Bracing my grafts against the wind

Native Hunter

Well-Known Member
Last year was my first year topworking. I learned on July 3 that getting grafts to take was not the hard part. Keeping the wind from ripping them off was the challenge. The wind storm that day took out the very best ones I had. It was a violent one, taking down several mature oaks as well, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

But this year I'm taking steps to keep that from happening. The tools are Gorilla Tape and Cane Sticks. My thoughts are that by next year this bracing can be removed, but would like to hear your thoughts on the matter.

This first one is pretty straight forward. I even removed the grafting tape on this one. I wish I had done it on all of them, but I can remove it on the others the next time I go back.



Another one.





A persimmon:





Apple Encounters of the Third Kind. This one took some planning.





I built a scaffold (or bird parking) on this double banger.



Tape removed on this one too.



That's about it. I did several more, but this gives an idea of my method. I have no idea if there is any better way. I'm just learning as I go along.
 
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Me thinks your Bluegrass State glaucoma meds are a little too high. :cool: Looks like it should work but you are above my pay scale in these matters. My first thots is Mother Nature will simply take these as a challenge and one up you. I do wonder if birds will be your nemesis as they roost on the canes. Hope not. Good luck, I remember those rough winds of last summer. Had to clear out a tree blocking my road last night that had blown down as I went to plant a few trees after work. In a hurry of course.
 
Me thinks your Bluegrass State glaucoma meds are a little too high. :cool: Looks like it should work but you are above my pay scale in these matters. My first thots is Mother Nature will simply take these as a challenge and one up you. I do wonder if birds will be your nemesis as they roost on the canes. Hope not. Good luck, I remember those rough winds of last summer. Had to clear out a tree blocking my road last night that had blown down as I went to plant a few trees after work. In a hurry of course.

dogghr, I'm working on a new fruit in the lab right now and will send you some once they are perfected.

 
Last year was my first year topworking. I learned on July 3 that getting grafts to take was not the hard part. Keeping the wind from ripping them off was the challenge. The wind storm that day took out the very best ones I had. It was a violent one, taking down several mature oaks as well, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

But this year I'm taking steps to keep that from happening. The tools are Gorilla Tape and Cane Sticks. My thoughts are that by next year this bracing can be removed, but would like to hear your thoughts on the matter.

This first one is pretty straight forward. I even removed the grafting tape on this one. I wish I had done it on all of them, but I can remove it on the others the next time I go back.



Another one.





A persimmon:





Apple Encounters of the Third Kind. This one took some planning.





I built a scaffold (or bird parking) on this double banger.



Tape removed on this one too.



That's about it. I did several more, but this gives an idea of my method. I have no idea if there is any better way. I'm just learning as I go along.
I have good success with four foot high wire fencing in a three feet diameter circle held down by two five foot long steel stakes pounded into the ground on opposite sides. This makes good deer protection and you can tie the tree to the wire in as many places as necessary. Or are you talking about grafting higher than this?
 
I have good success with four foot high wire fencing in a three feet diameter circle held down by two five foot long steel stakes pounded into the ground on opposite sides. This makes good deer protection and you can tie the tree to the wire in as many places as necessary. Or are you talking about grafting higher than this?

Yea, I'm topworking trees up high. Most of them are caged already, and I'm working above the cages.

The two big ones I show above are not caged yet but will be soon. I stole the cages from them to use somewhere else, because they were worthless little pea sized crabs and I didn't care if they got rubbed. But now that I've made something useful out of them, I need to get them caged again before this fall.

The smaller trees (except for persimmon) do have cages, but they are below the grafts in my pictures.
 
No wonder youre done planting trees, youre too busy staking grafts! :p
I dont think ive ever lost one that i took the time to stake. Couple years ago i took the tape off a persimmon graft and moments later a gust came through. I turned around and that graft had broken off.:(.
 
No wonder youre done planting trees, youre too busy staking grafts! :p
I dont think ive ever lost one that i took the time to stake. Couple years ago i took the tape off a persimmon graft and moments later a gust came through. I turned around and that graft had broken off.:(.

LOL, so true Fish.

That was a bummer on your persimmon.
 
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