Grafting.

[davidwood]

When you do a graft which is the best part of the branch to use, is it best to graft green to green, green brown to green brown or brown to brown, or does it not matter.

[Charlie]

David, grafting is usually done using form wood that has brown bark. It can be done with softer, greener wood but the chances of the scion rotting is much higher. One advantage of grafting over rooting is that it can be done with wood that is much too old to root. When you cut into a piece of hibiscus wood you will see a layer of green under the bark that is called the cambium. This cambium layer must be matched up to the cambium layer in the root stock for the graft to be successful.

Charlie

[davidwood]

Thanks Charlie, couple of things, does the scion need to have leaves on the end of it, or can I use a piece of wood that just has a couple of nodes.

I ordered some grafting tape on eBay yesterday, but when browsing I saw grafting wax, I assume this is to cover the seal after the graft, do you Charlie or others who graft use the wax, or not bother and just use the tape.

[Charlie]

David, you'll have to experiment in your conditions. The humidity may be high enough in Vietnam to forego the wax but in most places the wax is necessary to seal in the moisture so that the scion does not dry out before the graft can heal. I use the traditional grafting rubber bands to hold the pieces in place but some do use the grafting tape instead. If you use the tape alone then wrap the tape all around the cut area so that the moisture is contained by the tape and doesn't escape.

You can use scions with or without leaves. With is usually considered best but I've done many a graft with no leaf on the scion.


Charlie