Has anyone tried this or anything similar?

Grasa had posted a Chinese Grafting video which shows grafting dormant bare root fig rootstock to dormant fig scion and it looked like a relatively easy procedure.

I have rooted several dozen cuttings (unknowns) as root stock and am now ready to start grafting. I would be interested to know if any one has tried anything similar. I will be posting my results in this topic.

Thanks.


  

Yes, I grafted on to one year old bare root stock, I used an omega graft, 3 out of 5 grafts are doing well. I bud grafted on to cuttings and then rooted  the cuttings in moss, well the cuttings root the graft heals . Rex.

Rex,
Thanks. I plan on placing the grafted cuttings in my rooting chamber for a week or two, per the video (75 deg F. and 80% Relative Humidity) to help the grafts heal.

I am afraid of breaking their roots with manipulation, so what I do, is I put the fat cuttings to root and when they show that initial eye (white dots) I graft the new variety and keep everything in the warm chamber newspaper lined with a little moss so I can see what they are doing without much touching them... they look amazing, pushing roots and graft heals at the same time, I notice that it is even better, if the cutting also pushes a bud, as it works as a nursing branch for the new graft.  I lost a few to gnats and sadly, the roots were eaten but the graft union was well bonded.  So, I have other set of problems.  It has been really bad here for gnats I am working on my garden and they are eating everything I plant... gosh I hate them... Not sure there will be garden this year.

Grafted a few fig cuttings today. Several varieties (named) onto an unknown rootstock. Thanks to Kerry aka drivewayfarmer for all the extra cuttings and Jon V for the spring cuttings. I Have a few dozen more to complete. I am using a wedge graft, because I have been able to get good cambium contact between the rootstock and scion. The scion cuttings are all small caliper and I have not had good succes rooting these in the past.

<edit> the rootstock has been rooting in sphagnum moss for 3 weeks.

Pete, how old are your base cuttings? That seems like a lot of roots hope they grow well.  I found that if the cutting is much smaller, I do the incision and loose the bark just a little and push the new cutting all the way forcing the bark to open a little more, the joint is very tight. Is that how you do? They need that humidity dome even in the cups for a while..

Good luck Pete. Looks like they are will on there way to making strong trees. Lost of root make for a strong tree someday. Keep us posted on how they do. 

Zone 8
South West TX

Grasa, ... The rootstock is 3 weeks old, they were described in another topic.



The completed grafts are all wedge grafts. The rootstock is split, the scion is cut into a wedge and inserted into the rootstock, aligning cambium on one side. I have been considering trying a few bark grafts also on the largest cuttings. They will be placed back in the sphagnum moss for at least 1 week to form callus.

bigsmile542, ... Thanks.

Update 5/11/2013...

Progress of cupped grafted cuttings. They have been cupped for approximately 1 week and have been in the "humidity dome" for most of that time. They are now exposed to the room for 6 hours at a time, with misting. All the scion wood buds are either swelling or have newly emerged leaves. The exposed ends have all been sealed with wax.

Good post Pete. We are all pulling for them to make it.

Zone 8
South West TX

Update 5/19/2013...

Progress of cupped grafted cuttings. They have been cupped for approximately 2 weeks. They are now exposed to the room full time. All the scion wood buds are either swelling or have newly emerged leaves, except for one (1). The exposed ends have all been resealed with toilet seal wax. The root stock's leaves are being pinched, but the growing tips have not been removed yet. the cutting at the right of the picture is rootstock only.



Note the "lime green" cambium ring is visible at the top of five (5) of the grafted cuttings, indicating a possible connection to the roots (sap flow).
 

Great work!

I still wish you'd video your adventures in fig-land and safaris in fig country and sell subscriptions to your pillaging of the surrounding countryside.  :)

If Grasa is the grafting ninja, what are you?  Fig explorer?  Pounce de Fig-on (Ponce de Leon)?

Bob C,
Thanks.
No explanation was needed for the "Ponce de Fig-on" reference. : )
I'm actually camera shy. I'm posting all these pictures because my Cell Phone provider upgraded me to an IPhone for free... and a picture is worth a thousand words...
Subscriptions may be possible, If I'm able to get more free time.

those look awesome Pete, I let my root grow a little branch it works as a nursing branch, when I see that the tip took off, I pinch the bottom sprouts. It is exciting to see them growing and you are doing a great job!

Grasa,
Thanks.
I'm pinching the leaves on the rootstock to keep those nursing branches small, but they keep producing more branches, the rootstock on the bottom left has four (4) new branches just from pinching leaves alone. I am trying not to remove the apical tip on the rootstock branches at this time.

The two terminal end scion wood are currently growing and developing the slowest. all others (7) are starting to take off. If those two do not do something within the week they will be decapitated... : )

Update; 7-5-2013...

All grafts failed : ( ... The root stocks are alive.
I may have contributed to the failure by not maintaining a high enough humidity around the newly grafted scions. They all dried out.

Will try again next year...

Pete,
Mine doing ok so far. I used the parafilm tape and the Walter E. Clark & Son Grafting Wax to seal the joins and the top cuts.
Also, introduction to the outside was delayed, I kept the pots with soil inside for a few weeks until the active growth. 

My heart just sank when I saw they failed.  I can't imagine how I'd feel.  CRYYYYYYYYY

greenfig,
Congratulations...Good Luck. My grafts were never moved outside, I should have sealed the entire scion in wax to prevent dessication.

Soni,
You can't win them all. It was an experiment and I gained experience and knowledge which can be applied in future efforts. Thanks for the support.

<edit>
Grasa,
Thanks. I was able to root the larger caliper cuttings of the scions that were used in the test, so no harm done. Congrats on your successes.

Pete, that is sad to read.   Out of my many multiples graft to cutting, only one carrying "sucrete, W. Texas and Panachee" all 3 made it so far.  many others only one of the 3 and many dried up totally.   this a tiring experiment.  Frustrating at times.  Hang in there.  the humidity chamber may do the trick.

I'm just wondering how much the sucess rate would rise if you were grafting to cuttings that were at least already rooted and actively growing leaves for a while say at least six months.

Please excuse my ignorance but is one of the reasons you are grafting is the scions you are grafting are hard to root varieties?

Charles,
The success rate might have been higher if I was using rooted plants as the rootstock, but my inexperience at grafting is also a factor.

Yes, that is a reason for grating and the posted topics by other members show a faster growth rate of the scion, but in my case it was also a simple experiment to see if it would work. It was also a means of practicing grafting, without possibly spreading disease (FMD) to my existing healthy plants (rootstock).

Thanks Pete,

I have quite a few low, touching the ground, Celeste branches that I know will self root if I just cover them with soil. I was contemplating doing that and then, after separation and potting for a bit, grafting onto them.

Pete, I found this old thread when I was searching around for information about grafting.  I am looking to do something similar to what you did (i.e. graft a scion cutting onto another cutting to serve as rootstock) although I might take Grasa's advice and do the graft when root initials are apparent but before actual roots pop out.  Do you have any ideas on what you might try differently next time?  I was thinking that the grafts might be more likely to take if the entire scion (and graft union) were wrapped in parafilm to keep it from drying out.