Topics

My FIgaholics Youtube Channel

I've considered doing this for a while and finally got around to doing it (at the sacrifice of sleeping, LOL). I've uploaded two grafting videos that I thought should be of interest to many

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFPlRAKPkqIhN0ixZdi6WFg  (edited link, thanks James)

Awesome Harvey, good luck with it!  I'm sure a lot of us will benefit greatly from your videos.

BTW, the link you posted didn't work for me, but I searched and found your channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFPlRAKPkqIhN0ixZdi6WFg

(great choices for pics!)

Just subscribed, great videos Harvey... 

Thanks, I'll edit my first post.  I had that URL earlier but then could not get my own channel to give that to me again! ;)

Thanks for the very clearly explained videos .Nice job .Good luck with the fresh grafts.
Learned something new again.
Thank you.

  • TGO

Very interesting videos... I subscribed, Thanks!

Your video's are a wonderful gift to those of us in the fig community. Many Many Thanx!
 

Thank you for posting these grafting videos.  I am new to figs and have been struggling with rooting cuttings.  I will try my hands on grafting good varieties on couple of existing fig plants which are not ideal for my location but have excellent roots.

  • Avatar / Picture
  • Sas

Very Helpful tips and tricks. Thank You.

Great videos Harvey!  Thanks for making and posting them.  Actually seeing it done is so much more helpful than just having it described.

I have to thank Harvey for encouraging me in my fig grafting.  After my first year of trying it, a few years ago, I was ready to give up after a complete failure in attempting to top-work a fig tree.  But Harvey related that he was quite successful at grafting figs, which convinced me it could be done.

If I recall correctly, at the time, Harvey related that his preferred method for grafting figs was a whip or whip-and-tongue graft.  Ironically, that wasn't one of the approaches he made videos of at -- at least so far.  The whip-and-tongue graft is now my preferred graft for any plant.  It requires similar size scion and rootstock, so it can't be your only grafting method, but it maximizes cambium contact, and makes a very well supported graft union.

For new grafters, the one thing the videos fail to mention (at least I don't recall hearing Harvey mention it), which I think is more important than everything else, is timing.  Graft when your rootstock is pushing new growth.

Grafting figs when the rootstock is dormant, as you would for stone fruits or apples, has resulted in complete failure for me.  On the other hand, grafting (with whip, whip-and-tongue, or bark grafts) when the rootstock is pushing has given me 90+ % success.  I should note those have all been in top-working established trees.

Now go graft something!  It's so satisfying when it works.

Harvey,
Congratulations! This is a fantastic contribution to this forum, Well done.
I am convinced that from now on a lot of our members will start practicing all those many types and methods to propagate figs as well as all other trees.

Francisco
Portugal

Quote:
Originally Posted by venturabananas
Great videos Harvey!  Thanks for making and posting them.  Actually seeing it done is so much more helpful than just having it described.

I have to thank Harvey for encouraging me in my fig grafting.  After my first year of trying it, a few years ago, I was ready to give up after a complete failure in attempting to top-work a fig tree.  But Harvey related that he was quite successful at grafting figs, which convinced me it could be done.

If I recall correctly, at the time, Harvey related that his preferred method for grafting figs was a whip or whip-and-tongue graft.  Ironically, that wasn't one of the approaches he made videos of at -- at least so far.  The whip-and-tongue graft is now my preferred graft for any plant.  It requires similar size scion and rootstock, so it can't be your only grafting method, but it maximizes cambium contact, and makes a very well supported graft union.

For new grafters, the one thing the videos fail to mention (at least I don't recall hearing Harvey mention it), which I think is more important than everything else, is timing.  Graft when your rootstock is pushing new growth.

Grafting figs when the rootstock is dormant, as you would for stone fruits or apples, has resulted in complete failure for me.  On the other hand, grafting (with whip, whip-and-tongue, or bark grafts) when the rootstock is pushing has given me 90+ % success.  I should note those have all been in top-working established trees.

Now go graft something!  It's so satisfying when it works.


The videos were long enough as it was and the timing issue will be addressed in another video that addressed issues common to all types of grafting.  So it's not something I "failed" to cover, it was a conscious choice.

Whip and tongue grafts are also a type of graft I like to use when appropriate.  I received four cuttings of a new unknown variety the other day and two of the cuttings were smaller than I like for rooting and those two became cast members for my two first videos.  I could have used one of the remaining two cuttings for a whip and tongue graft but had already devoted two rootstock trees for this one variety so that would not have been a wise choice.  Stay tuned (subscribe). :)

Great video - Harvey. Being a newbie, I'm taking in everything offered on this fantastic forum.

Ray

Quote:
Originally Posted by HarveyC
The videos were long enough as it was and the timing issue will be addressed in another video that addressed issues common to all types of grafting.  So it's not something I "failed" to cover, it was a conscious choice.

Whip and tongue grafts are also a type of graft I like to use when appropriate.  I received four cuttings of a new unknown variety the other day and two of the cuttings were smaller than I like for rooting and those two became cast members for my two first videos.  I could have used one of the remaining two cuttings for a whip and tongue graft but had already devoted two rootstock trees for this one variety so that would not have been a wise choice.  Stay tuned (subscribe). :)



Harvey, I hope you didn't take my comments as criticism -- they were certainly not meant that way! I just wanted to add some suggestions about grafting that have helped me be successful, to help and encourage other folks.  I am sure you will do a better job addressing those issues than I could, because you are a vastly more experienced grafter than I am.

In fact, I think it was some of the photos you've posted somewhere that made me realize one could make a successful whip-and-tongue graft with a scion of a smaller diameter than the rootstock.  I have one of those just starting to push with a Nero 600m scion from you, grafted on to Desert King.

I wasn't sure one way or the other but just thought I'd announce some of my plans.

I am a bit undecided on the content for the general information video about grafting but thought I'd cover the dormancy of scions, active growth of rootstock, and how I chose what type of graft I make.  Either part of that video or a separate one will cover why I graft in the first place.

I may do a video of my gadgets... various tools, etc. that I've used for grafting and share my thoughts on them.

I may work my way up to a larger drone.  I saw one with a mounted chainsaw last week and have previously seen one with a firearm attached.  All kinds of ideas come to mind, those most are probably not too wise to think about seriously, lol.

I look forward to your future videos.  I appreciate the time you spend making them.

Very nice videos Harvey. This will definitely help a lot of new collectors . Subbed and shared .


Quote:
Originally Posted by HarveyC
All kinds of ideas come to mind, those most are probably not too wise to think about seriously, lol.


yea better not think about it lol

Harvey, I really appreciate your sharing of the grafting techniques and experiences, but most of all, I appreciate you giving us the opportunity of buying highly sought after fig varieties at a very reasonable price. Please keep the videos and information coming and I can't wait for January 2017 to arrive so I can pick up the rest of my wish list.

Awesome Harvey

Very good video. I think I'll give it a try this season.

  • Avatar / Picture
  • Sas

I have very little success with grafting so far and was wondering if grafting could be done when both the scion and rootstock are not dormant.
My timing seems to always be off.

Very informative and helpful how to do videos!
I already subscribed as i am following on FB.

Thanks Harvey, keep the videos coming.

Thanks for posting this.  Also, thanks for walking me through my first fig grafting a couple weeks ago.  I now have a couple black madeira's growing from one cutting (maybe 3 if I'm lucky)!  This video is great for the cleft graft, which I used--thanks to the post you shared on grafting, I did pretty much exactly what you said.

I forgot to align the node above the cambium layer, and I wonder how significant that is.  At least one of them aligned that way by accident, but the other is growing without having done that.

I'm definitely a grafting convert, now!

Reply Cancel
Subscribe Share Cancel