There are numerous methods described in literature on how to graft a tree. One that is not described often because it has a more limited usage is Thread Grafting, a grafting procedure probably used more frequently by Bonsai enthusiasts than anyone else.

Why? Because although people are concerned with the beauty of the trees on their property, the placement of branches may not be as critical as it is in the art of Bonsai. Proper branch placement is important to the aesthetics of a bonsai tree and besides, they are much smaller and this technique is much easier to apply. What if your tree lacks a branch in a location where one is desired and you want the branch not only to be located there but you don't want to wait for a graft using a bud or getting a branch from that tree or a tree of the same species to graft on.

If you can grow a whip on your tree (a fast growing, one year old, slender branch) and it is long enough to reach the area where a branch is desired, you have the makings of a thread graft, a more reliable way of achieving your purpose.

Thread grafts can be used on many deciduous trees, particularly on trees that have small buds. The best time to accomplish this in this area is in the late winter, just before the buds swell although some have done it later but only after they have defoliated the whip.

Picture 1 shows a bonsai tree that has been permitted to let some long whips grow at the top to be used specifically for the thread graft. As one can see in figure 2, a hole is drilled through the trunk in the area where the new branch is desired. The hole must be large enough for the whip to be pulled through it.

One reason thread grafts are done before the buds swell is so that the diameter of the drilled hole can be as small as possible to accomplish your purpose. The "whips" are sacrifice branches because eventually they will be cut off. Always use "new" branches-those from the previous year's growth.

 Picture 3 shows the whip pulled through the drilled hole and positioned. A small piece of the bark (down to the cambium layer) is removed from the thread graft whip at a point that will line up with the cambium of the trunk. This is done on the whip on both sides of the trunk (fig 4).

A small wooden wedge is used to hold the graft in position on the side where the whip enters the hole and on the other end, making certain that the cambium layers of the whip and trunk remain abutted to one another. The ends of the trunk holes can then be sealed off with a pruning paste, preferably a paste with fungicidal and hormonal qualities. The next figure (fig 5) shows the tree with the whips pulled down and through the trunk.

The figure 6 shows the grafted whip one year later after it has fused with the trunk. One can see new growth on the graft. How long did that take? How long before one can cut off the sacrifice branch which had been providing nourishment to the graft? It is possible, if the fit was quite snug to begin with and was made late winter or even early spring before the buds swelled, that the graft will have already taken The sacrifice branch could then be cut off leaving the grafted whip on its own, a living part of the tree at that location. Watch the sealing paste. If the sealing paste has "puffed and cracked", the graft has taken. If one is cautious and also not an impatient person, it might be prudent to wait till the following year to cut off the sacrifice branch..

 The last picture (fig 7) shows the tree with the thread graft growing happily and the tree looking more aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

It also more closely follows the "rules" of branching in Bonsai; so, if one likes to experiment and there is a tree needing a branch or two in places where there are none now, try "Thread Grafting". Photos are from Bonsai Today, Issue No. 45, Sept./Oct. 1996 by Takao Salamato entitled Never Before Explained Details About Thread Grafting.