A three-week window when the rootstock is waking and the scion is not
The window
When the rootstock buds are just swelling, usually mid to late March. Scion wood must have been cut in January and kept cold since.
Collecting scions
January, from last year's growth, stored wrapped in a fridge. Cutting them in March means both parts are awake and the graft fails.
The cut
Matching cambium is everything. The green layer just under the bark must touch on at least one side, and that is the whole of the skill.
