Theoretical grafted raft...

[Mbunro]

Treemans post of his juniper raft has just given me a flashback to a thought I had of a possible new (probably not new at all) technique to make a raft..

I was thinking that using a large horizontal branch you could do a number of thread grafts using rooted stock. Then once the graft takes hold, keep both the newly grafted branches and roots and saw each end of the original horizontal branch. I know I'm not the best at putting my thoughts to words so I've done scribble to try explain what I mean....

Has anyone ever tried something like this? Or do you have any opinions on why it would or would not work...

Thanks.

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[Mbunro]

With something like this being the end goal...

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[treeman]

Gerard is doing something similar with a pine but coming in from the side instead of through the middle. You make a notch to fit the vertical trunk fully into the side of the horizontal trunk.

[shibui]

For many species it will be easier and just as quick to lay a trunk down and use existing branches as new trunks but for harder to root species this grafting could be useful.

There is no reason this will not work. It will also give the opportunity to put a larger tree nearer to the centre of the raft. With natural trunk rafts you usually see the first trunk(branch) is the tallest so the raft does not have triangular outline.

Even rafts need some depth so rather than vertical trunks on a straight piece you should have some trunks front and back and/or some bends in the horizontal piece.

[Mbunro]

I had thought about both the side graft(aproach graft?) And laying down the trunk methods . But thought that by using thread grafts and some extra care keeping the soil level perfect you could end up with a side profile more like the one on the left.... I know it wouldn't be a particularly natural or conventional look but that's been done already...

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