likely need to be shortened so as it does not press down on the bud when wrapped and because the Chip bud is completely sealed with the wrap no plastic bag is needed.
Brian
Gardengal - this is my weapon of choice.
Keep it sharp and it will last forever.
http://www.forestry-suppliers.com/product_pages/View_Catalog_Page.asp?mi=1810
Stake - might it be worth telling the importance of a sharp knife and would all know how to sharpen?
Maybe worth touching on down the line.
Will talk to you later about your knives. May be a future project for me to make one,
Cheers
Steve
That brand of knife is pretty good quality. I learnt to bud with the Johnson knives then Saynor both have been defunct for many years but I prefer that type of budding knife with the bark lifter on the back and also smaller than most now available. Makes no difference to me if used for grafting.
Budgieman I thought I did stress the need for a sharp knife in the earlier bits with a reminder just up a bit. I would be only to pleased to bash your ear on how to make a really good knife or what I reckon is a good knife.
Sorry Gardengal I got wound up and forgot to answer your question re flowering. That would make no difference but if your scion piece had flowers I would remove them so the plant would concentrate on healing.
Brian
This message was edited Feb 24, 2009 9:20 AM
Hi Brian
Would like your opinion on a grafting tool, the ones that do the whole cut like the link below,just exploring my options.....I'll only be using it for frangis and adeniums but after looking at this tool closely , will it expand wide enough to accomodate a thick frangi branch??????
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Grafting-tool-New-gardening-tool-graft-with-ease_W0QQitemZ290298536533QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Gardening_Equipment?hash=item290298536533&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A1%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318
This message was edited Feb 24, 2009 7:06 PM
G'Day MyaC, I don't know that particular tool but it looks interesting and at that price it is not expensive. I know the Omega cut graft, we used both compressed air and pedal operated machines when grafting vines.
One fault with the Omega machine is because it works on a blade & anvil principle it can severely bruise soft barked plants also the size of the material that can be used is limited and the bigger the plant the more pressure needed to cut so the worse the bruising. In favour of the machine it is nearly impossible to cut yourselve.
While the idea of a machine that does the cut for you sounds good, the real art in grafting is not the cut but the matching of cambium layers and most importantly the timing i.e. is the plant ready to be grafted.
Did you get a knife if so what brand?
Brian
This is a sequence of Photos showing the steps in Chip Budding an existing tree.
First is the bark removed and showing the cambium layer, this is an Apricot and the cambium quickly browns, most other plants the cambium remains green for a longer time. Notice the cambium on both pieces showing that the cut has slightly penetrated the livingwood.
Brian
This shows the stick that the bud was taken from and the bud sitting on the cut ready to be pushed into place. The scion stick is from a totally different tree it has been cut and brought to the stock tree from elsewhere.
Brian
This shows the bud pushed into place and ready to be tied with budding tape.
Brian
After the bud has knitted in (callused) the tape can be removed and the budded limb shortened back to promote growth of the new bud. If the budding is done during the growing season the cutting back can be done a about three weeks but if done towards the end of the growing season the cutting back can be left until normal pruning time in the Winter.
This photo shows the new limb on the Apricot tree after a full seasons growth and the dead piece can be removed to allow total healing..
Brian
Brian I haven't gone out to buy a knife yet ,just looking through the different tools....thanks so much for the pictures and explaining all about the cambium layer,I really had no idea,so this information is great.
Stake - In theory it would be possible using chip grafting to graft several citrus onto the one rootstock?
Have always had this in mind for a project one day.
What are the thoughts?
Steve
You are right Budgieman but there are snags. The first is the choice of sorts to go on the one stock. Most people want a lemon but a lemon is more vigorous than other citrus and will always out grow and smother the other sorts. The best choice would be, Washinton Navel, Summer Navel and Valencia, or Three Mandarins with approximately same vigour. Often it is more satisfactory to plant three trees in one hole with only about 6 inches between them. This way they are not sharing the root system and with a bit of careful pruning trees of differing vigour can be grown and will appear to be one tree. With Peaches or Nectarines or Plums or Apples or Pears there is such a wide choice of varieties that vigour can be matched so a successful multigraft can be maintained.
Usually citrus are budded using a microbud which is a variation on a "T" bud but an ordinary "T" bud can (And used to be) be used. With the microbud a very shallow cut is made under the bud taking the minimum amound of wood this will give a bud of about a quarter inch in length but it can be a bit bigger and as small as an eighth of an inch. The reason for using this method on citrus is that it is often difficult to get scion material that is round or almost so, citrus often have angular young growth and with the microbud a cut is made through the angular piece to give a flat base which sits on the cambium of the stock, if you had an usual sized bud it would be so narrow that it would keep rolling onto its side as you tried to tie it.
Brian
The Whip & Tongue Graft
I believe that this graft is the best of all grafts because of the area available for healing and the strength of the union. There are two versions of this graft a long and a short Whip and Tongue. For a long graft you need to slice through both the stock and scion at about 25 to 30 degrees the short version the cut needs to be 40 to 45 degrees. After the cut has been made another small cut is made about a third of the way up from the point of the angled cut and parallel to the length of the stock or scion as the case may be. If you look closely at my photo of the different grafts before assembly you will be able to see the cuts and after assembly how the small cuts lock together and prevent the graft from falling apart. When done properly these grafts can be shaken quite vigorously and they will stay locked together. When wrapping these grafts initially you might like to start at the middle of the graft and wrap just past one end of the graft then wrap back to the other end and tie the tape so it won't unwind. This is achieved by running the tape over your index finger on the last wrap then tucking the end of the tape through the loop formed and pull it tight. Always tuck the end of the tape through the loop in the same direction as you were wrapping, there is a tendency to want to poke the end from the top down, this then allows the wrap to loosen off. As previously stated practise on unwanted pieces of green wood until you are satisfied that your cuts are nicely matching. It is difficult to get neat matching cuts if you cut away from your body so you need to be very careful when pulling the knife towards your body. I have seen learners with a piece of wood tied on there front like an apron and this or a thick leather apron might be worth while when first starting. The small parallel cuts are made by just pressing the knife blade into the wood about half the blade width and be careful that the knife doesn't slip and cut the hand holding the graft pieces. If you are brand new at this, practise on some soft easy to cut wood or even the tapering roots of carrots or parsnips etc. If you can master the action it removes a lot of the danger if only the fingers are used to power the knife because the worst you will do is nick your thumb. If you use your arm movement then not only is there more power behind the knife but it can also travel a lot further before stopping.
There is a variation on this graft called a Whip Graft with this the small parallel cuts are not made and the graft has to be held in place while the wrapping is done and it can fall to pieces a lot easier than Whip & Tongue.
Brian
Brian are the pictures for this one in the other thread?
G'Day Gardengal, The photos are further up this thread but I have taken photos of the Whip & Tongue that allow you to see a lot easier what has been done.
First photo is of the cuts, showing the long angled cut and the small parallel cuts one with the knife blade in it and the other with a small stick propping it open.
Brian
This photo shows the completed graft, the "Z" shaped join is clearly visible.
Brian
The last is the wrapped graft, showing the roll of PVC tape, a new roll is about double in diameter.
Brian
Brian these pictures are great and really show the cuts....I won my grafting tool at another auction, the ebay one is at $55 now and still has 2 days to go, way above what I wanted with a grafting tool,I won mine for $15, pays to shop around...
http://www.oztion.com.au/buy/auction.aspx?itemid=6867020
This is the description of the "Cleft Graft" or "Wedge Graft". This is the graft that is used mainly on small plants or soft plants like Passionfruit vines or Tomatoes and a form of it can be used when the stock plant is too big for other grafting techniques. I will describe the small type first. In this case the rootstock plant is split down the middle, depending on the diameter for about half to one inch. Then the scion piece of the same diameter as the rootstock and of suitable length (long enough to have two healthy eyes) is shaped at the bottom end to a wedge shape long enough to reach the bottom of the rootstock split with shaped piece reaching to the top of the rootstock cut and the sides of both stock and scion scentred. The graft can now be tied with the PVC tape starting at the bottom and wrapping all the way over the graft and just above to seal the whole of the cuts. Make sure the tape covers the cut on the top of the rootstock. The true "Wedge Graft" varies in that instead of splitting the stock a wedge section is removed and the scion wedge slipped into place, unless the stock is very soft it is difficult to cut out the "V" section so the cleft is most commonly used.
Another variation is when the roostock is quite large, say a tree 3" or more in diameter. Then the stock is sawn off at a suitable height, any where from ground level upwards, then the stock is split using a suitable tool like a big chisel which is hit with a hammer to create the split. Then the tapered scions can be placed on each side of the stock with just one cambium matching one side of the stock. The graft can be wrapped then sealed using grafting wax or a bitumen preparation and if the graft is near ground level covered with dirt to help prevent drying out. This used to be the favoured method of top working old trees but is not often used now.
Brian
