Come learn the magic of fruit tree grafting! With this versatile skill you will be able to make your own apple trees at a fraction of the cost of purchasing them, and have the tools to clone any apple tree you happen to fancy. In the class we will discuss and demonstrate whip-and-tongue and cleft grafting in detail. The basics of bridge grafting, bud grafting, and top working older trees will be covered. The care and protection of young trees, selection of root stocks, and sources of grafting scion wood will also be discussed.
Participants will need a grafting knife for this class. Rikardo orders high quality grafting knives and sells them at cost to students who need one. He does not advise students to try to sharpen and bring their own knife, unless they communicate with him first about how to properly do this (handedness matters), and what type of knife might be appropriate for this. It may be possible to loan a knife for the duration of the class - please let us know if you plan to do this so we can make sure we have enough tools available.
Each participant will have the opportunity to graft three apple trees to take home. (Additional rootstock and scion wood will be available for purchase.)
Grafting requires good grasp, arm, and elbow strength in order to make successful cuts. Students should be able to easily lift 15 pounds; please reach out to us if this is a concern.
There will be an optional tour of the instructor's orchard after the end of the class, which takes 20-30 minutes.
Date: Saturday, April 13
Time: 9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Ages: Adults only
Level: Beginner
Location: Rural Gays Mills, WI
Materials Fee: $25
Sliding Scale Course Fee Guidelines (Does not include materials fee)
Supporter Level Ticket: $65
Sustainer Level Ticket: $50
Supported Level Ticket: $35
Instructor Bio - Rikardo Jahnke
Rikardo has been orcharding since 1996, and grafting longer than that. He has been selling apples, berries, cider, jams, and other value-added products at the Viroqua Farmer’s Market since 2000. He gets great joy from satisfied customers who are “fruit explorers.” He grows 53 varieties of apples. Rikardo lives in Crawford County, WI at the Dancing Waters Permaculture Co-operative, an intentional community that has existed for almost 40 years.