North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[sherwin <sherwindu@att.net>]

On 5/30/2013 11:19 PM, Steven Covacci wrote:
> Hi,
>
>
> I've started a practice of burying the graft-unions (2" bellow ground) of trees 
> grafted unto seedling rootstocks of like species (i.e. P. cerasus on P. cerasus) - as 
> long as the sapling is of 1" or less caliper.  I haven't had he scions root in 
> these cases yet one and two years later (dogwood tree types, plums, peaches, apricots 
> and sour-cherries).
>
>
> Rationale: to eliminate just an unnecessarily source for borers to enter and 
> the fact that there is always a degree (minute or not) of incompatibility 
> between the scion and the understock - even in cases where they are both of 
> like species and even subspecies.
>
>
> Do you believe that the scion portion that is buried will root? If so, will 
> both resulting rootsystems collectively persist (that of the scion in the 
> upper portion of the soil, and that of the rootstock in the lower portion - 
> being the original root mass)?  Might the tissue of the scion (trunk) be past 
> the point of being able to produce roots due to advanced development beyond 
> being in the seedling stage?
>
>
> Thank you,
>
>
> Steve NJ
       Steve,

        Most likely, the scion will develop roots and may kill the 
roots of the rootstock.  At that point,
        the tree loses it's dwarfing characteristic and the benefits of 
a strong root system of the original
        rootstock.  If you are going to do what you propose, why not 
just graft your scion onto a standard
        rootstock and forget about growing dwarf trees.  Scions can 
take root at any time, if you put them
        in contact with the soil.

         I don't understand your logic about the borers.  They don't 
necessarily prefer to enter a tree at the
         graft union.

                           Sherwin Dubren, IL