"Hazell B" wrote in message
s.com...
Please, please let me in to the secret world of grafting!

I recently started to add some new trees to my small stock list and
some are grafted (Paul's Scarlet Hawthorns, for instance) twice. The
first graft is as it should be, at the base. But on some there is a
second, new graft at the top on the main leader. The trees are 6 to 8
feet tall and the second graft is a couple of feet from the tip of the
tallest part. What's it for?

My other question is how do I start some Paul's Scarlet off on my own
rootstock? I've never grafted before, so read up a bit and all I know
is to use some strong rootstock (in this case plain hawthorn?)

I have severe doubts whether a rose scion grafted on to a hawthorn stock
would take.
Paul's Scarlet *cuttings* take very well. Take half a dozen cuttings about
6" long from healthy young growth on the plant and plant them firmly about
3" deep into the open ground on a day when the soil is not frozen. (Some
rooting hormone might be helpful). Leave them there untouched until you see
new growth appearing. Then decide what you want to do with them, and do it.
The cuttings can all come from a single long stem if you wish. Just make
sure that the end which gets buried is cut cleanly exactly at a node.

and the
Paul's Scarlet is coming from a large shrub at the back of my house
that looks very healthy. Am I too late to cut from the PS now?

Almost, but not quite. It is worth having a bash with cuttings as I
described above.

I read
that the two should be put together just before leaf break on the
rootstock, but it didn't say what binding to use and I'm wondering what
everyone else uses?

Advice, please, as it all seems very scientific to me!

Franz