When should I expect my benchgraft order to arrive? How big will they get their first season?
A. We try to ship grafts at the optimum time for planting out at our customer’s site -. either into individual 5 gallon containers or a well-protected garden row. Weather and climate are big factors; so is our own work schedule. Grafting season for us begins when our rootstocks are ready (usually late February) and continues – with the help of semi-modern refrigeration – through April…..This is a narrow window of opportunity, but adequate enough for us to take care of all our orders in a rotation based on climate zones. Judging the optimum time for planting out grafts can be a tricky business and depends greatly on local conditions. The best moment is some time after the last hard freeze – but before hot weather sets in. While there are no clearly defined rules that will apply to all regions, we consider apple blossom time to be a good indicator that it should be safe to plant dormant benchgrafts. Our first shipments (end of February to mid-March) go to customers in Southern and Cent
