I bark graft all the time on the central leader. Amazing results, you get the side branching and have a new "weaker" leader that is grafted, which makes it ideal. But some of the grafts are even more vigorous than the previous leader, depending on variety. I usually graft the upright cultivars on the top to prevent shading out the other cultivars.

I have grafted on leader and side branches. One thing to remember that central leader grafts are more vigorous. You'll need to support the growth of the graft against weight and wind, specially the first 2 years, or it will break off.

Bass

The way my bark graft works if you follow the instructions down to the T, especially leaving the grafting tape and rubber bands on for at least one season, it would be one powerfully strong graft. I've had several limbs that were broken from occasional strong winds, but never at the bark graft union. Sometimes trees would snap off at the trunk, but the break point is not at the union. There are other styles of bark grafting and those are problematic because the base support in holding the grafting union is very flimsy when you designed it for one season, and also some techniques are not really that strong to start with. So my modifications are designed to overcome this common problem with strong winds.

If you have used the omega type grafting tool, the graft also easily breaks at the graft union when strong winds come through.

Thanks for your advice.
JoeReal, I used your pictures on your website to shape the scions for grafting. A white plastic grafting strip from a grafting class I took was used to secure the graft to the base, and parafilm to enclose the scion. That might not be strong enough to protect it from the Santa Ana winds we have here sometimes. I donÂt have rubber bands, donÂt think I could use them if I did. Would electrical tape work better to secure the scion? I saw one grafting demo where that was done.

Mara, you can buy thousands of rubber bands from Staples or Office Max, they are sold by the pound and are very cheap. They're quite easy to use. Do not use the rubber bands from grafting supply store because those are expensive and are not really any better. for the price of twenty strips of special grafting bands, you can get 500 pieces of rubber band from Office max.

Electrical tape are not that strong, in the sense that they loosen up when it gets warmer or hotter later in the season, and it becomes pliable, and so there is no real support. Better to use ordinary masking tape as that one is more rigid. the masking tape will tear later in the season as they union expands due to growth but could come off prematurely.

I would still go with parafilm, then rubber band, then parafilm layer over the rubber band. It is very strong, and could last very long, and expands with the growing union. It comes off after one season.