My Smith Tree Grafting Update: Trunk Air-Layering

[ross]

So for those that didn't see my previous video.. I grafted Smith onto a 20 gallon Brown Turkey rootstock and saw incredible results in terms of growth. 255 inches of growth in only 4 months!

Yesterday I chopped that tree down. Why?! Because shortly after my Smith graft took.. I air layered the trunk of the rootstock, and now I'm left with another stump for grafting next year!! I also decided to do the same thing to my 20 gallon Kadota tree. I air-layered off the branching, and will use the rootstock next spring for grafting. These WERE my two largest trees:






Anyway the first video is of my grafting experience & the second is of the air-layering I did yesterday. Enjoy!

[don_sanders]

Good job on the Smith.

I wonder if reusing the same root stock multiple times would eventually become counter productive at some point as the disease @@@@tail builds up.

I would imagine that seedlings would probably be a fairly clean slate on first use but I've never grown a seedling fig yet so don't know how they behave.

[ross]

Hmm.. not sure, Don. Good thought. This was a TC rootstock, so who knows?

[npolaske]

This is pretty awesome that you ended up with a fairly mature tree in one year from a cutting! I'm surprised commercial growers do not take advantage of this possibility, given how expensive 15+ gallon trees sell for.

I'm very interested to see how it goes with grafting onto this trunk next year. Do you think it will be harder to graft onto it as it continues to grow in diameter? As you mentioned, a bark graft would be a good option for next year, but I'm wondering how a 2+ inch diameter trunk will accept a graft. At this point maybe chip grafting would be the preferred option?

[ross]

I'm not sure, Nate! This is all new to me, haha. If anyone has any opinions on what my next graft should be, I'm all ears!

[Visceral]

255 inches? You making me do the math to convert that?

For those that care, that's 2.0991e-16 parsecs

or

21.25 feet

[BrooklynMatty]

Great Job Ross.

Just remember guys, he doesn't want anyone to subscribe or to like his photos. He's not looking for handouts here

[AscPete]

Thanks for sharing the videos and info...

Did the Smith tree produce any ripe figs this season? and if so, How did they taste? Thanks.

[ross]

They did not. The second round of pinching induced fruits on every bud, but by that time it was too late, Pete.

[AscPete]

Thanks for the reply.
I was just curious if it produced fig along with the impressive vegetative growth.