New England Grafting Workshop
March 14
Join us for a Chestnut grafting workshop at the TACF New England Regional office on March 14th. This day-long event will include chestnut grafting method demonstrations, practice, and discussion, with the goal of developing grafting skills and relationships to preserve the unique genetics of chestnuts. There will also be a scion exchange for everyone to bring their own trees and share. It is not a requirement to bring scion wood or to be proficient in grafting; everyone is welcome!
The event will be held at the CAES Griswold Research Center: 190 Sheldon Rd, Griswold, CT 06351. This will be a day-long event starting at 10am. Please RSVP with Deni Ranguelova at gro.fcat@avoleugnar.ined. Attendance will be limited to 25 people.
Agenda:
- 10:00 – 11:00am Scion Exchange/Social Hour
- 11:00 – 11:30am Overview of chestnut grafting and use in TACF’s breeding program. This will include a brief introduction to what grafting is and how it is planned to be used to help breed blight-resistant American chestnuts. We’ll look at the structure of chestnut seeds and sprouts and define some basic grafting methods so that we have an idea of what is planned for today’s activities.
- 11:30 – 1:00pm Demonstrations of seedling, hypocotyl, and epicotyl grafting methods.
- 1:00 – 2:00pm Lunch Break. Pizza and sandwiches will be provided. People with dietary restrictions or those who wish are encouraged to bring their own lunch.
- 2:00 – 5:00pm Grafting practice and discussion. Individuals will be given some time to practice grafting as supplies allow. More experienced group members will circulate and coach others. This will also be some time for questions about grafting and general discussion.
