Hi I have a bulk standard sylvatica purpurea 'pendula' beech which is not doing very well in the position it has been for many years. Can it be grafted onto a sylvatica seedling whilst dormant? Many thanks Alex
Alex--I'd give it a try if you've got an understock handy. Is your pendula still dormant? I've seen them done here with a standard whip and tongue type graft, Feb. would be the normal time, but as long as your scion wood is dormant you should do fine. Not sure how much you've grafted, but one trick is to take the scion wood now and keep it in a baggie in the fridge with some moist peat to keep it well hydrated, and wait for the understock to start growing before actually doing the graft. No fruit allowed in the fridge tho (ethylene gas will kick start the scion out of dormancy prematurely). Commercially, they would often just pop the understocks into a greenhouse to get them growing before the scions break dormancy, then graft at that point.
Thank you very much, i'll give it a try. I've grafted apples before, so it sounds pretty similar, Many thanks Alex
Alex, Its fine to graft beeches late in the winter. It is actually one of the last crops we graft, along with spruces. Be very patient and avoid the urge to fiddle with them once they've been waxed or plunged. I prefer to plung the graft union in a moist peat and pearlite blend. Again, they are slow, so don't bother with them until you've seen leaves emerge from the scions. Then don't mess with them for another 2-3 weeks after that. Come late may or early june, you'll be able to pot them into a large pot and grow them on. Grafting beeches can sometimes break your heart, as you may see significant callus, and the scion still fails to take (often attributed to winter damage on the scion wood). I also concur with Growest's suggestion to hydrate the scions for at least 24 hours prior to grafting. I place mine in a zip lock baggie with a little water. Good luck. Brian