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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] slow grafts

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  • From: Lucky Pittman <lucky.pittman@murraystate.edu>
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] slow grafts
  • Date: Tue, 30 May 2006 08:46:32 -0500

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




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