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3
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- What little I know about nutgrafting I learned from Ed Greenwell, a
skillful nutgrafter, who is director of the ACCF’s Tennessee operations.
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4
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- Collect scions (twigs 1/16 to 1/8 in diameter) during January or
February while they are dormant and after they have completed their
winter chill period. The best
scions are those which have grown in full sun and have made good growth.
- Store scions in refrigerator (not the freezer) wrapped snugly with
plastic foil and enclosed in a plastic bag containing information on
date of collection and identity of the specimen.
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5
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- Gather nuts as soon as they fall from the tree or preferably before they
fall to beat the squirrels and the chestnut weevils, or order nuts from
a supplier.
- Store the nuts in a refrigerator in a plastic bag filled with a good
grade of moist (not wet) peat moss; the bag should have a few small
holes for aeration.
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6
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- About one week before you are
ready to do the grafting, take the nuts you will need from the
refrigerator and place them in a perforated bag with moist peat moss and
keep them in a warm (75 degree F) room until they produce a root about 1
inch long.
- You will get best results by grafting American twigs into American nuts;
Chinese nuts are often incompatible with American scions.
- .
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- The tools you will need are a regular sharp knife and a knife with a
square end (1/4 inch wide).
- Disinfect your work area with rubbing alcohol and dip your knife blades
in alcohol frequently to disinfect them.
- Rinse the rooted nut off with water and blot dry with a paper towel.
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8
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9
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- Cut a section from your twig (scionwood) so that there is a bud (lateral
or terminal) at the tip and about 1 inch of twig below the bud. Cut the base of the twig so that it is
wedge-shaped.
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- Insert the wedge of the twig firmly into the vertical incision made in
the nut making contact with both cotyledon stubs.
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- Place all grafts of one particular tree in a labeled, perforated,
plastic ziploc bag containing moist peat moss; it is best if the scions are placed in
a normal vertical position so the roots will grow downward.
- Keep the grafts in a warm lighted area (close to a sunny window is
good); after 2 or 3 weeks or so, the roots should grow from the petiole
stubs of the nut and the bud of the twig should swell and begin to leaf
out as the vascular tissue of the twig fuses with the vascular tissue of
the petiole stubs.
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13
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- When the roots are about one inch long and the bud has swollen, you
should transfer the graft to a labeled peat pot or styrofoam cup
containing peat moss or a good potting mix (no fertilizer needs to be
added initially) which is covered with a perforated plastic film so as
to hold the humidity in. You can
use grow lights or put them in a lighted window; if all goes well, the
buds will expand further and green leaves will unfurl (that is a good
sign).
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- When the grafts have 3 to 4 leaves on them, the plastic covers can be
removed. If you use styrofoam cups, be sure to punch some drainage holes
in the base of the cup.
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- After the grafts have grown for a few weeks indoors, by late April or
May you can transfer them into larger pots filled with potting mix
containing slow release fertilizer or periodically give them miracid or
some other water-soluble acidic fertilizer; place them in a sheltered
outdoor area such as a porch blocked from strong wind.
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- By late May, after the young trees have hardened somewhat, the potted
trees may be transferred to a
sunnier area. Don’t water too
frequently, but when needed, give them a thorough soaking.
- Spray for Japanese beetles and other insect pests if necessary.
- The potted trees can be planted in the fall or the following spring.
- Novices usually have only a 20 to 25 % success rate, so graft many and
you should still have many successes.
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20
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Notes