Chip budding/parafilm

[happyhermit]

Hello all,

Just done my first apple chip budding which went reasonably well. I've wrapped the entire graft with two layers of parafilm. Now unsure about if/when to release the tape.

Some sources say leave it on and the buds will break through 2-3 layers of parafilm in the spring. Some say remove all tapes after 5-6 weeks to prevent bud rotting. Others say parafilm not tight enough!

Would be grateful for any evidence-based advice on how to proceed!

Cheers

Neil

[FB.]

I mostly graft in late winter and I usually forget to remove the parafilm, but the grafts don't rot because the parafilm is tight enough to keep out air and water. Once the parafilm starts to degrade and split the graft should have long since healed.

Buds can break through multiple layers of parafilm - I get that happening with rootstock shoots from buds just below a cleft or whip-and-tongue graft (trees grafted late winter and rootstock shoots sometimes grow from buds just below the graft, with no problems breaking through the parafilm).

Summer grafts should be healed by winter. If not then they won't take anyway. Therefore if it worries you, you can peel off the parafilm once the leaves fall in autumn because no more healing is going to occur after that point until the tree starts growing again the following year - and if there hasn't been sufficient healing the bud won't survive.

If your grafts fail, the most likely cause will be poor contact between the two pieces and/or the grafting tape not tight enough. Sometimes when binding the graft together it slips a little and the graft won't take or is slow to take.

So my recommendation would be to bind the grafts securely with as much parafilm as it takes (3-4 layers if necessary!) and remove the parafilm after the leaves fall.

[happyhermit]

Thanks FB. that makes a lot of sense. I'll bind them up tight for the time being and then maybe slit them in early spring before things kick off. That way they get a bit of protection from the ravages of our scottish winter and hopefully no rot.

Neil