graft question

[Zafra]

Hey grafting gurus, how long after grafting can we reasonably presume that there might be communication between the rootstock and the scion? I assume any scion activity in the first week is coming from the scion alone. So when more or less does that assumption stop being correct?

[achetadomestica]

I am not a guru but I have had scions take over 2 months to push.
My experience is the initial push in the first week is residual energy
from the scion. It's hard not to get excited when you see it.

[Zafra]

Yes I agree it's hard not to be excited but I've actually come to have the opposite reaction as I've never had an early pusher take. Now if there's movement in the first week i actually write that graft off. I'd still like to know though where's an approximate cutoff time for the assumption that there's no interaction between rootstock and scion. When can I look at a still-green scion and think it *could* be getting some juice from the rootstock now?

[JakeFruit]

I would agree early pushing is a bad sign more often than good, but I had one graft a few years ago that must've lined up just right, it took off within a week of grafting and never looked back. Conversely, an Amrapali scion took at least 6 months to push growth.

[Zafra]

Wow six months is a long time! I think the longest I've waited was like three. Still wondering about my original question though... anyone...?

[Satya]

Wow six months is a long time! I think the longest I've waited was like three. Still wondering about my original question though... anyone...?

In my experience it is 4 weeks, any buds sending out branch/leaves after that have stayed. The problem with the ones that sprout very early is that they dehydrate the scion as the bud pushes through the buddy tape and exposes the scion. If you use a plastic cover around and maintain humidity inside the plastic dome the early branch will dry out but the scion with stay and push again in 4-5 weeks.

[JakeFruit]

Most failures present themselves 10-30 days after grafting. I've had scions hold on for several months, only to then fail. It's impossible to be completely sure of success or failure based on any timeframe.


Watching the skin of the scion will be your best indicator. If it starts to shrivel/wrinkle, it's failing. If the scion loses its original green color, it's going to fail. If you receive scions covered in sooty mold, it can be hard to see the color changes. I never do it, but I'm sure you can clean the mold off with a little alcohol & water mix and some light brushing with a paper towel; you just need to see the color at the union and some points along the length of the scion, don't risk cleaning any actively budding areas or the head of the scion.


If you use buddy tape or stretch your parafilm as thin as possible, you can usually see the color well enough to see signs of a failure early-on. If the head of the scion starts turning black, it's nearly always a goner. If either side of the graft at the union starts to turn yellow/brownish in color, it's also a bad sign. If it turns dark-brown/black, it's a real bad sign. It's important to look at all sides of the scion at the union, one side can fail while the other has a good connection; any connection at all can still be a success.


I use buddy tape, a clear plastic wrap and clothes pins; these make it easier to check the union without having to rewrap (which comes with it's own perils). If you catch a failure early, you can usually reattempt and might have success. Just be sure to cut it back until you don't see any brown discoloration in the flesh of the scion.