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Old January 30, 2017   #68
b54red
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Alabama
Posts: 7,068
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You will need to wait longer than that if 2mm is the smallest clips you have. The smallest I have is 1.5 and when I went out and got set up only a dozen or so would work with the 1.5 and only a couple with the 2.mm so I am going to wait one or two more days. My plants are a bit spindly so it won't hurt to wait. The most common size clip I use is 2.5 and 3. I have had some good success with the smaller plants as long as it is cool enough but once it starts getting a bit warmer they tend to fail more than the larger ones. Another reason I prefer to work with slightly larger plants is my arthritis makes me a bit less delicate than grafting requires. I have also noticed that my hands shake a bit more than they used to.

Here is a picture of my seedlings. They have some height but not much thickness in the stems.


Remember it is better to make your cut at least 2 inches above the soil level on the rootstock so when you plant them out you don't get roots forming from the scion and negating all your work. The first time I grafted I had most of them with cuts only an inch above the planting level and it gave me fits trying to stop roots from the scion going to the ground. I have no problem except the height of my healing chamber making the grafting cut 4 to 6 inches above the soil line as it makes it so much easier to plant them. I have seen no difference in the performance whether the cut is above or below the cotyledon. In our climate where heavy mulch is needed and frequent heavy rains can hit I think the extra inch or two is invaluable.

Bill
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