This is the beginning of grafting a piece of scion wood onto rootstock. I like to match the size of the two pieces pretty closely, though this is not a requirement. As long as the cambiums touch on at least one side, they will attempt to heal together.

• cambium - green zone just under the bark.

• scion wood - a cutting from a desired tree containing good genetics.

• rootstock - seedling tree cut short. The roots then support the new scion wood.

• leaf buds - small pointed and shiny nodes that swell and become leaves after dormancy breaks with the sap rising in the spring.

• I like to have 2 or 3 leaf buds on each scion. This can be a thicker section with well spaced buds or you also can use the branch tips. These seem to fare better if they have at least 3" in length. However, a 3" tip section often has five or six leaf buds. You can just use your nail to prune them gently so you only have three left. I always leave the tip bud as it is the most potent for new growth.

• Flower buds are not generally desirable but are occasionally used to increase pollination. They present as spherical and fuzzy nodes.

Here is a detail image of how the two pieces are touching. You want to choose a graft type that provides a great surface area and helps increase the structural integrity of the graft in the first year of healing.

• There are many, many types of grafting cuts. This V cleft cut is just my personal favorite. Do some exploring and see what works best with your trees!

• It is vital to clean your cutting surfaces on your knife or cutting tool. I keep alcohol spray or wipes in my apron. I like to sterilize whenever I switch to a new variety (and always between species).

• Grafting season around here starts when the leaf buds have awoken and the first leaves are at least 1" long. I try to wait until there is at least 3 days before and 3 days after with no rain. Or, I move the fresh graftlings into a greenhouse so I can control the watering. Avoid grafting if there is a freeze coming up in the next week. You want warmer temperatures so the sap is flowing.

Wrap it tightly with grafting tape to secure the joint and promote rapid healing and joining of the cambiums. Wrap below the joint at least 3/4". Above, I like to wrap my scion all the way to the top. I am careful to leave the leaf buds exposed. This makes the budding transition easier by not making the tender leaf bud break through the tape. This does take extra time but is easy with practice. If you are in a hurry, be careful to only have one layer of grafting tape over each bud.

• Buddy Tape - the best grafting tape I have ever used. Stretches well and sticks to itself wonderfully. Worth every penny.

• Keep it tight! This is the first layer and you want as much contact between cambiums as possible.

• Good quality grafting tape is very stretchy, a 1" piece will often double or triple in size. Remember you can stretch it any direction!

I then reinforce or splint the union with masking tape. This protects it from being knocked loose by the weather, wildlife, or gardeners. Birds in particular like to perch on the bare tips...

I always label each tree! This is very important, it is super easy to lose track of what variety is grafted where. The masking tape lasts about a year and then I upgrade to a metal tag. You can also keep notebooks or online files with pictures, descriptions, and drawings of their locations.

• Permanent Sharpie -has red text on the marker, the regular sharpies with black text on them are not permanent!

• Metal Tag - aluminum with wire, you just use a point to write in the soft metal (photo below)

• Masking tape - contractors grade

• I stop grafting for the season either when I run out of scion or around two months after the season began. This will vary greatly depending on your latitude and environment.

This is a healed graft after one year. Showing successful healing and a great union!

• Any buds or leaves growing below the graft need to be pruned. You need to check each week and pluck any growth below the graft. You want to focus all the energy from the tree and root into healing the wound and feeding the new scion leaf buds.

• The tape will typically fall off on its own after a year. You can also peel it off after nine months if you are careful to keep the bark intact.

• Notice how much the tree in this photo has grown in one year! It was the size of a pencil when I first grafted it. Grafting onto rootlings can create up to 5 feet of growth in one season...

This was my collection of scion wood from 2024. I like to harvest in late winter/ very early spring before the leaf buds swell and break. They need to kept refrigerated and mildly moist until you are about to graft with them. I have heard rumors of them being used up to 3 years after harvest. I have not been able to test this yet as mine typically all get used up each season.  

• Some people use sphagnum moss or vermiculite to keep the scions moist. If used quickly, they are typically fine just by themselves in the bag.

• They can be frozen and stay viable, but I prefer refrigeration.

• I do not recommend using paper towels as they can encourage mold. 

• Label your bags clearly! If you send some scion wood to friends, package and label them by variety. They are great to ship through the mail. I often send them in plastic wrap with just a little moist sphagnum moss.

This is my favorite grafting tool. It cuts both the scion wood and the rootstock or branch with an almost perfect matching V cut every time. Quick and clean. Works well anywhere from 3/16" up to 1/2".

• This type works great but it is heavy and bulky.

• Aprons are wonderful! I keep all my grafting supplies right on me when grafting in the field. 

• Grafting knives are small, cheaper, and simpler but take practice and often a teacher. They only have one bevel on the blade to make a more accurate and flat cut.

This is a scion cutting with two of the leaf buds awakened. The third bud is just starting to open. The graft is located under the white masking tape. P3 on the label is my Petrichor 3 variety.

• This does not mean the graft has succeeded. The scion cutting by itself has enough energy inside it to create this much leaf growth. You must be patient and see if it continues to grow after this initial push of energy.

• These were "bench grafted" onto two year old seedlings. Since they are in pots, I can sit at my potting bench and graft comfortably or setup a grafting station in my greenhouse.

Here are three crates of grafted pawpaw trees with leaves emerging. Notice the enhanced growth on the tree in the right foreground that has the oldest rootstock. 

• I keep my trees in deep tree pots as pawpaws have notoriously long taproots.

• Crates are used for easy transport and organization. 

• I keep the crates elevated an inch off the ground so that the taproots are air pruned. 

• These are protected from the weather and wildlife with a recycled sliding glass door and metal door greenhouse.

You can also graft onto existing trees and have more than one variety. My record at the moment is 6 varieties on one pawpaw tree. A happy customer submitted this photo of the Petrichor 4 variety thriving on his tree!

• Useful for increasing pollination and varieties for your trees. 

• If you have a tree with fruit you don't love, you can graft a much better variety over it.

• Grafting a scion onto a smaller tree can trick it into fruiting earlier. The mature scion makes it think it is ready to produce fruit. A seedling will often take 5-7 years to flower while a grafted tree can produce in 3-5 years. Some enthusiastic varieties in even less time!

This is a healed graft after about a year. Grafting scars are often visible for many years but become harder to locate as the bark thickens. 

• Any growth above the graft union is of the genetics of the new scion variety. Any growth below is of the original tree. 

• The branch on the lower left will be pruned soon to encourage the growth into the new limb, strengthening the union.

• Grafting ensures the continued survival of awesome varieties theoretically for forever!

Many thanks to my Grandpa Keith. He was amazing with fruit trees. I grew up hearing tales of the crazy grafted trees in his garden. Though that knowledge was not passed onto me, he was an inspiration for me to learn from others. I often feel his hands guiding mine when I am out playing with the trees. This is why I have invested the time to publish this knowledge for all of YOU!

• There are primitive skills gatherings happening around the globe. They often include classes or workshops on grafting and forest gardening. Come find me teaching at the North Carolina Firefly Gathering or attend your local gathering!

• Spend time with the people around you! Learn and Love!!