Thanks to a good friend i've recently received one variety i was searching for some time - Del sen Jaume gran from M.Pons.

But, due to to the slow growth of his tree, my friend could only send me a small cutting (less than 3 inches - the tip of his tree).

First, i do the chip-bud graft. It uses the last bud of the cutting - the one that would be discarded when doing the initial diagonal cut of the whip and tongue.

Update - 1 month later:

That's making the most out of a small piece of wood, nice going.

Congratulations,

you are the master of grafts, i wish i was as able as you grafting figs.

Thanks for sharing with us these info, from now on i will do only chip buddings and whip and tongue with figs, i'm sure the results will be better.

Well done Jaime

Your success rate must be now very close to 100%

Have a question..
Do you previously hydrate those scions before starting the cuts to whatever method ?
I always do but recently on a particular cutting it may have not given the expected results--
It was done on a DFIC023 stock and they didn't callus. May be the hybrid has rejected the  full Carica buds (?)

Francisco

Nice piece of work Jaime.
Thank you for sharing the tips on bud saving to make the most of a so small cutting.

Thank you all for your comments.

cjccmc,
As the saying goes, it's not the size of the piece of wood, it's what you do with it :-)

Fico,
Thanks but i'm far from a master grafter. I just praticed a lot in the last 2 years.
After testing various methods, i'm sticking with these 2. They are the most successful for me. I may use a cleft graft if i have a very small tip that i can't get a good bud from or that is impossible to graft using whip and tongue.

Francisco,
Thanks. My success rate is very good. If i have good scions, a robust rootstock and good weather (not too hot or the grafts might dry out) i might get 90% or more, but those 3 conditions don't always come together simultaneously.
Nevertheless, most, if not all the varieties i have received this spring are secure, thanks mainly to grafting.


Porfirio,
I usually grafted the scion and discarded what i was cutting for the whip and tongue. It was only when i received very small cuttings that i began using the last bud to graft to increase the odds.
Now, even when rooting, if i have to cut a longer cutting a bit, i usually graft the last bud(s), whenever possible.

What is needed to get the chip bud to grow?  Does it need to be top most on the branch and do you remove all shoots below it?

Jaime,
If you had a six inch long cutting, would you cut it into 2 scions, or
would it better to use as one scion. This would be for a cleft graft.
Since the longer scion would have more stored energy, would that
increase the chances for a successful take.

cjccmç,
If it's early in the spring and the chip bud doesn't have much competition from buds above it, it usually starts growing 3-4 weeks after the graft. 

Normally i graft a one year old healthy branch near it's base (above the first or second node counting from the base). I remove all buds below the graft and a few above it, but always leave the top growth to make sure there is enough sap flow.

If you remove all the buds above the graft many times the fig tree simply stops the flow of sap to that branch and it will dry out. If i'm doing the graft later in the season and there is already a bunch of leaves above it, i usually start by pinching the apical growth and later i will remove almost all small branches always leaving a couple of growing buds above the graft until it's big enough to secure the sap flow to the branch.

Examples:
- the bud is starting to grow so i have cut the leaves above it, leaving only 2 growing buds above the graft, that i will remove at a later date, when the graft is big enough. I will also cut the branch closer to the graft. But it's done in stages. In the beginning i lost a few grafts because i have cut too soon and too close the graft.




In the following branch the leaves are still there but the apical growth was pinched. I will remove some of the buds growing above the graft and most of those leaves, because the bud is already actively growing. Later i will cut the branch 2-3 nodes above the graft.



But, in this case, i'm taking my time and will not remove all, because the bud is growing a fig and i will have to remove it and wait that the other bud next to it (the leaf bud) starts growing.



The same happened here:

Ray,
If it's for a cleft graft maybe i would cut it in 2, if the 2 pieces remain with at least 2 buds each. In the whip and tongue i usually use 4-5 inches long scions. If it's longer i will use the bottom buds to do some chip bud grafts to reduce it's size a bit. 

I do believe a robust and longer scion has more energy stored and can wait a bit longer in good condition, if the graft is not perfect and takes longer for the sap to start flowing. But, in the long run, if the cambiums don't fuse correctly it doesn't really matter.

A 5 inches scion (Figo Preto) grafted one month ago:



 

Francisco,

Sorry, i just noticed that i forgot to answer the question about the hydration.

"Do you previously hydrate those scions before starting the cuts to whatever method ?
I always do but recently on a particular cutting it may have not given the expected results--
It was done on a DFIC023 stock and they didn't callus. May be the hybrid has rejected the  full Carica buds (?)"

I don't hydrate the scions before grafting. I may do it if i have some that looks and feels too dry (it's noticeable when doing the initial cut)

I haven't tried grafting the DFIC023 yet but will do soon and will get back to you about that possible incompatibility.

Very nice,simple and true how to article.Thank you alot.

Jaime, thank you for detailed description. I gathered courage and chip bud grafted 2 buds of Randino to an 2 branched unknown potted fig from a local nursery. My question is: do I absolutely have to remove the growth above the graft? 90% of my figs were lost to freeze, I want to keep the unknown in its original state to get some fruit this year.. If I remove everything above the graft, I lose the breba and the main crop on the branches. Thanks!

Thanks, ljermontov.

pverdes3,
No, you don't need to remove all the growth above the graft (but i usually remove all the buds below the graft). It's even very important to maintain some growth above the chip (until it starts growing actively, so the fig tree doesn't remove sap from the branch, otherwise it may dry out.

Just make sure that the apical dominance of the top growth doesn't block the chips from developing. You can pinch to avoid that issue, keeping most of the leaves and even a few brebas.

A couple of examples:






If the chip bud doesn't start to develop you can also try notching (but give it some time, at least more than 1 month before trying that)
Here's one that i notched to concentrate most of the sap in the graft area.



Nevertheless, some chips stay dormant during a season no matter what we do (even with notching).
In that case they will break bud next spring.

I had a couple of cases of chips grafted to old wood (like the one in the next photo), that took 2 years before they started to grow.

This one was grafted in August 2015 and only started growing this spring.
The photo shows the chip in April 2016. The bud was taken from green wood, it was too hot - mid of august, i grafted to old wood and it was not the best graft job - those factors where probably responsable for the chip dormancy:


The same chip now:



Another 2 year old chip is starting to grow now:



It really depends on the branch we choose (one year old wood or less is preferable to older wood) and the state of the bud development we choose to graft (the more developed, the more chances it will break bud in a few weeks).

This chip was almost budding when i grafted it (March 18). 
3 weeks later it was like this:


And now, only one month and one week (most take at least 2 months to reach this development state)

This looks really good. Your grafting skills are truly impressive. By the way, how many varieties do you have grafted per rootstock? It looks a bit like a vertical botanical garden!

Hi Duarte,

I currently have a tree with 8 producing varieties and i recently grafted 4 more. 



There is one forum colleague (brackishfigger) that probably now has more than 40 varieties in one single tree. Very interesting thread here: http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/my-frankenfig-6346903?highlight=frankenfig&trail=50

I won't be adding much more varieties to my tree and probably will select only the best ones and get rid of the ones that i don't like so much.
The challenge with these multiple grafts in the same tree is balancing the different growth rates of the different varieties. But it can be done with pruning and pinching.

I've recently started a new experiment with 14 varieties on new growth of a tree i pruned more than a year ago.



We will see how this will turn out. But the purpose of these multiple grafting experiments is mainly to serve as backup and to be able to take cuttings or the occasional airlayer. In some cases it allows me to sample some fig varieties much more quickly than rooting.

Super..., Jaime! I really enjoy and look forward to your posts... You should take all your notes and pictures and publish a book on grafting for figgers!

Very nice work, Jaime! Your Preto graft looks very healthy.

I see you have chip budded Chetoui. I hope it will grow well for you. It's said to be a late ripening fig with excellent flavor. 

Thanks, Tony. Maybe in a few years when i have gathered more information...

Timo,

Yes, i have a couple of whip and tongue Preto grafts that are looking very good. This is the other one.



Unfortunately, i couldn't use yours (it was already quite deteriorated) but a friend send me a few cuttings in excellent shape. Thanks, anyway.

I am quite interested to see how Chetoui does in my area. Maybe next year, if i have luck with the graft, i find out how good it is.

I have been grafting for a few years on stone fruit. I was frustrated with rooting cuttings, and turned to grafting. Figs are the easiest plant I ever grafted, easy to graft, almost all took, I will be grafting scion from now on. I had 4 varieties from Olga, all one cutting each, and all of them took, I cut some into two, both took. It's fun,easy and rewarding. I have been doing it awhile, so that made it easier. I have not tried bud grafting, but probably will at some point, just to practice. I want to bud graft some peach rootstock in the future, as I breed fruit too, so it's a quick way to get a taste of my hybrid fruit.

Drew,

I learned grafting techniques in pears and apples. Talk about easy to graft. They forgive lots of beginner errors. I don't think figs are that forgiving, especially if you don't protect the grafts well. My first attempts at grafting figs using the same techniques i used for apples and pears failed miserably (unlike my first attempts at grafting other fruit types), so i don't agree with you that they are the easiest plants to graft. Experience is needed with figs to achieve good success rates.

But now, as you, if i have to secure a fig variety, i have much more confidence in grafting than in rooting. My rooting skills are improving, though.
At least, this year i'm having a quite high success rate (of the 90+ new varieties i am rooting all are still alive and looking good), but grafting is my backup (the most important varieties are also grafted to be on the safe side).






update - 2 more weeks:





You will probably find that bud grafting in peaches has a lower success rate than with figs, but it really depends on the quality and state of the scions you use. In peaches i have success with bark grafts, whip and tongue, chip-bud and t-bud techniques. I choose what to use depending on the age of the rootstock and time of year.

I learned grafting, by grafting peaches. I never did a bud graft, not like it's hard, the graft itself. Scion and rootstock will be from my own trees. So no worries about the quality. I never grafted apples or pears, i don't grow either of them. I mostly grow berries, peaches plums, pluots, and other inter-specific fruits, most for breeding, which is my real hobby. I have about 30 fruit trees, and about 150 various other fruit plants. I like to breed mostly berries, but trying some peaches too, and maybe some plums.  I'm not worried about the integrity of the grafts, they are done well.
I would like to be able to replicate a peach cultivar quickly. I'm going to be moving and want to start new trees with the favorites I have here. Most of my trees have multiple cultivars, and i would like to take my favorites with me. So they will be started with chip-buds on established rootstocks.

That's interesting that you breed fruit. I also grow lots of different fruit types (pear, apples, peaches, plums, pluots, cherries, walnuts, kiwis, nashi, citrus, pawpaws, persimmons, pomegranate, etc..) but haven't got to try and breed them to obtain new varieties.
I have 500+ fruit trees (not counting fig trees) but, lately, i am also using established rootstocks and multigrafting varieties on them (i have several pears, apples, plums and peach trees with 5-6 varieties grafted) to be able to evaluate quicker what i really like and what adapts better to the conditions i have. In the established rootstocks i used chip-buds, whip and tongue and bark grafts. In peaches the chip-buds had the lowest success rate of the three techniques (many took but some didn't develop, even when the competing original buds were removed from the branch - i left several original branches untouched and that may be the problem)

I breed mostly as a hobby. I have a new raspberry cultivar I named Irene. It grew 3 feet from seed, 3 times the rate of all others. Appears to be a real winner. I'm looking to create an orange raspberry. I crossed a yellow and a red. Orange raspberries are out there, but none are for sale in the USA. The UK has orange cultivars. On peaches I like white peaches with red flesh, Looking to extend the harvest. I have one I harvest the first week of August, and one I harvest the first week of October. I would like something to ripen in between those harvest dates. I also want to bred a raspberry-blackberry hybrid that is extremely cold hardy. I try to set simple goals. Not trying to create the next best thing, just keeping it simple.
Flavor King pluot is an excellent pluot, but I can only harvest a small amount. It is not very hardy, and I would like to cross with other plums more adapted to this area, and would be a good mix. That is down the road, too busy with other mentioned crosses. Brambles are tough, you need to scarify the seeds with sulfuric acid, so a challenge not just crossing them, but germinating your end product! Not to mention ploidy level problems with blackberries. Hard to find info on ploidy level of certain cultivars, as blackberries are all over the place with the number of sets of chromosomes.