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The North Coast

Please excuse my lack of video and editing experience...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fy5EbsK8zzM&context=C4b5d826ADvjVQa1PpcFN8jUbGgtXSl-cdkJGRJ3WdvVKqM0I7oY4=

4/24/2012 9:16:31 PM

Muddy Waters

Very Good! Why no bottom heat when there in the Hospital?It may be hard to keep it 85 degrees in my basement,Can I put a heating pad under the folded towel??My lights are in the basement to much hassle to move them upstairs.Plus there are 5 year olds upstairs at certain times.LOL! I think I will go practice grafting my wifes new patio umbrella unto her bird bath.lol

4/24/2012 10:10:54 PM

formerly RGG

Mark, you are a riot. lol

4/24/2012 10:29:32 PM

formerly RGG

Nathan, that's a great video. Anyone considering grafts should absolutely watch it.

4/24/2012 11:06:55 PM

Omaha, Ne.

your a natural. Keep em coming

4/24/2012 11:15:49 PM

Baker City Oregon

Nice video. Well put together. I've never been interested in grafting watermelon so took a look mainly out of curiosity. Very interesting.

4/25/2012 2:23:10 AM

The North Coast

I failed to mention in the video that you should take a digital thermometer and do a dry run with your hospital. Set it all up without the plants and put the thermometer inside and see what it says. If you want warmer you can make changes. I think that if you were above 70 and below 85 you'd be good.

I really had no time to re-shoot a scene just because I cut off my head or started to ramble but I feel that it gives a lot of good information. Hope you all enjoy.

4/25/2012 7:45:37 AM

Goodwood, Ontario, Canada

Great video. Now would this work for Giant pumpkins?

4/25/2012 8:37:33 AM

The North Coast

Now that is the question...

You technically can and the rootstock would perform well but even with the large size of the rootstock's stem, trying to graft an AG stem into the rootstock would be a challenge. The AG stem is quite large, would remind me of watching a very large dog try to get it on with a chihuahua...it may be a challenge but it could happen.

4/25/2012 8:54:58 AM

Bethlehem CT

Nice job Nate, you have some good insights and techniques. I really like how you figured out that the squashes cotyledon leaf will support the melon scion. Thanks for sharing!

4/25/2012 8:59:08 AM

Muddy Waters

Yes very informative,I'm ready for surgery.

4/25/2012 3:58:39 PM

The North Coast

@Handy

When you are finished with the graft pay special attention to the orientation of the scion and the rootstock stem. You will have to assume that the melon will relax and want to fall over. Last night I finished all the grafts and noticed that I make last minute changes to the roostock angle to accommodate the relaxing of the scion.

You will see that sometimes it is best to skew the rootstock over a bit so that the scion is balanced. If you don't pay attention the scion will slide right off to the side and start to pull itself out of the union.

After 7 days of healing you will notice that there is a wide variance in the vigor of the plants. Some may of died, others look just alive, and some are taking off. The reason for the variation is that on the good looking plants you managed to get good alignment of the vascular tissue. On the ones that are alive but just sitting there, you only managed to align a small percent of the vascular tissue. It is all a real crap shoot. Even the best effort my result in poor alignment. If you are blessed with a graft that takes off right out of the gate that is excellent, but if you have some that are alive but just hanging out don't fret. It will take a bit more time for them to rebuild the nutrient highways. This plant, while slower out of the gate, still has all the potential as the "perfect graft".

Grafting is pretty easy if you follow the directions. If you visit this site you are more than qualified to take it on.

4/25/2012 5:47:19 PM

Muddy Waters

Thx Nathan,We need Supermans X-Ray vision to line up the tissue.I'm headed to the Laser eye institute ASAP!

4/25/2012 7:01:13 PM

Muddy Waters

ignore button in place

4/25/2012 7:46:23 PM

formerly RGG

Ditto Mark. This clown seems to cause problems everywhere he can.

4/25/2012 8:41:52 PM

The North Coast

What?...I dont see anything...

4/25/2012 9:00:44 PM

Muddy Waters

Hey Dennis! Why don't circus lions eat clowns? Because they taste funny.LOL!

4/25/2012 9:45:24 PM

Muddy Waters

Did I tell you about the guy who go's into the bar dressed like a grilled cheese sandwich,He ask the bartender for a rum & coke.The bartender replies.I'm sorry we don"t serve food.LOL!

4/25/2012 9:48:24 PM

Rapid City, SD

4/27/2012 6:53:30 PM

Muddy Waters

If you take 3% of amelio's verbal crap & spread it on forum,it draw more flies then mountain of fresh donkey dung.Only donkey dung with time kan b very beneficial to growing in the U.S..Amelio have no beneficial,not now,not later ,not nada.comprenday comrado com nik kin poop!LOL!

4/27/2012 8:10:55 PM

formerly RGG

Mark, haven't you "ignored" that SOB yet ? Most of us have since all he wants to do is make trouble. if he becomes totally ignored he will go away. If he is commented on then that is what he thrives on. He is a very big trouble maker.

4/27/2012 9:30:19 PM

Muddy Waters

He aint going away Dennis Hemorrhoids can live forever!

4/28/2012 7:19:54 AM

The North Coast

Back to the subject at hand...

As this latest batch spends time in the hospital I see some changes to what was said in the video.

It may be necessary to extend the time under the towel, while in the hospital, from 2 days to 3. Then follow the light increasing schedule. After 2 days they still look on the verge.

As the watermelons are healing the cots will start to look real bad. Normally when the cots prematurely crash so does the rest of the plant. Not the case here, the cots will get sucked nearly dry within the first couple of days but the first true leaf will still be healthy. So dont fret if the cots go down hill as long as the first true leaf looks good.

In the last couple of days I have misted the plants twice.

In the video I talked about seeing the tip of the scion coming through the rootstock, that tip was about 1/8". Your tip should never exceed that 1/8", more common would be 1/16". The further you push the scion into the rootstock the smaller amount of exposed graft area there is to heal.

Also, my poking tool was fractionally too blunt. The taper on that tool was about 3/8". Next time I will sharpen one side of the tool to 3/8" and the other side to 1/2".

4/28/2012 7:47:55 AM

Muddy Waters

Watched it again,I hope I have enough lites to keep all my plants going.I have 11 melons & soon to have 6 kins to care for.Were not getting good sunny days to set them outside yet.I may have to use a bell or different lite for Hospital if its not sunny & 60 by mid week.Will put screens on Melon Cave tomorrow if we get sunny days can keep plants in there.I think we will be looking at another cold summer this year.

4/28/2012 8:46:25 PM

Muddy Waters

Busy Day! planted 1161 & 1381 in kin Cave & just grafted 5 plants all 260.5s .I hope 1 makes it.Does the lite stay on over towel 24/7 on the hospital?

5/3/2012 8:25:35 PM

formerly RGG

Yes Mark, it does.

5/3/2012 9:37:56 PM

Muddy Waters

There standing at attention this am 12 hrs after surgery,the melons & squash.Maybe too much lite getting through towel??

5/4/2012 7:07:29 AM

formerly RGG

Mark, it might be too much light if they weren't "standing at attention ". It sounds to me like you did a great job. Unwilted plants is exactly what you want. I think you did a great job my friend.

5/4/2012 7:33:22 AM

Bethlehem CT

Sounds good so far Mark, I got 2 out of 8 plants to take. The other ones hung around for a while then started to peter out. (After about 5-7 days)
I just started another batch myself, I plan on trying it on some Jubilee and sugar baby melons. I definitely need practice, I think the key is in getting good stem contact between the scion and the rootstock. Once I get that down I think I will get much higher percentages. Thank you Nate for teaching us this method.

5/4/2012 7:40:59 AM

formerly RGG

Nathan is proving himself to be a huge contributor to the future of our sport.

5/4/2012 8:29:58 AM

The North Coast

@Handy, the plants look good. The two rootstocks on the left are leaning over a bit. Make sure that the scion is balanced nicely over the rootstock.

The cots of the melon will wilt in a few days and will start to look bad, this is normal. The cots on the grafts that take will recover in time and look normal again.

Your rootstock soil looks dry-ish which is good. I usually dont water the soil until the healing is complete.

I am getting better too. 18 of 18 have survived. About 10 of them would get an A or B grade. About 4 get a C and 4 are alive but will need a good amount of time to get re-established.

I am starting to wonder if a mild fungicidal solution would be a benefit. The melon cots do get unhealthy and some start to get brown starting at it's outer most tip and then it starts to work to the center. I am not sure if this is the cots drying out or an infection taking hold. Being near 100% humidity doesnt help much either. The browning doen't affect the first true leaf however.

Congrats big moon. You have two of the best CC's ever held my man.

5/4/2012 8:34:54 AM

The North Coast

...best CC's held BY man.

5/4/2012 8:36:28 AM

Muddy Waters

Thanks Nathan,Your a great teacher,the 2 on left are standing up now.The root stock leaves look like the letter Y.It's like there singing.It's fun to stay at the YMCA!LOL!

5/4/2012 10:10:05 AM

Muddy Waters

Day 2 there reaching for the sky!Young Melon Carolina Assc.LOL I may go buy a taller dome this there touching the lid on this 6 incher.No wilting on either at 36 hrs.

5/5/2012 8:03:58 AM

Muddy Waters

Nathan on day 6 here I had the addarootame sisters in the kin cave today they spent the day in the shade.last nite they had there first nite of darkness.I can see the cots looking bad,but the true leaf appears to have some small growth.Will the cots die now & the true leaf take off using the squash cots for growth??

5/9/2012 9:04:40 PM

Muddy Waters

The melon cots appear to be dying

5/9/2012 9:07:12 PM

formerly RGG

You may possibly have a small problem of some kind Mark. My watermelon cots did not die during the process. But if the plants are growing then it can't be too large of a problem. :o)

5/9/2012 9:30:37 PM

Muddy Waters

Yes,Not sure yet,should know tonight if there growing or dying.

5/10/2012 6:40:07 AM

The North Coast

Naw, by this point if the graft was a failure they would be dead. You have to make sure that you don't stress them until they start to grow the first true leaf out. When the first true leaf is the size of a quarter you know you are off to the races. The cots getting wilty is to be expected, just nurse them through the next couple of days and the cots will re-inflate and will look like new again.

5/10/2012 8:13:54 AM

Sugar Hill , Georgia

Hey I watched your video and I'm interested , just wondering though is the method you use the most reliable or even successfull , would you reccomendation something else for a first time grafters I really just wanna practice , also what is the exact species you use as the rootstock?

5/10/2012 4:30:41 PM

The North Coast

I believe that the hole insertion method is easiest to pull of because you can use plants of different stem sizes. I think it is the best way most of the time.

If you'd just like to practice you can use AG seeds, they are quite similar.

The rootstocks' names are Shintosa Camelforce, Strongtosa, and C. ficifolia.

or I could give you some. Email me if you'd like at nathanokorn@bellsouth.net

5/10/2012 5:36:10 PM

Muddy Waters

Yes I would go this way it was very easy to do I used a bamboo skewer to poke the holes.X-acto knife to cut wiped in alcohol(rubbing)not moonshine.lol!Pampered chef plastic cutting board put on me specs and went to town.BTW My wife loves the new bird bath.lol

5/11/2012 5:00:03 AM