Grafting?

[Mt Toaker]

Can you graft an old rootball to a young plant? I was thinking about this the other day reading this thread. Imagine having a 4 week old clone that you could graft to a rootball that has just finished flowering. Having that large of a root system I feel would cause the grafted clone to grow vigorously.

 

[guest3589]

Can you graft an old rootball to a young plant?

Hi Toaker
Sure you can graft young to old, the root ball on that kush plant is over a year old and has flowered and been reveged.

 

[Mt Toaker]

Sweet. How beneficial is it to the 2nd plant starting with a large mature rootball? What are the differences when you cross strains? Does one strain dominate the other and take over? What if you used a mature indica dominate rootball and a sativa dominate plant?

 

[guest3589]

Good Questions

Good Questions

Thanks for these great questions, you have me thinking and thats always good.

How beneficial is it to the 2nd plant starting with a large mature rootball?

In the time it takes for roots on a cut you can have a good sized root ball with approach grafting. A root mass should match a normal plant of the same size. A common rule of thumb is equal mass above and below ground. About a baseball sized root ball for a five to eight inch graft.

What are the differences when you cross strains?

My experience is quite limited but my research reveals that it can be beneficial or detrimental, it depends on the method. Grafting Heirloom tomato plants to hybrid resistant root stock gives considerable increase in growth and yield. So much so that it more than compensates for the significant increase in labor and time for all the plants to be grafted.

Does one strain dominate the other and take over?

I imagine that one could outgrow the other for a variety of reasons. So far my two strain mothers are showing a nice balance of new growth I anticipate it will be easy to manage four strains on one plant, perhaps more.

What if you used a mature indica dominate rootball and a sativa dominate plant?

I anticipate it would have a very positive impact on the growth of the sativa increasing the overall size and yield.

A mother that is capable of giving up five to eight inch cuts could instead be grafted to seedling root stalk. It's the same plant count as if you were to root cuttings. Simply use the approach method and completely remove the seedling scion at the last phase (~ten days after graft) leaving only the scion from the Mother (a clone only perhaps). With this simple method you can get the benefit of the seedling taproot for increased growth and yield.

Keeping a multi strain mother is handy and keeps plant count down, thats nice but don't discount other applications of approach grafting. There is a lot of ground left to cover in cannabis cultivation and grafting is just one under exploited method with hidden potential.

Here is an interesting link to the tomato paper, it's fascinating. tomato grafting for yield and resistance

 

[Mt Toaker]

Thanks for all of the great info, I have gotten many ideas from the information you have given me. I have never read anything about grafting until a couple days ago when I discovered this thread.

 

[DangerP]

On the subject of multi-strain moms, do people think that there are risks to this method? I just picked up two clones of strains I've wanted to grow for a long time. Right now I'm looking at either growing them both out as small moms or grafting them into a single plant.

One that I can think of is that you've got all of your eggs in one basket. If you've got two moms and one gets sick, at least you still have the other one. If you graft them, though, and the single mom gets sick, you're screwed. Another is that you've got to keep the single mom bigger, since you'll be pulling twice as many clones off of it as you would each mom in a pair.

Various benefits or problems will apply to different situations, but you can't make an educated guess about when to graft and when not to if you don't know the risks.

I hope all that makes sense. I've been enjoying the fruits of my labor.

 

[Guest]

Hi to all, a great thread this. Back in the seventies I have heard of people grafting cannabis to the stems of Hops. It may of been the other way round, in the misguided hope of producing psychoactive beer. Both plants are from the same family & is quite feasable. Hops grow to 10 meters, it might just be the answer to Gorrilla stealth techniques! Good luck.

 

[Jim Rockford]

Great post, I grafted with my aunt on her vinyards as a kid and no it is a big part of the wine industry. Great stuff.

 

[Simpleton]

I can't believe nobody quoted Clarke

I can't believe nobody quoted Clarke

Robert Connell Clarke - Marijuana Botany

"Grafting


Grafting of Cannabis is very simple. Several seedlings can be grafted together into one to produce very interesting specimen plants. One procedure starts by planting one seed ling each of several separate strains close together in the same container, placing the stock (root plant) for the cross in the center of the rest. When the seedlings are four weeks old they are ready to be grafted. A diagonal cut is made approximately half-way through the stock stem and one of the scion (shoot) seedlings at the same level.

The cut portions are slipped together such that the inner cut surfaces are touching. The joints are held with a fold of cellophane tape. A second scion from an adjacent seedling may be grafted to the stock higher up the stem. After two weeks, the unwanted portions of the grafts are cut away. Eight to twelve weeks are needed to complete the graft, and the plants are maintained in a mild environment at all times.

As the graft takes, and the plant begins to grow, the tape falls off."



The only advantage I can see at this point in time is multi-strain mother plants. Very valuable right now. When cannabis becomes legal, muilti-strain outdoor starts will have value. Actually multi-strain starts for outside probably hold value with outdoor med growers.

 

[guest3589]

Thats a great citation Simpleton, great addition to the thread. I notice he is using the approach method in this example and I have to say thats the method that works so well for me also.

 

[Mr. Nut]

Great thread! Ive done some grafting on bushes, but never with marijuana. Im very impressed... I would love to see marijuana grafted to a different type of plant, bush or tree ect. I'll only probably see that in my dreams, but who knows what the future holds.

 

[guest3589]

Great thread! Ive done some grafting on bushes, but never with marijuana. Im very impressed... I would love to see marijuana grafted to a different type of plant, bush or tree ect. I'll only probably see that in my dreams, but who knows what the future holds.

This works and is documented with certain types of hop's plants, since hops are in the hemp family. In fact there is some evidence that male hops plants can pollinate cannabis flowers producing viable seed. There was a thread I was following the grow of the cannabis x hops seeds on at another site which went down last year. Pity the site went down as I wanted to observe the grow past vegetative cycle, oh well.

 

[foomar]

This dates back to the 1970,s or earlier and was standard practice at that time.
Grafted 30+ every season for years and always had 20+ survive for the greenhouse.
The old boys who showed me how could do them very fast with few losses.

Grafting Tomatoes

Why Graft A Tomato Plant?

If you prefer the taste of heirloom tomatoes, you know there's no going back to
most of the disease-resistant hybrids. But those hybrids grow so nicely. So take
advantage of that! Use them as the rootstock.

List of Materials
Heirloom tomato plant
Disease-resistant tomato plant
Gallon pot
Potting soil

4 stakes: These will protect the tomato from the plastic bag, so they should be about 6" taller than the grafted plant .

Clear plastic bag: This will cover the grafted plant and part of the gallon
pot. It should be at least 6" taller than the plant, and wide enough to
surround the plant without bending the leaves, as well as to go over the pot.

Razor blade or grafting knife
Rubber band large enough to go around gallon pot without effort

2 rubber bands or equivalent, very soft, 6" long: These will be used to tie
the graft union together, so they must be so soft that they can hold the
pieces together without bruising the stems. Cut the rubber bands once to
unloop them.

4 wire plant ties at least 6" long.


Choosing Which Plants To Use

Select a healthy heirloom at least 6" tall. You will cut it so you have about 4"
of stem on the cutting.

Choose a disease-resistant variety that grows really well in your site. Select a
tall, robust plant. At a height of at least 6", preferably more, the rootstock
plant's stem should be the same diameter as that of your heirloom's join point.

Note: I grow only indeterminate tomatoes, and I've always used indeterminate
plants for rootstocks. I have not tried using cherry tomatoes. I'd like to hear
about results using other kinds.


Key Ideas

You want to put an heirloom cutting with about 4" of stem onto a
disease-resistant rootstock, and you want the graft union to be high enough so
that there's rootstock stem to bury afterward. You want the diameters of the two
stems to be the same at the graft union. (This is where the two pieces are
joined.)

The two grafted pieces must be gently but firmly touching at all times. The two
pieces must not move, dry out, or get cold. The pieces must start off in optimal
condition.

When you plant the grafted tomato, no part of the heirloom should touch the soil
or mulch.


How To Go About It

Soak both plants for an hour.
Repot the rootstock in the gallon pot. Do not bury any of the stem.
Note the diameter of your heirloom at its join point, where you'll cut it.
Find the matching diameter on your rootstock.
At the leaf node just above the rootstock's join point, chop off the top of
the plant.

With the razor blade or knife, cut the top of the rootstock's stem into a V
shape. Begin the downward cut from the side of the stem. Make the cuts meet
cleanly in the middle of the stem. The angle of the two cuts should be around
20 degrees.

With the razor blade or knife, cut the heirloom's stem so that it exactly
fills the space in the rootstock's stem.

Position a stake so that the two pieces are perfectly aligned. Fit the two
pieces together, and tie them to the stake.

Wrap a soft rubber band very gently around the join and tie it. Use two if
necessary.

Poke three stakes into the outer edge of the gallon pot so that they prevent
the plastic bag from bending the plant's leaves.

Water the plant.

Put the plastic bag over the stakes and plant. Fasten it onto the gallon pot
with the big rubber band, by moving the rubber band up from the bottom of the
pot.

Put the plant in indirect light, where it's at least 65 degrees, and there is
no wind. Keep it there until you see new growth from the top. Do not let the
soil dry out.

Do not allow any growth from below the graft union.

When the grafted plant is growing, gradually remove the plastic bag over
several days. Begin by unfastening the bottom of the bag and leaving a space
between it and the pot.

If the top shows signs of wilting, put the bag back.

Remove the rubber band when the graft is established. The tops of the
rootstock will tend to splay apart if given the chance, so be sure there's new
tissue in the gap.

Gradually acclimate the grafted plant to full sun, over a few days.
When the graft is strong and acclimated, plant it out. Do not allow any part
of the heirloom to touch soil or mulch.

 

[guest3589]

Great info foomar, I am thinking this year I'm going to go with the Cherokee purple as well as some other heirloom and graft the root stock.

 

[puffin fresh]

Just grafted an f-13 to a mango haze root stock because the f-13 root system is lacking. Nice thread

 

[Chief]

Nice thread, read it a couple times now. A update would be nice.

 

[sunnydog]

Nice thread, read it a couple times now. A update would be nice.

I have not grafted anything lately!

 

[Ordinary Joe]

Urban Grower Talks About Grafting Cannabis Plants

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGhWLaTopL4

Talks with member of Dampkring Growshop, nice example of flowering multi-variety headed plant.

There are also lots of videos on YouTube regarding Grafting.