If you have been grafting apples with High School Grafting Project... you know that we REQUIRE that all the students take a pledge... a safety pledge, before we begin the demonstration.
Sometimes participants laugh at this pledge. Never again!!
See the photo below. This student was ABSENT the day of our visit. He missed the safety pledge!!! He missed the demonstration!!! He missed the close supervision by members of the CRFG and the Cal Poly Ag Ambassadors!!!! He came to school the next day and was grafting some of the remaining rootstock without instruction. He was "horsing around a little bit" and cutting the rootstock while holding the rootstock in his left hand. And he cut himself so badly it took many stitches to close the multiple wounds!!!! Sad story!!!!
This situation shook us up a bit ---------and made our believe in the pledge and in our code of NO HORSEPLAY even stronger!!!! Let us continue to insist that our "students" practice safety at all times and follow the exact demonstration that has been tested, improved and approved!!! The cleft graft is a very safe graft!!!!
