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How to use grafting tape

Updated: 22 October 2026

The scion is already cut, the film is in your hand, and the first turn will not stay. How to use grafting tape is that sequence: start below the union, stretch only as you lay the film, overlap so no cut face stays bare, and leave a chip bud and its leaf stalk out. This page assumes the cuts are done. It does not rank the eleven listings or set a March date. They stay on the [grafting tape comparison](/hub/garden-tree-and-hedge-shears/grafting-tape). Peter F. set the steps on 21 October 2026 from the Royal Horticultural Society and Orchard Link. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The scion is already cut, the film is in your hand, and the first turn will not stay.

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Bailinks Bailinks (2 polyethylene rolls)

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Bailinks Bailinks (2 polyethylene rolls)
7.3/10about £5.89
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SKYPRO SKYPRO (PVC 100 m)

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SKYPRO SKYPRO (PVC 100 m)
7.1/10about £4.99
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Detetap Detetap (polyolefin roll)

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Detetap Detetap (polyolefin roll)
7.5/10about £5.99
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On this page
  1. 1.The first turn
  2. 2.Stretch and overlap
  3. 3.Leave the chip bud out
  4. 4.When it comes off

The first turn

Start on sound wood below the union, not on the cut face. On a whip-and-tongue the Royal Horticultural Society describes wood about 8 mm thick and a sloping cut about 5 cm. If you begin on wet cambium, the tail lifts. A UK review of the Bailinks rolls, after about 50 apple grafts, says the first turn tries to slip and that the wrap is easy after that. Hold the tail for that first turn. If the film does not seal to itself, finish with a half hitch, which is what the People’s Trust for Endangered Species says unless the tape is self-adhesive. Detetap’s bullets say self-adhering. Yurifaz’s 2 cm film is described as non-adhesive.

Stretch and overlap

Stretch the film as you lay it, one turn at a time. A long tail pulled thin will not cover a 5 cm cut. Wax-and-polyolefin film of the kind Amcor describes seals when stretched onto itself. That sheet is not a test of the PVC rolls here. Overlap each turn so no cut face stays bare, working from below the union up the scion. The People’s Trust for Endangered Species says to wax the top cut and to label the variety, the rootstock and the date. SKYPRO says waterproof and is PVC. Seal what the film has left open.
Bailinks Bailinks (2 polyethylene rolls)

Testsieger

Bailinks Bailinks (2 polyethylene rolls)
7.3/10about £5.89
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Leave the chip bud out

A chip bud is not a whip-and-tongue. The Royal Horticultural Society says to leave the bud and the leaf stalk exposed. Covering the bud smothers the part that has to grow. You still cover the chip wound around it. ACKKOR’s sleeves stretch over graft points of 3–7.5 mm. You slide one on. You do not use it to hide a chip bud, and a pencil-thick union at about 8 mm is outside that range. The month for apples and pears is on grafting tape for fruit trees.

When it comes off

On a whip-and-tongue, remove the tie when a callus is clearly visible, about eight weeks. On a chip bud, take the tape off when the bud swells. If the wrap is biting into bark, cut it sooner. PVC and ordinary polythene here have no decay test. The Trust’s summer fall-away is their Parafilm, not SKYPRO. Slit the film. Do not tear the new bark. Stop for a large limb over a path or a roof, a possible tree preservation order, or a nest in use. The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 is the reason you leave a nest. Which listing matches the job is on best grafting tape.

Common questions

Where do you start the wrap, and how much should each turn overlap?
Start on sound wood below the union so the first turn has a full circle to grip before it crosses the cut. Overlap each turn so that no cut face stays bare. On wood about 8 mm thick, the Royal Horticultural Society’s sloping cut is about 5 cm, and a gap at the side of that cut dries the cambium. There is no layer count in these files for the amazon.co.uk rolls.
What do you do when the first turn slips?
Hold the tail and complete one full turn on the wood below the join before you cross the cut. A UK review of about 50 apple grafts on a polyethylene roll says the first turn tries to slip and that the wrap is easy afterwards. If the film is not self-adhesive, add a half hitch, as the People’s Trust for Endangered Species describes. Do not start the spiral on the wet cut face.
Do you stretch the film before you lay it?
Stretch it as you lay it, turn by turn. Pulling the whole length into a string first leaves a thin tail that will not cover the cut. Wax-and-polyolefin film seals when it is stretched onto itself. That is the behaviour of that kind of film, not a claim that a PVC title is the same product. The same tension can make PVC bite later, so you still plan to cut it.
Do you cover a chip bud?
No. The Royal Horticultural Society says to leave the bud and the leaf stalk exposed, and to bind the chip with grafting tape or polythene strips around them. Covering the bud smothers the part that has to grow. A silicone sleeve stated for 3–7.5 mm is a slide-on tube, not a way to hide the bud, and it is outside the range once the wood is about 8 mm.
When do you tie a half hitch?
Tie a half hitch when the film does not seal to itself. The People’s Trust for Endangered Species says to do that unless the tape is self-adhesive. Detetap’s bullets say self-adhering. Several PVC bullets say no knots. shweehon is single sided, and Yurifaz’s 2 cm film is described as non-adhesive. If the listing does not say the film sticks to itself, tie the hitch.
When does the tape come off?
On a whip-and-tongue, when a callus is clearly visible, about eight weeks. On a chip bud, when the bud swells. If the film is biting into bark, cut it sooner. PVC, ordinary polythene and electrical tape in these notes have to come off. They do not have a decay test here. The Trust’s fall-away applies to the Parafilm they sell, not to these titles.
When do you stop and let someone else do the cut?
Stop for a large limb over a path or a roof, a possible tree preservation order, a nest in use on the scion tree, imported scion wood, or a suspected quarantine pest. The knife is the sharp hazard, so a first-aid kit belongs on the bench. A roll of tape does not make those jobs safe, and it is not a plant passport.

Related pages

Parafilm or PVC grafting tape

Grafting tape buying guide

Grafting tape

Best grafting tape: a long roll, wax line or sleeve

Grafting tape for fruit trees: March apples and pears

Sources

Public sources used for graft timing, removal, the Parafilm description, plant health and the Consumer Rights Act. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines saved on 21 October 2026. Named Parafilm at £13 is outside this set.

  1. RHS — grafting ornamental plants and fruit trees (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  2. RHS — chip budding (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  3. RHS — T-budding (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  4. Orchard Link — bench-grafting notes (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  5. Agroforestry Research Trust — Parafilm grafting tape (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  6. Amcor — Parafilm grafting tape technical sheet (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  7. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  8. UK Plant Health Information Portal (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  9. GOV.UK — plant health controls (retrieved 21.10.2026)