GRAFTING TAPE VERSUS RAFFIA
It is necessary that a person who is grafting trees and developing
hybrids experiment not only with the plants he is interested in, but
also with the equipment and materials he uses. For more than twelve
years, I used raffia to tie the grafts I made, becoming more annoyed and
irritated with its limitations each year. Finally, I began trying other
materials, until I found one which I think is very satisfactory. This is
a rubberized grafting tape.
At my nursery, we make our own tape. We buy pure rubber gum, known as
Lotol NC-356, from the Naugatuck Chemical Company, at a cost of $7.50
for five gallons, F.O.B. their factory. With this, we use unbleached
muslin of an 80 x 80 mesh, or finer. As the muslin is usually a yard
wide, we fold it and take it to a printing firm, where, for a small
charge, it is cut into both one-half and three-quarter inch strips by
being fed through a paper-cutting machine. We use the wider strips for
heavy work on large trees which have three to five-inch stubs; the
narrower strips we use in the nursery, grafting young seedlings.
First, pour about a gallon of the rubber compound into a twelve or
sixteen-quart pail having a smooth, rolled edge. Next, separate a dozen
or so of the strips of muslin. Then, set out a pair of rails on which to
dry the tape after it has been dipped. I make these rails by using two
1" x 2" boards about twelve feet in length, nailed together at the ends
with boards two feet long. This frame, resting on carpenter's horses or
benches, makes a good drying rack.
Holding a piece of tape by one end, submerge it in the rubber solution,
forcing it down with a spatula or knife. Swishing it around or moving it
up and down several times helps to fill the pores with rubber. Drag it
from the solution by pulling it sharply over the rolled edge of the
pail, using the spatula on the upper side of the strip to scrape off
superfluous rubber. A little practice soon enables one to judge the
amount of rubber needed on the tape. There should not be so much that it
drips off. Hang the tape on the rack so that the ends are attached to
the rails, the tape sagging slightly in the center. Space the pieces of
tape so that they do not touch, for, if they do, they will be very
difficult to separate later. After they have dried for twenty-four
hours, wind the tape on pieces of cardboard about one foot square,
being careful not to overlap the tape. The tape is now ready for
field-work.
I want to mention some of the advantages I have found in using this
rubberized tape rather than raffia. The tape is uniform throughout and
is stronger than raffia. It does not fly around and frequently get
tangled as the latter does. There is no necessity for keeping it
slightly damp to be usable. It may easily be torn off at any convenient
length or it may be cut without injuring the edge of the grafting knife.
A last advantage is that it is self-sealing since it overlaps on itself
slightly when wound around a graft union. Because of this, there is no
necessity for painting the finished graft with melted wax as is
absolutely vital when using raffia. Personally, I use wax in addition to
the tape for I feel that it is probably safer with that extra
protection. Also it gives me an opportunity to wax over the tip end of
the scion when it is devoid of a terminal bud.
The only disadvantage in using tape is its cost which, I must admit, is
very much higher than that of raffia. But if, by using tape, twice as
many grafts can be made each day, and if the resulting takes are 50%
better, as they have been in my experience, then the cost is justified
and raffia is actually the more expensive to use.