The present invention relates to a grafting tool for grafting selected growth to a plant or tree limb. The apparatus is more particularly directed to precisely cutting slits in the bark of a tree limb for executing a "banana" graft or a 3- or 4-flap graft for grafting new selected growth to pecan or fruit trees.
It has become popular to graft desirable pecan (or fruit) wood to other less desirable root or base stock by using a technique termed a "banana" graft or a "3- or "4-flap" graft. In this technique, a limb of the root or base stock, generally 0.5 inches to about 1.25 inches in diameter, is cut cleanly at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the tree limb or trunk at the point where the graft is desired. Three (3) or four (4) longitudinally straight slits are cut in the bark of the limb or trunk. The longitudinal slits are evenly spaced circumferentially about the limb, and then the bark between adjacent slits is peeled back as a single flap to provide a plurality of such flaps, depending on the size of the limb or trunk and the preference of the one doing the grafting.
The inner wood of the limb or trunk is then cut away at a right angle to the limb axis at the base of the peeled back flaps. The limb of the desired graft wood is selected to be generally equal in diameter to the diameter of the limb or trunk into which the slits were made. The bark is removed from an area adjacent the end of the desirable graft wood for a distance equal to the length of the flaps on the base wood limb. The exposed end of the desired graft wood limb is positioned in an abutting relationship to the severed end of the base wood limb, and the peeled back bark flaps are repositioned to encircle the exposed end of the desirable graft wood limb. The bark flaps are taped in place and the entire graft area is covered and sealed to protect the graft wound.
To make consistent grafts having a high degree of probability of success, it is necessary to make the grafting slit cuts uniformly straight, evenly circumferentially spaced and of a uniform depth, which is difficult when making the cuts by hand with a knife.