AusBonsai

Hi people,

I have read a lot about thread grafting on this forum, but never hear bud grafting mentioned. I remember when I was young (over 40 years ago) my dad was into bonsai, and would bud graft where he wanted a branch to grow. He found it much more successful than thread grafting. Is this technique not used for a reason? If so, why not?

My dad practiced grafting on everything - we had rose bushes with every colour growing on one bush, and plum trees with more than one variety on them. Neighbours thought he was a bit 'odd', but the practice came in very handy when he wanted to use the technique on his bonsais.

Glenda

hi Glenda,

bud grafting techniques will work in bonsai, and very successfully if done right, the key with it, is lining up the cambium layers nicely not to make a big bulge. you will find that bud grafting is done on pines that you want better foliage on, Lindsay's new video atcually shows of it being done with 5 needle pines.

thread grafting I have found to be easier and a higher success rate.

jamie

Thanks for that, Jamie. My dad passed away some 12 years ago, and my mum and he were divorced for probably 25 years before that, leaving him in Tasmania and taking my youngest sister and I to Qld. Don't really know whatever happened to all his beautiful bonsai. Even back then he was big on natives, particularly Banksia. He also had some Huon pines and maples.

Glenda

Jamie wrote:hi Glenda,

bud grafting techniques will work in bonsai, and very successfully if done right, the key with it, is lining up the cambium layers nicely not to make a big bulge. you will find that bud grafting is done on pines that you want better foliage on, Lindsay's new video atcually shows of it being done with 5 needle pines.

thread grafting I have found to be easier and a higher success rate.

jamie

A question, where could I find this video? Sounds interesting.

Jonas

Jonas wrote:

Jamie wrote:hi Glenda,

bud grafting techniques will work in bonsai, and very successfully if done right, the key with it, is lining up the cambium layers nicely not to make a big bulge. you will find that bud grafting is done on pines that you want better foliage on, Lindsay's new video atcually shows of it being done with 5 needle pines.

thread grafting I have found to be easier and a higher success rate.

jamie

A question, where could I find this video? Sounds interesting.

Jonas

hi mate,

here is the link http://bonsaifarm.tv/

scroll down the page a little, it is world of bonsai series 2 episode 10. on that note Lindsay has a whole heap of video's that can be great for beginners

Jamie

Jamie wrote:
thread grafting I have found to be easier and a higher success rate.

jamie

And there inn a nut shell is your answer Glenda. Bud grafting does take a bit of talent and most Bonsai people lack the drive to perfect the art (just my opinion) and yea I know there are a lot out there who do successfully bud graft, but most find the thread graft a much simpler method of grafting stuff where we need it. probably followed closly by approach grafting.

Might have to learn with my new opines I have found

My dad seemed to make it look so easy. I can't remember a single graft he did that didn't take. He did bud grafting and branch grafts. I cna't remember but have a vague idea he also did some root grafts too. We grew apples with several different varieties on the same tree, as with plums. He had quite a collection of bonsai when my mother, sister and I left to come to Qld. He came too, about 20 years later, but I never found out what happened to the bonsais. Pity.

Glenda

As a coincidence, earlier this afternoon at our monthly discussion group we had a lengthy discussion about bud grafting.
The conclusion was that it was one of the most successful methods with much nicer results than approach grafting. Some species were considered to be very easy and summertime is the go.
I came home determined to give it a go.

Gerard wrote:As a coincidence, earlier this afternoon at our monthly discussion group we had a lengthy discussion about bud grafting.
The conclusion was that it was one of the most successful methods with much nicer results than approach grafting. Some species were considered to be very easy and summertime is the go.
I came home determined to give it a go.

So which species were the ones considered very easy, Gerard?

Glenda

The tree we were discussing was a quince, roses and fruiting trees seem to be the easiest but my pines are the main target just one or two successes with pines would make it all worthwhile.
What I don't know is....
Since it was advised as a summertime project, will it be difficult to find suitable "new buds"

maybe if you bought small starters of the species you want to graft onto, possibly stress the tree in some way in order to make it rebud and you should hav some new buds to work with

jamie