The Tropical Fruit Forum
Citrus => Citrus General Discussion => Topic started by: deRoode on May 16, 2019, 03:30:11 AM
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Earlier this year I bought some interesting Citrus varieties. They have started to grow new branches, but I've noticed that 4 out of 5 plants all started new growth on the rootstock part of the plant. Is there any way to promote growth on the scion (other than just removing the new growth on the rootstock part)?
The rootstock is P. trifoliata and the scion is C. sphaerocarpa (kabosu)
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Maybe the graft union is not completely sealed to let the full flow of saps, this in case of a poorly grafted plant. It just needs more time to heal the union. You can use chemicals to force the growth but I wouldn't recommend unless you know what you are doing as health hazard is high and unknown.
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They have started to grow new branches, but I've noticed that 4 out of 5 plants all started new growth on the rootstock part of the plant.
It is quite common, you should remove the new growth on rootstock, it will wake up the scion buds.
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Until the scions are completely brown and dead: don't give up! I grafted buds at the wrong time of year (august) and they sat there for 6 months until the right time came along and then started doing their thing. Won't do that again... Even if the scion dies, don't stop, just wait for the rootstock to come back and graft something new the next year :-). I'm sure you can tell I have experience with that, ooops. ;D
So, can one rate the graft quality by the number of rootstock buds that sprout? E.g., a one-sprout graft is better than a three-sprout graft? Hmmm, I guess the number of available buds, i.e., grafting height, must play a role too?
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My biggest mistake on grafting was to tie a rope soo tight around the graft wich choked the plant vessels.
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I avoid that problem by taking a razor knife and cutting the tape lightly....almost through. The elements usually take care of the rest and I dont strangle any scions.