Buddy Tape: Smart Grafting

Discover the grafting tape from Japan that has revolutionized grafting since the 1990’s. Learn how Buddy Tape combines water tightness to avoid dehydration with air porosity to allow the plant to breath, while its’ high elasticity ensures a firm bond to the graft, protecting from wind damage. All of these characteristics are provided in a photo degradable tape which falls away naturally after use, to remove the need to cut and dispose.

Buddy Tape is an innovative tape for budding and grafting. Its’ unique formulation and properties allow easy and rapid application, reduced labour costs, and high success rates.

This unique product was developed in Japan in 1985 and has been used throughout Europe and North America for the last thirty years.

Click on the + signs below for further information on the unique characteristics of Buddy Tape.

The tape degrades naturally in exposure to sunlight, eliminating labour costs necessary to cut away standard tapes after use, and providing an environmentally responsible answer to the problem of waste.
Buddy Tape can be stretched to up to eight times its' original length.
The elastic nature of the material allows small pieces to be used for the application, and ensures an extremely tight grip on the bud or graft to keep it firmly in place, as is necessary to allow successful growth.
Elasticity also means the tape expands as the plant grows, avoiding cutting into the plant which is a common problem with standard budding and grafting tapes.
Buddy Tape is not adhesive in its' normal stored form, but becomes self-adhesive when stretched. This allows quick application with no need for tying knots, and combined with the firm seal created by the film’s elastic nature, means that the bud or graft is kept in place even in windy conditions.
The film has a wax content to keep it waterproof, so the bud or graft will not dehydrate, but air can pass through the permeable tape allowing the bud to breathe.
The wax content also means that use of Buddy Tape can eliminate the need for waxing in covered areas
Buddy Tape can be applied over the bud because it breaks down after being pierced by the bud as it begins to grow.
The permeable nature of the material allows the bud to breathe even when covered.
This provides protection from infection and insects.
(Please test thoroughly according to your own local conditions and plant variety to determine the correct level of bud cover)

Apples - Bench Grafting

Poland

Citrus - Chip Budding

Japan

This video shows how to apply Buddy Tape for T-Budding or Chip Budding.

Hold the tape behind the rootstock and secure on side of the rootstock while using the other hand to stretch the tape and wrap.
Wrap from the bottom of the bud to secure it in place then wind upwards to cover the bud.

Almonds - Micrografting

Barcelona, Spain

September, 2023

Buddy Tape is particularly suitable for micro-grafting as the elastic nature of the tape allows it to expand as the plant grows. This allows the tape to continue to carry out it’s function and protect the graft from dehydration and insects or infection, without restricting the growth of the plant.