North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[alexis <alex@conev.org>]

My experience is that the question of nurse limbs relates more to size 
that to species. On larger caliper rootstock (anything over an inch 
maybe) a nurse limb is a must. Just too much shock to the root 
otherwise. On smaller stuff, the nurse limb is generally not necessary 
(in my experience....) I do a lot of "field grating" persimmons. Smaller 
stuff always does fine without a nurse limb. I have never noticed that 
nurse limbs do much harm either. The "sapping away energy" has not been 
a problem in my experience. On transplanted rootstock, I will sometimes 
leave live material from the rootstock on there, to help support the 
root, for the first summer at least (on a spring graft). You HAVE to 
take that away next year, and stay on top of it thereafter.
two cents
alexis


On 04/24/2016 02:40 PM, nafex-request@lists.ibiblio.org wrote:
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> Today's Topics:
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>     1.  Nurse limbs - which grafting situations need them, where are
>        they counterproductive? (Elizabeth Hilborn)
>     2. Re:  Nurse limbs - which grafting situations need them, where
>        are they counterproductive? (Jerry Lehman)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Sun, 24 Apr 2016 13:27:47 -0400
> From: Elizabeth Hilborn <ehilborn@mebtel.net>
> To: mailing list at ibiblio - Northamerican Allied Fruit Experimenters
>         <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
> Subject: [nafex] Nurse limbs - which grafting situations need them,
>         where are they counterproductive?
> Message-ID: <571D0213.6030801@mebtel.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed
>
> I have had good experiences using nurse limbs when grafting to apple and
> pear root sprouts. However, now I am grafting to native persimmon
> rootsprouts and wonder if nurse limbs will be counterproductive by
> drawing too much energy and nutrients away from my graft.
>
> Does any one have experience using this technique and would consider it
> beneficial when grafting to persimmon, pawpaw or hickory?
>
> Betsy Hilborn
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Sun, 24 Apr 2016 14:39:50 -0400
> From: Jerry Lehman <jwlehmantree@gmail.com>
> To: mailing list at ibiblio - Northamerican Allied Fruit Experimenters
>         <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
> Subject: Re: [nafex] Nurse limbs - which grafting situations need
>         them, where are they counterproductive?
> Message-ID: <571D12F6.60702@gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed
>
> On 4/24/2016 1:27 PM, Elizabeth Hilborn wrote:
> > I have had good experiences using nurse limbs when grafting to apple
> > and pear root sprouts. However, now I am grafting to native persimmon
> > rootsprouts and wonder if nurse limbs will be counterproductive by
> > drawing too much energy and nutrients away from my graft.
> >
> > Does any one have experience using this technique and would consider
> > it beneficial when grafting to persimmon, pawpaw or hickory?
> Hello Betsy,
>
> I never use nurse limbs for the very reason that you stated above, I cut
> everything off below the graft. And on all species.
>
> There was a member of the Indiana Nut and Fruit Growers whose name was
> Jim Wood who had many nut trees, especially pecan. Because of the
> problem of bleeding when grafting nut trees he developed what he called
> the " Sap Stopper Graft. " He did a lot of grafting on pecan trees 6
> inches in diameter and more. What he did was cut about half way through
> a six-inch tree for example then push the top over on the ground so that
> was still attached. This seemed to divert the sap from the cut area
> which he then grafted. Then after the graft was well-established and
> growing he would finish cutting off the half that was now laying on the
> ground. I've seen some of his work and it seemed like is a viable method.
>
> Jerry
>
>
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> End of nafex Digest, Vol 178, Issue 2
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