Grafting
I had a go at grafting today . Yesterday I bought my first almond ( 10€ total bargin ) and we had to cut the top off to get it into our very small car . So I had a go at grafting the bit that we removed onto a wildish plum tree .
Does this look ok ?
When is the best time to graft ? Have I missed the boat . Notice I live in France so things are a bit later here .
Also since the wax I used seems to be mostly beeswax how would one make ones own wax ?

David

Some almonds won't graft directly to plum, and you'd need an inter-stem between the plum tree and the almond scion.

Make sure all cuts are sealed well. You can use white glue, but I like to wrap my entire scion with Parafilm, keeping the scion from drying out. Labs generally use Parafilm, and I've found they'll give it to me for free, if I ask, when I donate blood.

You can also cover your grafts with a paper bag or newspaper to keep the sun from baking them. Check and uncover them once the leaves start to grow.

Different trees are grafted at different times of the year, but the best time for plums and almonds would be when the sap is running and the buds are opening up on the tree you plan to graft to (early spring).

Hi Jim
I have reason to believe that this Almond should be ok as most of the ones for sale of this veriety are grafted onto Julian A rootstock here in France .
Not sure about using white glue as I personally try to limit my use of pertolium products as I dont consider them Organic instead I have been using a beeswax based product . The trouble is that its about 10€ for 200g Same goes for what I assume we would call clingfilm . Thanks for the idea of the paper I will put some on The sun should arrive next month

I will graft the other plums next month too .

David

If you want to make your own white glue, here is a recipe:
White glue is easy to make by combining the right amounts of milk, distilled vinegar and baking soda. Milk contains a protein called casein. It makes good glue, but not in its liquid form in milk. Adding vinegar causes a chemical reaction that turns the casein into a solid.

How to do it? Heat 2 ounces of 2 percent milk and 1 tablespoon of vinegar, but don't let it boil. The mixture will curdle to the consistency of cottage cheese. Pour it through a coffee filter to collect the curds. Add a pinch of baking soda to the curds until you get the right gluey consistency. Remember that when you use it, the glue takes a few hours to dry.

Parafilm is expensive here, also. That's why I get it from the blood bank when I donate blood.

I can't tell if you sealed the ends of the scions - you should do that to prevent drying. Also, I've always cut my scion back to right above a bud - not sure if it makes much difference though.
You can make your own grafting paste by melting bees wax and oil to a "spreadable" texture.

Hi Patrick
Yes I sealed the ends after I thought about it later
By oil do you mean linseed oil as I have this already for my bee hives ? or something like olive oil or colza
I just need to work out the correct proportions then

David

Any kind of vegetable oil would be fine. I seem to remember 1 part wax to 4 parts oil - you'll need to experiment a bit to figure out the best proportions.

Is it a Japanese plum or a european one? I myself have not grafted an almond onto a plum, but I have grafted Japanese plums onto almond rootstock. I simply purchased raw almonds, planted them in soil, and grafted the seedlings that grew. My personal best was 5 species on one tree, the original almond, a peach, a necturine, a plum, and an apricot.

I have up to 18 different varieties on my trees. This is primarily to see what grows best in my area and what varieties I like the most. It is important to keep the tree balanced. For instance, my Nikita's Pride almond would take over my tree if I allowed it.