Grafting success is influenced by plant conditions, prevailing environment, and 
experience of the operator.  Grafting is a skill, and thus some operators are 
able to perform it more successfully than others.

Plant Conditions:
Compatibility~the two plants to be united must be compatible ( graft 
compatibility ).  Even though this union is physical, the two plants should be 
as closely related genetically as possible for success.  It is easiest to stay 
within species and graft apples onto apples.  However, in certain cases, 
interspecies grafting is successful, as in the case of some almonds and plums, 
which are successful as scions on peach rootstocks.
Diameter of Parts~the stock diameter must be equal to or larger than the scion 
diameter.  The scion is usually larger than the size of a regular pencil, but 
some methods of grafting use larger stocks so that several scions can be grafted 
onto one stock.  Scions are usually derived from healthy one year old plants.
Physiological State~grafting is usually done using dormant plants.  These plants 
have no leaves ( except in the case of evergreens ).  In some cases, the 
rootstock may be actively growing, but the scion should not be growing.
Alignment of Tissues~since grafting is a physical union that depends on the 
healing of the cut surfaces ( wounds )through mitotic division, the cambium 
tissues of both parts must be properly aligned.  They must make contact over as 
wide an area as possible.  If the tissues are not aligned properly, the graft 
will fail.  The graft junction may be tied to keep the alignment in place 
throughout the healing period.

Environment:
The worst environmental enemy of a new graft is desiccation.  Therefore, a newly 
made graft should be waterproofed.  After tying, grafting wax may be applied 
over the entire surface.  Some operators use plastic or rubber ties instead of 
wax.  Either way, the purpose is to prevent desiccation from occurring at the 
graft junction.

The Operator:
In addition to all of the mentioned factors, the operator should always use a 
sharp knife and make sharp, clean cuts to ensure good contact of tissue.  A more 
experienced operator is likely to have greater success than a novice at 
grafting.



