Vegetable grafting includes three stages: a) preparation, b) splicing or cleft grafting and c) healing/acclimation. Failure to produce a healthy grafted plant can be traced to an error at any stage. Moreover, the second stage (splicing/cleft grafting) is the most quickly completed since (experienced hand-grafters can complete the process in approximately one minute or less). whereas preparation and healing can require weeks.
The Grafting Guide is a comprehensive pictorial guide to the splice and cleft graft methods as applied by hand to tomato and pepper. The Guide offers a detailed, easy to follow look at the entire process, from selecting rootstocks to evaluating the suitability of grafted plants for use in field- and high tunnel-based production. A tomato rootstock table, seeding calculator, stem diameter chart, seed treatment fact sheet, healing chamber design, and many other reference items are included in the Guide. The Grafting Guide may interest inexperienced and experienced grafters. New additions to the Grafting Guide will be prepared as experience and research-based information increase.
For quick reference we offer large, clear photos of each step in the second stage of the grafting process which are available in our grafting galleries or on our Facebook page.