APPROACH GRAFTING MAMEY SAPOTE
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Pouteria sapota
FAMILY: Sapotaceae
I visited the grove in South Miami belonging to Don and Sarah Pantin.
Pantin prefers to use a 3-foot seedling. His budwood is a branch from a tree or grafted plant. It is about the same size as the stem of the seedling rootstock.
In the procedure that I watched, the rootstock was placed on concrete blocks so it could reach up to a suitably-sized branch. The set-up was vulnerable to a strong wind.
The actual grafting is done in a few minutes: he makes matching cuts on the scion and rootstock and places them together so the edges (cambium) touch as much as possible; the area is then wrapped, starting very tightly and winding upwards. The wrapped union is covered with a plastic bag. In about a month's time, the grafted plant can be separated from the mother plant.
Pantin says he often uses the tips of these grafted plants as budwood for further grafting. This multiple grafting from the same stem has disrupted the plant's upright growth and caused extensive horizontal branching. There is no consensus about whether this is good or bad.
Pantin says the best time to graft is when the bark peels off cleanly and easily. In March, in Miami, the mamey naturally defoliates and primes itself for a new flush, so this is an especially good time to graft. He says that approach grafting can be done year round, but it does take longer for a union to form during the winter months (6-7 weeks).
Pantin usually gets all his grafts to take, and says that, other than being a little careful, there are no secrets to approach grafting mamey.
DATE: May 1991
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
