Hi, Im new in this forum, and would first like to thank everyone for all the info available here, wow!! Well, I like plants, a lot. About a year ago I germinated some adenium obesum seeds succesfully and now have about 100 5 inch tall seedlings, dont know what to do with all of them. Im now germinating medjool date palms, eggplants and different citrus succesfully. After visiting Thailand last year I became a bit obsessed with their food, and you cannot have Thai food without kaffir leaves. I finally got a hold of 3 small trees from a nursery in northern San Diego County, they also gave me 5 limes from which I got about 50 seeds that are already 1 inch tall seedlings. The small kaffir trees arent grafted to anything, theyre grown from seed. I want to graft them onto a rough lemon to make them grow faster and to tolerate Tristeza, which is quite common where I live(Queretaro, Mexico). I tried to Tbud some buds I took from my small trees to a rough lemon, but all failed. Ive read, literally, about 50 websites on tbudding, and I still didnt get it right. I have a couple of questions that I think would help me get it right next time: -Is it essential for the bark to slip in order for the bud to take? (I tried to do it in early february when the temps start to get warmer but I had to force the bark off the wood to be able to insert the bud) -Does the bud have to come from a thick branch?(the buds I used were taken from branches thinner than a pencil, about 2/3s as thick) -Is there a "secret" to getting it right? Thanks to all.
I tried my first T-budding last summer and had about a 60% success rate. Many of the failures were due to the fact that the tree I was putting the buds on did not have bark that was slipping--that is pretty much a necessity. The best buds come from round branches that are in their second or third flush (the first flush will produce angular branches). In addition, something I just learned--the bottom 3-4 buds from each branch are "blind buds"-- they may take, but will not produce sprouts. Temperature is another factor-- if daytime temps exceed 90 F buds are less likely to take. One of the most important factors is speed--get the T-slot ready, cut the bud and get it in the slot as fast as possible--10 to 15 seconds is possible. Skeet
Skeet, I think you actually meant to say the top two or three buds of a citrus branch are blind buds. Millet
Thanks Millet for the correction-- I had misunderstood the earlier post on the citrusforum. But that leads me to another question, do citrus buds have more than one eye (like pecans)-- I ask because one of my buds that had sprouted got broken off--any chance that another eye will sprout? Skeet
Millet the BOTTOM three to four buds are the blind eyes. I cut the bud & stick it in my mouth to keep it moist. Then cut the inverted T & pull the flaps back. Then insert the bud up in the direction it was growing. Push it a little further than what you cut. The bark will split easy as you push the bud up. Then start from the bottom & wrap the bud up & leave it for three to four weeks. If it is still green after three to four weeks you can unwrap it & start the process of forcing the bud. Heres a quick example. BTW this is one of Bonnie Childers Silverhill Satsumas I T-Budded...
Skeeter, yes many are multiple buds. I have many trees I have grafted that will push two, three sometimes four branches from the seemingly same bud.
Laaz, when you say "Bottom" in your link you are talking about the buds on the NEW flush of growth from the bud your T-budded. This is what Bonnie has said, "The bottom 2 buds on a flush of growth will be blind buds. A blind will have no bud node. It is best to clip the lower 3 buds on a flush of growth and discard them." This is what Ned said, "Still, this is a good time to point out that the first few nodes on a citrus stem have no buds and will not sprout." They both are talking about a new flush of growth. What about bud wood from UCR, is this the same? Skeet, at the present time I have a Satsuma that I budded last summer. The bud flushed and grew four inches and produced 4 or 5 leaves. The growth never did look all the healthy from the start. Finally, after 6 months the flush started to drop leaves and die back. Last week a second flush of new growth begin to grow from the same bud that I had originally had budded. So your answer is yes. Millet
Thanks Lazz and Millet-- I am glad to hear that there can be multiple eyes to a bud-- as long as it is not a blind bud. As for the blind buds--starting at the base of a branch the first 2 or 3 leaves will not have buds at those nodes, but now when that same branch starts a second flush-- will the first 2 or 3 leaves of that flush also not have buds? Can you tell by looking at the node that the bud is blind? Skeet
Skeet, the blind buds that Laaz has shown in the above picture will be at the very bottom of a branch when it attaches to the under stock. Actually this will turn out not to be a branch, but the main leader of the tree. Your question is a great question. UCR bud wood is not taken from the bottom of a branch, but much farther out on a limb. I'm with you on this question, and that is,--- does the blind bud rule apply when we are talking about budwood taken from an end cut, or from the second or third flush from the end of a branch? Millet
Every time the plant branches out, the new branch will have dead eyes on the first few nodes. If you look very carefully you will see a bump, but no bud. I was using the picture above as an example as I couldn't find a better one at the time. Basically every new flush will have blind eyes at the first few nodes...
Thanks again-- So the bottom line is you really need to learn to identify "true buds" and "blind buds", especially on branches that are in a second or third flush. Skeet
Thanks Laaz. I have a Silver Hills that a close friend budded onto Flying Dragon and then gave me the tree. The bud is 6 months old or so, and has never flushed, however it is still green. I'll get out my magnifying lens and take a look. It might be a blind bud. Learned something here today thanks. Millet
Hi, thanks for all the information above. I think Im a couple of steps closer to making a succesful Tbud. I still have a copuple of questions though: -How thin can the branch from where the bud is taken be? Can it be a relatively new branch thats about as thin as half a pencil? -Knowing now that slipping bark is a must, does anyone know when bark would slip here? the weather is pretty much like in southern Texas. Thanks again.
When you see active growth on the rootstock it should be slipping. Yes you can take buds from any wood as long as the wood has hardened off. Do not use the newest growth with soft tissue.
Millet that photo was taken last summer, the tree is quite a bit larger now. The way I force buds is to make sure they have taken & then cut off the rootstock a few inches above the bud. Everyone has their own method, but this works best for me. I don't bend the rootstock or notch it above the bud, I cut it right off a few inches above. This forces all the nutrients to the new bud.
Laaz, we budded 25 or 30 trees that day when Citrus Joe, Bonnie and I had the budding day in my greenhouse last summer. After the buds took (100%) and flushed out 2 to 4 inches, I also cut off the top about 1/2 inch above the bud. Most all did fine, but a couple struggled and finally died. Bonnie said that on those, had I bent the scion back to give additional nutrition to the bud they probably would have made it. Maybe so, but who knows for sure. BTW, I asked about the Silverhill bud that has stayed dormant and was told me that the bud is not from the bottom 2 or 3, and should be a good bud. Millet Janet Monaco - Hero
I looked very carefully at the leaf nodes on some limbs that I cut off of my lemon the other day while trying to force some buds. There are clearly some nodes near the tip that have obvious buds -- they actually look like they even have leaves beginning to form. There are some near the bottom that have a small thorn and a bump beside it that are probably blind. But there were also quite a few that were difficult to say whether there was actually a bud there or not. I just hope that I do not have a bunch of blind buds that I T-budded last fall. Skeet
