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<pre>Dear Alan,
the olive likes this topworking to be done with bark or rind grafting, although
I've seen good results with other methods such as whip and tongue, cleft, etc.
But I strongly suggest the former especially if the rootstock is much larger
than the scion. By the way, the most important thing is timing. Other grafts
can be done in the winter, bark grafting requires the bark to be separable from
the rest of the stem, therefore as soon as vegetation recovers in the spring
(early April in Central Italy) you can insert one or more scions under the bark
(according to stock size), after cutting it back to desired height. If the tree
has already large branches, you can graft on branches, it will reduce the time
for the new canopy to develop. The choice depends also on how many trees you
have, costs, etc. Of course at that time buds have sprouted, and you should
have the twigs from which you will get the uninodal scions collected a few
weeks earlier, and kept in the fridge in plastic wrapping. Cut the scion to be
inserted a couple of cm above the node, and at the same distance make an
oblique, straight, smooth cut below the node, as long and oblique as possible,
so that the surface in contact will be as much as possible. Don't rip away the
leaves, but cut them to 1/4-1/5 of their length. And be careful with the buds!
Tie and protect the graft and the upper scion cut with cold wax or mastic. I
hope I remembered everything. Good luck and let us know as to the outcome.
Andrea Fabbri
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