North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Lucky Pittman <lucky.pittman@murraystate.edu>]

At 03:43 PM 5/29/2006, you wrote:
> -- "Randall Burd"  wrote:
> What about the growth on the rootstock? Leave on or pinch off?
>
> I've only been doing this a few years, but last year on the list 
> someone (it may have been Lucky) wrote to rub off all sprouts below 
> the graft, maybe leaving part of one to be a replacement stem in 
> case the graft refuses to take.  When I went out and did that to my 
> slow takes, the scions promptly started growing (except a few that 
> were dead).

I can't even recall what the grafts were in the original post of this 
thread, but competition from shoots below the graft is a MAJOR 
problem with persimmons, and to a lesser degree, pecans/hickories and walnuts.
With persimmons, I try to 'patrol' the orchard or nursery beds at 
least every other day to rub off any new shoots arising below the 
graft - if  you don't do so, the rootstocks very quickly divert all 
resources to pushing growth on their own shoots, at the expense of 
the grafted scion.
Walnuts, and to a lesser degree, pecan, rootstocks tend to do the 
same, but I have been able to successfully topwork big seedlings with 
several lower branches - I just break those lower branches('trashy 
trunk') back about halfway, and go through every few days, pinching 
out terminal buds on new shoots arising from these lower 
branches.  I'll usually keep the buds/shoots on the 1-2 ft of trunk 
below the graft rubbed off until I'm getting decent growth, then I 
*may* let them grow a little - but I'll come back and pinch out 
terminal growth after they've unfurled 3-4 leaves.
I've never had much problem with apple/pear rootstocks pushing 
excessive growth, but I do keep rootstock shoots rubbed off.


Lucky Pittman
USDA Cold Zone 6
AHS Heat Zone 7
Hopkinsville, KY