Grafting plum

juli55, Jan 6, 12:50am
My ancient very dark red plum tree has lost a branch.Is there anyone around who would like to rescue a couple of twigs, graft them onto another tree, keep a couple of them and give me two!I would love for a nice person to clone another plum for me.I have had the tree for 40 years and no one can tell me if it is an ancient Billings or Black Doris.
aloha3, Jan 6, 7:24am
Time for you to learn a new skill.
edenrose, Jan 6, 9:06am
Plant the branch, it may grow, otherwise grow some seeds.Too late for grafting!
canz, Jan 6, 9:53am
Yep it is too late for graphing, being an old tree it proably would grow from a cutting but try this
i don't know what kind mine are, but i can tell you that all you do is cut off a branch, about a foot long, strip most leaves off, stick it the ground, and water it and before long you have a new tree. the old man who used to own the house did it all the time for folks. one neighbour came by recently and got a couple cuttings for his daughter's house. he said so far, about 6 weeks later, they are growing just fine!
juli55, Jan 6, 10:25am
OK, I will try the twig in the ground trick.I would graft my own, but due to hand and feet problems, it's out of the question.
Can I stick a twig in a pot of soil!
macandrosie, Jan 14, 8:06am
Plums don't need to be grafted, & now is the time to be taking cuttings from them. So strip the leaves off & take cuttings about 20cm long, dip in rooting hormone & plant into damp sandy mix. Don't allowdry out though.
gag5, Jan 14, 8:29am
great advice as i have an old tree with gorgeous plums that is really on its last legs & being propped up with a large stake. The trunk is almost rotted completely through but its still puts out plums!
My question is what diameter sticks do you take from the tree to use as cuttings.!
goodbooks, Jan 14, 9:23am
I've successfully used cuttings about the thickness of an index finger, and about 30cm to 60cm long - plant a few in a pot and push some into garden soil.
.jillybeen., Jan 14, 7:28pm
i have a plum in the garden that the birds leave alone, its not the nicest of plums i would like to use it as root stock and graft other plums onto it is this possible ! How do you do it !.
edenrose, Jan 17, 11:31am
Look on You Tube and find demos of grafting techniques!Grafting is usually done late Winter to early Spring. Remember to label grafts, I forgot and managed to grow two, but don't know which ones, I think they are Plumcots!Good luck.
crackerjack19, Jan 17, 10:37pm
It sure pays to come on here and browse Having come here from a harsher climate I had never heard of taking plum tree cuttings, I suppose because the growing season was not long enough. Thank you for the info I am going to have some fun now collecting good tasting plums for the future.
crackerjack19, Jan 17, 10:42pm
I am still on the look out for the European (UK) Damson - - they have almost Pear shaped fruit (plums) that usually have a small speck of resin on the base when ripe. The NZ one is very similar but completely round with very slight differences in taste and behaviour when being preserved.
net_oz, Jan 17, 11:41pm
About time some of you learnt the art of 'budding'. Now's a good time to do it.
annies3, Jan 18, 5:39am
Yes as soon as the bark is loose you can take a bud and slip it into the T shaped cut which you make in the rootstock then fasten it down at each side and presto you have a new tree, slightly more complex than that but easy really.
edenrose, Jan 19, 11:07am
Hi, when you say budding, are you talking about the buds that form new shootsin the spring!Do they even form all year!Haven't looked too closely at trees of late.Thanks.
annies3, Jan 19, 2:13pm
Yes but you need one that develops leaves and grows on rather than one which produces flowers.
.jillybeen., Jan 20, 6:41am
thanks for info interesting I didnt think of budding.another !If you plant stones from a yummy plum will it grow and have fruit true to the one you have eaten !
favouriteseller, Jan 20, 6:59am
I have no plums on the trees this year !

anyone know why !
annies3, Jan 31, 3:44pm
Like all seed most will grow into a plant something like the parents but like all things it depends on the genes they recieve, so some may fruit as the parent but some may be quite different like two children with the same parents one dark and one redhead, but it is exciting waiting for the new tree to fruit and show what it is going to be like, seedlings are always slower to fruit than grafted plants too, I have a seedling apple which is fruiting for the first time this season and it does look exciting, so far.