Japanese White Pine Grafting

Kazuki

ive seen a lot of goyoumatsus' these days, and i always notice that almost always, that they are grafted on to a black pine or something... i think its because the goyoumatsu grows in a straight up way, and has no movement, so they graft it on a curvey black pine.. my question is... how do they graft the goyoumatsu on the black pine? it seems too hard for the amateur, but i would like to know how they do it, if anyone knows.

thanks
kazuki

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TreeBay

Actually it's not for the curvature: Japanese white pine is a slow grower on its own roots, and it is decades before the bark takes on any texture. By grafting to a black pine the trunk immediately takes on a character of age and it is a much more vigorous plant.

Unfortunately there is usually a graft scar visible, usually at or around the first branch. When it is done less skillfully it can be pretty obvious, so an ungrafted White Pine of similar design is a more valuable tree.

The graft itself is done just as a black pine to black pine graft is done. You want the rootstock growing actively and the scion held back. 1 year old, lush scions are taken from the white pine. You can even refrigerate them for a couple of weeks while it warms up and the rootstock begins to grow. With a sharp grafting knife a thin veneer of bark is lifted in the rootstock and the scion is cut on each side to create a shallow wedge. Using the knife tip to hold the flap open, the scion is inserted and the cambium area is aligned. It's usually not possible to align both edges of exposed cambium, so you often have to settle for just one. Often a second scion is placed in a graft on the opposite side of the rootstock to improve the odds of a successful graft. Now the flap is tied down firmly with raffia, and a small poly bag is slipped down over the scion and tied shut around it Drop in a bit of damp sphagnum moss just before tying the ends shut.

AFTERCARE

If located in bright sun, place a piece of opaque tape (masking or duct) over the top of the bag to provide a bit of shade. Don't remove the bag until the scion shows ample growth and has begun to curl around on itself in the bag. It usually takes 2 months to see growth and 3-4 months before the bag is removed.

You may reduce some of the black pine foliage at this point, but reduce it by about half annually over a period of 2 years until it's obvious the white pine scion is growing vigorously.

Regards,

Matt.

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Kazuki

wow, thanks matt, lots of info there... thanks!!!!

kazuki

rzeles

Great writeup on grafting white pine to black pine stock. I have several black pine seedlings I would like to use as root stock for the white pine scion.

The big question is, what is the best time to do this? Spring before the growth starts, or in the summer or fall?

Thanks.
Ron

TreeBay

Ideally, you want the rootstock active and the scion still in dormancy. To get theere, you might need to take and refrigerate scion material for a few weeks, and graft after the understock shows signs of growth in late winter or early spring. In Japan there can be a second 'window' for grafting in summer, but in truth the climate there can be like a greenhouse!

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