Re: [nafex] Grafting Tape Choices

The other thing I used before Parafilm was rubber grafting bands (also used
with the Parafilm) was Doc Farwell's grafting seal - that may be misspelled
it has been a long time ago.

sent from my Galaxy S9
919-357-0863

On Wed, Apr 22, 2020, 08:19 Ginda Fisher <list@ginda.us> wrote:

> I use Parafilm because
> 1) someone recommended it when I started grafting, and I'd previously used
> it in a lab and knew that I would find it easy to use.
> 2) We used melted wax at the grafting class I took (we literally picked up
> the little potted graftling and dipped the graft into a pot of hot wax) and
> I knew that would be really hard for me to do. (I went so far as to try it
> once with a brush. Didn't work because the wax cooled too fast, and
> cleaning the pot and the brush were both troublesome.)
> 3) I bought a lifetime supply of it years ago (I don't do all that much
> grafting.)
> 4) It work.
>
> I use grafting rubber bands to tie up the graft, and then I cover it with
> parafilm. The rubber bands by themselves don't keep the graft moist enough
> — I did that experiment. I also tried using masking tape, which some
> NAFEXers have reported success with, but that didn't work for me. It didn't
> usually provide enough stability and it never kept the graft moist enough.
> Maybe my propensity to little twisty twigs when I graft is the issue.
>
> So I have returned to parafilm and rubber bands. The parafilm by itself
> doesn't provide the physical support the graft needs to hold the pieces
> together. It might work for a bud graft, but I mostly do twig grafts. I
> usually remove most of the parafilm and rubber a couple years later, but
> that's not necessary, the tree will just push them apart. A sprouting bud
> can easily burst through the parafilm.
>
> My understanding is that the Romans tied their grafts with twine and then
> slapped some fresh cow manure over the joint to protect it and keep it
> moist.
>
> I don't think the graft needs to "breath", as witnessed by the success of
> "dip it in paraffin".
>
> Ginda Fisher
> Eastern MA, zone 6
>
>
> > On Apr 21, 2020, at 7:19 PM, sherwin <sherwindu@att.net> wrote:
> >
> > Hi,
> >
> > Many of the orchardists I know use non-breathable grafting tape with
> reasonable results. I usually use Parafilm because I think it allows the
> graft to breath. Is this an unnecessary reason to use Parafilm? Other
> grafting tapes can also be applied easily, so why use Parafilm?
> >
> > Sherwin Dubren
> >
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