grafting beech

[Allen Nichols]

I am a director for the NY chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation. We expect to have a blight resistant tree to introduce to the public in 5 to 10 years.

In the interm, before we have blight resistant nuts from these trees, I would like to graft as a means of propigation.  I have grafted onto chestnut with no problem, but most woodlots do not have chestnut resprouts to graft onto.

I know that there has been some grafting done to propigate blight  resistant beech, by grafting onto beech suckers. The American chestnut is in the same family as the American Beech and I have been trying to graft onto the beech on my woods with chestnut scions.

Has anyone had any experience grafting beech or know how I can contact someone who has. I have found several articles  from Canada on grafting beech,but I still have some questions I would like to get answers to.

I have been nut grafting chestnut hoping to use that as a future propigation method, but if we could graft onto beech 5' above the ground it would be much easier than tending a seedling and protecting it from the deer....

 

Any information would be appriciated.  Thanks, Allen Nichols

[Peter Smallidge]

Hi Allen:

Neat idea; I hope it works.  There is of course no shortage of beech, and that would be a great use of the stems. 

I don't personally know anything about grafting trees, but I was recently at a meeting of the NY Nut Growers Association.  One or two people there have worked at length with grafting hickory and walnut, with good success.  Here is the web link for the association.

You might also contact Dr. Ken Mudge in the Cornell Dept. of Horticulture.  He, or his colleagues have done some work with grafting trees.  They have a fondness for nut trees, which would certainly include American chestnut.  Ken manages the McDaniels Nut Grove, here is their link. 

If you need a study site with good security, we could easily find space at the Cornell Arnot Forest.  Email directly if you wish to pursue this route via [e-mail]

Good luck,

Peter