Can ornamental peach be grafted in autumn, and which method is best?

    Autumn grafting of ornamental peach, Shouxing peach, and red-leaf ornamental peach must not be later than early September. At this time the rootstock, mountain peach, has not yet entered dormancy, the bark slips easily, and the air humidity is low, so gumming is unlikely and the survival rate is high. Use bud grafting; seedling grafting also works. Six to seven days after grafting, if the scion's leaf petiole drops off naturally, it has taken; if the petiole dries up on the stem, it has not taken, and regrafting should be done promptly. Before the ground freezes, dig up the plants that have taken, trim the roots, and heel them in for storage. The following spring they should be replanted in a different spot to prevent root-knot nematode. Under home conditions, the roots can be trimmed and the plants potted up, kept warm and protected from cold to overwinter. The next spring, divide and replant, replacing the heeling-in soil with growing medium.