While I did do some field grafting and budding at Wisley, I had never done any bench grafting. The opportunity to practise, however has come now, as I am studying to complete my RHS level 3 Diploma in the Principles and Practices of Horticulture, and grafting is an examinable skill.
In order to prepare us for the July test of budding and side veneer grafting, we got some training in whip and tongue, which is based on the same basic cut.
The most important requirement for grafting is a sharp knife, without which you have no control of the cut. To sharpen the knife you need a water or oil stone. I have an Arkansas oil stone that is just wide enough. After oiling the stone, you have to place the blade whole on the stone, finding the original sharpening angle of the bevel. You only sharpen the bevelled side of the blade, and you have to get the angle right, or you won’t get it sharp.
 |
| Finding the sharpening angle on the bevelled side |
Once you settle on the right angle, place the other hand on the tip of the blade and pull towards you, with a steady motion. Then you start again, repeating for five/six times. It has to be shave-proof!
To finish off, remove the burr on the other side of the blade, by placing it flat on the stone and using gentle round motions.
Once you have a sharp knife, you need to hold your wood safely. I have previously nipped my fingertips and therefore find it easier to wear preventative plasters (namely on the thumb of the knife hand), but we were taught a foolproof way to hold the wood to avoid that.
Hold the wood close to where you are going to make the cut, palm down.
Then grab the blade quite close, to wield control, and you are ready to go.
The basic grafting cut is a sloping cut that leaves you with a flat surface, some 2.5 to 3 cm, across the wood. To achieve that, you have to slide the whole blade, bottom to tip. You start by placing the bottom of the blade on the top side of the wood that you are holding, close to your hand, at some 30 degrees angle, then you pull it towards you, sliding it in the wood towards the bottom and all the way to the tip, like below.
You start with the scion wood (the ‘stick’ of wood that you have chosen for a specific cultivar of plant that you want to grow – taste, appearance, whatever that is for) and need a clean cut: as flat a surface as you can muster, as it will need to adhere perfectly to the matching cut you are going to make in the rootstock (which you have chosen for the qualities of the roots i.e. disease resistance, dwarfing stock etc). You can tell if the cut is flat when you place it against the blade of the knife.
 |
| A flat enough cut |
I did practice a few cuts on Cornus stems
Once you are confident on your cut, you can decide to go for it. I have described the procedure for whip and tongue grafting before, so I won’t repeat it, but there were a couple of different things in bench grafting, which I noticed.
First, the scion stick is longer, 15-20 cm with at least five buds: you don’t risk knocking it off that much at a desk as you do when standing over grafts made in the field. And, because I read in my propagation books that the healing process starts in the scion wood rather than the rootstock, it makes sense to have more wood = more stored energy available.
The other difference is in the tying of the graft union. We used a simple elastic band instead of grafting tape, and we started at the top of the graft going downwards, which is really easy. Again, it makes sense – in the field, you are standing over the graft and if you start at the top, the scion stick is in the way and you keep knocking into it, but here… super easy!
 |
| Test whip and tongue on willow |
 |
| The result of my efforts: 2 Spartan apples on M9 stock |
I went home to pot my new apples up!
The next step, grafting on the plot where 14 rootstock plants await…
Glass cutting
 |
| More panes on the ground than on the frame! |
With my newest plot I inherited a rather wrecked glasshouse. I don’t seem to have been overexcited about it, as that is pretty much the only picture I took of it, although I did take some pictures of plants around it, and there are pretty daffs!
 |
| There’s some pretty daffs in front of it |
Anyway, during the most recent Christmas holidays, desperate to take my mind off Brexit and have control over something, I thought it would be a good idea to fix it.
I trawled the internet for glass panes, and found that FB marketplace was a pretty good place for it: I got myself a dozen of panes for the price of only a 4-hour round trip.
 |
| Oil glass scorer |
As the panes were different sizes, I also bought a professional glass scorer. I did not use any oil, as YouTube taught me it was not really necessary.
I also got some W and Z glasshouse clips, my safety glasses, and thus armed I made my way to the plot.
 |
| So much glass wasted |
The first thing I realised I needed was a very flat surface, clear of debris. Luckily, my falling-apart shed delivered just the perfect laminate board, so I got myself a ruler and started cutting, with mixed success and a lot of frustration.
Anyway, two months on, I finally seem to have cracked it, thanks to random suggestions from peeps on the web and a lot of practice, and I want to share my tips with you, hoping you won’t waste as many panes, should you have a go.
Essential tools:
- a scorer
- safety glasses
- gloves
- a smooth surface
- a bucket for fragments
- a ruler that covers all the length of the cut and is thick enough not to end up between the scorer tip and the metal head, rather help the metal head slide
- duck tape
- pliers (the standard worked ok, but you can get special ones too)
By trial and error, I found the following worked for me:
- tape the glass inside the part that you want to keep, and score along the side that has to go
- although you can tape only one side, score both sides
- use a long enough ruler to go all the way in one smooth score line
- hold the scorer like a pen; when scoring, try not to stop halfway, and press well: it has to make a jarring scratchy sound as it goes
- if the side that has to go is 10 cm or larger
- once you have scored both sides, turn it with the tape side up
- place a glass strip (or similar), long enough to go all the score line and not too thick, under the tape and aligned with the cut
- apply equal and gentle pressure with the palms of your hands both sides of the tape and away from it, until the pane snaps (if you are lucky, in one snap and a perfect straight line)
- if the side that has to go is 10 cm or thinner, there is a high chance the pane will shatter if you apply pressure with your hands: use pliers! If you are lucky and the strip is thin enough, it will come off in one go. Otherwise you have to do it bit by bit.
Ideally, one would sand the cut surfaces too, especially when they are ragged.
I finally managed to do triangles for the roof sides, and that was with great satisfaction!
Both sides that needed cutting were taped, to start with. I was going to score outside the tape (recycled tape so it looks a bit tatty by the third pane, but works).
 |
| It’s starting to look like a proper GH again |
Pruning
As a kid, I remember coming home from school and some plant or other in the garden that was lookin great in the morning would have been hacked horribly, its dignity lost, possibly at risk of never coming back. That would see me fuming with my father, the perpetrator. I knew nothing about plants back then, except generically liking them. I never asked why he did that.
I went on, living my life without knowing anything about plants pretty much until I came to the UK and got my first garden.
Five years ago I was thought how to prune at Kew (mainly by Rossana Porta and Tom Freeth) and by amazing Bob Lever for the London Orchard Project. That will stay with me forever.
It got me the best compliment I could wish for: I was asked to cut a Garrya by half that was shading windows on the side of a building. After I finished, my boss said you could not tell it had been pruned at all. Oh the satisfaction!
A little bit more I learnt at Wisley with the Fruit team. And after all I took from my teachers, I have been trying to spread the word. Of course I do it for the plants!
This year, the lovely people on my new plot, the Sunnyside Allotment Society, organised for me to give a couple of demonstrations. The first one was this afternoon, in the most annoying drizzle ever experienced on the British Isles… lovely participants nonetheless, and some braved it out till the very end, too!
 |
| Proof of the miserable weather
and the patience of the participants! Pics by Andy |
Anyway, for anyone that might be interested, here are the notes from the session, and a compendium of all the pruning posts on this blog.
Natural shape fruit pruning
The art and science of pruning
About containing a pyramid Prunus
Pole pruning for restoration, formative pruning in an orchard
Trained fruit
Gooseberry cordons pruning and propagation
Indoors trained vines part I, part II
Other
Putting the culture back into horticulture
As the coursework for my RHS Special Option Certificate in Fruit and Vegetable Cultivation included a dissertation, I took the opportunity to explore a topic that I had at heart:
Breeding for biodiversity and sustainability with the help of the public.
The case of Oxalis tuberosa.
For the last year in fact I have been supporting the launch of a collaborative breeding project for oca (Oxalis tuberosa) in the UK: the Guild of Oca Breeders. Oca is an Andean crop which starts tuberising when days get shorter at the end of the summer. However, in temperate climates, the underground growth of the tuber is checked by frost, which kills the leaves above the ground. The same was the case for potato when it was first introduced in Europe, before day-neutral varieties were bred. The Guild aims to breed oca, which is a delicious tuber, along the lines of potato breeding. Because breeding is a resource-intensive process, and since there is little or no commercial interest in sponsoring it for oca, the project wants to mobilise the help of volunteers.
As I engaged with the various aspects of the project, I realised that a great deal of interesting topics had to be touched upon:
- the relationship between culture and agriculture: people, plants and the land;
- the breeding requirements for small and sustainable growers: resilient, locally adapted varieties, rather than uniform crops suitable for shipping around the world (which are favoured by “conventional” industrial agriculture)
- the intricacies and costs related to plant breeding rights and their impact on access to seeds;
- issues of financial viability for small breeders and the opportunities from the “citizen science” movement.
With limited time on top of a full time job and plenty of other coursework, I could only scratch the surface, but I think my dissertation works as a very high level introduction to the topics above, referencing some rather interesting articles – so I decided to publish it here.
Here is the table of contents:
Introduction
Putting the culture back into horticulture
- Edible crops for the future
- Sustainability, knowledge and culture
- Biodiversity for resilience
Plant breeding and participatory models
- Issues with current breeding methods and legislation
- Breeding for low input and marginal lands
- Participatory Plant Breeding
- Citizen science, open source, open data
Oca breeding and the Guild of Oca Breeders
- Oca a crop for the future
- Small scale oca breeding
- The Guild of Oca Breeders
Conclusions
References
PD&D: pests, diseases and disorders
As part of my coursework for the certificate, I had to write a Pest and Disease project. I researched 15 of the most common pests (vertebrates and invertebrates that feed, inhabit or otherwise live off plants, damaging or killing them) and diseases (caused by microorganisms such as fungi, viruses and bacteria), choosing ones that I had the opportunity to see in person at Wisley. As knowledge is for sharing, I am sharing it below..
We were however not required to study disorders, which are the third issue affecting plant health and as such are included in the acronym “PD&D” that you might have read somewhere, so I want to touch on them here. Disorders are physiological conditions in which the plant behaves abnormally in response to environmental conditions (i.e. nutrient deficiencies, drought, heat, physical damage etc.) – they are very difficult to identify, as this excellent guide from Michigan State University explains.
One such disorders I encountered at Wisley was on ‘Conference’ pears. In some years more than others, some pears develop corky lesions on their skin, maybe due to some nutrient deficiency and possibly facilitated by dry weather. These may on occasion be mistaken for fungal disease scab (Venturia pirina) but have been identified as a likely disorder. ‘Conference’ pears are particularly prone to them: not only did I received a good few questions from visitors that spotted it in the Fruit Garden, I had it on my tree at home. Dealing with it means simply removing the worst affected fruitlets, so that they do not take up the plant’s energy, but keeping in mind that most fruits grow out of it to become happy pears.
 |
 |
| Disorder, unspecified (badly affected fruitlets, left; mildly affected, right) | |
 |
| Pear scab (Venturia pirina) damage |
together with the table of contents:
Fruit
Apple (Malus domestica) and pear (Pyrus communis)
Brown rot of apple and pears (Monilinia fructigena, M. laxa)
Apple and pear canker (Neonectria galligena)
Apple powdery mildew (Podosphaera leucotricha)
Rosy apple aphid (Dysaphis plantaginea)
Codling moth (Cydia pomonella)
Apple and pear scab (Venturia inaequalis, V. pirina)
Blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum)
Big bud mite (Cecidophyopsis ribis)
Gooseberries (Ribes uva-crispa)
Gooseberry sawfly (Nematus ribesii)
Grapes (Vitis spp)
Grey mould (Botrytis cinerea)
Raspberry (Rubus idaeus)
Raspberry beetle (Byturus tomentosus)
Cane blight (Leptosphaeria coniothyrium)
Vegetables
Cabbage (Brassica oleracea)
Cabbage root fly (Delia radicum)
Mealy cabbage aphid (Brevicoryne brassicae)
Leek (Allium porrum)
Leek rust (Puccinia allii)
Pea (Pisum sativum)
Wood pigeons (Columba palumbus)
Plum days
I have not written for a while, busy as I was with coursework deadlines, but in the last two days I have spent some time with plum trees, which I think is worth sharing.
Yesterday I helped the Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate (PHSI) pick leaves from the orchard to be tested for plum pox virus, so that its spread can be monitored and contained. We picked 24 leaves each from 125 of the 127 trees that constitute the new plum orchard (2 of the trees did not have enough leaves on them to provide a full sample). To avoid cross-contamination of the samples, we used a new pair of gloves for every plant. The picked leaves were sealed in plastic bags and kept in a cool box until they were sent for testing. It was an interesting experience to make, as I had not realised the risks from plum pox before, but I must admit I was slightly uncomfortable with the amount of plastic gloves ending up in the waste bin.
Today, instead, I was helping our fruit specialist with chip budding plums, something I had been looking for. The process does not look too difficult, but of course it’s just because it’s done by a skilled person.
First, one has to collect the bud material: ripe new-year wood that has started changing colour. This is often found on the south facing side of a plant.
The stems are trimmed of the leaves, leaving a small part of the petiole (if we were doing T budding, we would leave a longer piece, as it would serve the purpose of a handle).
They are then labelled and kept in a cool place, preferably wrapped in moist towel until use.
Sometimes one cannot find first year wood, so it is possible to try with second year material (hardened wood).
 |
| Toe cut (the “lip” on the left), and buds removed |
The buds are removed, one by one, with some 3-4 cm of stem around them: practicing a “toe cut” at the bottom and then sliding the budding knife from the top of the bud down to the toe cut.
It is then the turn of the rootstock, which has to be previously cleared of any side branches at the base for 20-30 cm.
Then, standing astride over the plant,
- on the north side of the main stem (so that the bud
straightens up by growing towards the sun), - at a height
of 10-15 cm from the ground to avoid rain splashes (with possible fungal spores) and - possibly above a node (which will stop the knife from sliding
accidentally)
one makes another toe cut, then measures the length of the bud and cut a similarly sized superficial slice out of the stem. The bud is
then slid into the toe cut, ready for binding with grafting tape (a
clear plastic strip).
 |
 |
| Chip bud with first year bud | Chip bud with second year bud |
Binding needs to be tight: the fruit expert reckons that a good bud with
bad binding has less likelihood to succeed than a so-so bud with good
binding. The buds need to be covered with the tape too, unless it’s too
big to fit (i.e. on second year wood). The best way to bind is with
clear stretchy grafting tape. Starting from the bottom, this is tucked in, then wrapped upwards, and closed with a knot, pulling any hanging bits to finish.
 |
 |
| Binding over new-wood bud | Binding around two year old bud |
I was in charge of the binding, and we went through some 90 rootstocks!
The tape will be on for 4-6 weeks until callusing of the wound is well underway. The fronds of the rootstock will be left on the whole season; cutting back will only take place next year in February (late February for apples), just when the sap start to rise, but before the pull is too strong, which may “flood” the bud and kill it.
Chelsea Flower Show 2015
It’s press day at Chelsea Flower Show and the RHS trainees flocked into London to lend a hand while getting some insider’s knowledge of the UK’s most famous display of plants and garden design.
I was assigned to assist one of the judging committees for the exhibits in the Great Pavilion: on a tight schedule for two and a half hours, we had to help the judges navigate their way through 17 exhibits, which they were to judge from the perspective of their specific expertise.
The displays are judged based on the brief submitted by the designers, and according to horticultural and design criteria such as:
- plants,
- overall impact;
- endeavour.
The best displays receive a medal: bronze, silver, silver-gilt and gold, but during the show garden and exhibits are also assigned special awards.
The judging process is very confidential as the stakes are high for the participants to such a high-profile show, and the results will not be announced until tomorrow. That is why trainees are asked to make room for the judges around the exhibition so that they can observe thoroughly and are allowed the privacy to and discuss their votes without prying eyes. In the process, we got first hand experience of what it means to judge an exhibit. Once the medals were assigned, a group of us also helped the judges on a further round of judging for the awards. The judges were then going to spend the rest of the day finalising the distribution of medals and awards, while we got time to spend visiting the Show.
While Chelsea is mainly a flower show, there were some fruit, vegetables and herbs exhibits and I was on the committee in charge of evaluating them, which was fascinating!
 |
| Potatoes at Chelsea! |
My favourite edible exhibit was an educational potato display with some 140 varieties grouped by species: the colours and shapes really stood out, highlighted by the black background. Morrice and Ann Innes designed the display, which was sponsored by seed and plant company Thompson & Morgan.
For some people, the enormous variety of potatoes must be a novelty indeed… it was for me when I was first invited to join a Facebook group of potato breeders and growers called “Kenosha Potato Project” where I’ve seen the strangest, more colourful and interesting shaped tubers from across the world and learned that “papas” is the original name of these favourite of tubers. They come in such coloured and varied shapes as exemplified below!
(Posted by Edilberto Soto Tenorio on Sunday, 22 March 2015)
The Grenada’s ‘Pure Grenada’s Rainforest’ exhibit was also rather gorgeous, displaying lush green, bright colours, spices and fruits that are native to the island: one had to recognise that some places on earth are blessed with particularly show-worthy flora, such a Solanum mammosum or titty fruit, which is said to resemble a human nipple on one side and a cow’s udder on the other, and pink banana Musa velutina.
 |  |
| Solanum mammosum | Musa velutina |
Delicious fruits, such as the colourful fruit of Theobroma cacao that gives us chocolate, or the versatile Zingiber zerumbet, with its edible tubers, juice, leaves that can be used as flavouring, and flower heads that are turned into shampoo!
 |  |
| Pouteria sapota and Theobroma cacao | Zingiber zerumbet |
I also found a delightful herb garden
 |
| Herbs exhibit |
where I was particularly attracted by 3 herbs: Galium odoratum with edible dainty leaves and white flowers, which I first saw in a garden I worked in last year and two non edibles: Polemonium caeruleum with dark leaves and blue flowers and Prostanthera rotundifolia a shrub with pink flowers.
 |
| Pennard Plants stand |
 |
| Detail of vegetables at Pennard’s |
To conclude I will mention the rather glorious exhibit by Pennard Plants, inspired by a R. Kipling’s poem “The Glory of the Garden” in its 150th anniversary, with stunning vegetables.
P.S.: Glad to say the potatoes I helped being judged got a gold medal, the first of its kind! Grenada and Pennard Plants were also gold medallists.
About Me
M.Paola, that’s me
I got my first allotment in the UK in 2007 and started growing my own food. Learning as I went along was not enough, so I studied horticulture. Faced with the horticultural warfare, I became a conscientious objector: I use no chemicals and support organic principles and regulations.
Brexit gave me a new life in the Netherlands, three new plots by a nature reserve and an MSc in sustainable food systems.
I write in my personal capacity and, as a language perfectionist and a non native speaker, I keep reviewing my entries’ text for clarity.
Some Rights Reserved
This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Licence.