slipping bark, what the heck does that mean?

[jbclem2]

I've read a million times about waiting for the bark to slip before you start bud grafting.  Year after year I've waiting and waited, and the bark never seems to be in the "slipping"mode, or at least what I would consider to be slipping, or loose-ish.  I've always assumed this mean the bark would be very easy to peel back enough so the bud piece would slip right into the slot, perfectly aligned and tight. 

But it never happens this way for me.  I always find myself having to wiggle and force my spreading utensil (the back of the grafting blade, the front of the grafting blade, my finger nail, a butter knife, a guitar pick, a thin metal nail file... I'm still trying different items but the nail file seems to be the best) under the bark with more force than should be necessary.  So when I get the bark(actually it's the green bark) to spread, it feels like I've pulled it away from underlying green it's attached to, like I've reluctantly unstuck it.  And sometimes the effort damages it a bit so it doesn't have that nice neat closure feeling you see in photos.

The S. Calif temperatures have been 85F to 90F these weeks, should be warm enough.  Is my experience typical, or am I an outlier.  Could someone step in and pontificate on the art of spreading the slipping bark...

John

Topanga, Calif 9b

[kumin]

A clear straight incision should provide an edge that can easily by lifted by minimal prying force. The cutting edge of the budding knife may be used to begin the bark lift, but the bark lifter on the back side of the blade is usually sufficient.
Bark that resists lifting can be the result of dormancy due to cold weather, however, it can be caused by stress from drought, under watering, excessive temperature as well as other conditions that inhibit active growth.
Additionally, the rootstock stems should preferably be 1 year old wood, although pliable older wood may be satisfactory.

[pagnr]

The brass bark lifter on the back of many knives is also useful in some cases.
It can be a bit easier to use than the lifting tip of the cutting blade,
Two knives can be useful, one just for the brass bark lifter so you don't have to close the blade of the budding knife.
If the bark is really slipping you may not need to use a lifter, the bud will push in easily.
The opened bark will be glistening with clear sap.
Some rootstock varieties will be slipping and some varieties not slipping even on the same day.
What rootstock are you working with ? Have you tried different heights / bark thickness areas ?
Have you tried Chip budding ?
It is a simple method that doesn't need slipping bark.

[kumin]

At the beginning of a flush (dormant buds breaking along the stems) the bark should lift quite readily.

[poncirusguy]

I use a 10% bleach solution and a tooth brush to scrub under my thumbnails and lift the bark with my thumb nails with good results.

[jbclem 9b Topanga, Ca]

Thanks for all the good ideas. I have some sour orange seedlings and a clementine mandarin taken over by suckers, all available to practice on.  For source material I've been taking live buds off of some older containerized citrus, so the bud supply is a bit limited...but I'll keep looking for that slipping bark.

And it's been surprisingly difficult to make a perfect straight incision on the rootstock sucker stems, and their branches.  They are full of sharp thorns so these have to be cut off first, and the stems and branches aren't perfectly vertical or horizontal so the knife tends to wander a bit along the contour of the stem/branch. But just as some people tilt a cleft graft scion to make more cambium contact, maybe the same would occur with a less than perfect t-bud incision.  Does that make sense?

[kumin]

A blade with a curved edge may be easier to draw in a straight line. I've used scalpels, but find budding knives to be superior. I take my knives to a local sharpening service. The knife should be ultra sharp, so the bare minimum of pressure is needed. A dull knife is considerably more dangerous, due to the pressure needed to make the cuts. By minimizing the amount of lignified wood cut with the budding knife the sharp edge can be preserved longer.

[pagnr]

You can often bend a rootstock or sucker branch to get a clear flatter work area. Plants in pots can be slightly tilted to flatten the cutting area. Any obstructions like thorns or small branches restrict your blade movements and taping up.
Often you will need to choose a budding height that gives you clear space. Many people lift pots onto a bench to change working height.