Nursing branch or not?

[BrushyPines]

Going to take my first shot at bark grafting this year. I've been watching how to videos and there is a mixed bag of people using nurse branches and people that dont. Just wanted to get yall's view on it and whether or not yall use a nurse branch or not.

 

[Prof.Kent]

I have always used a nurse branch. I figure less stress on the root system until the grafts take over. If the grafts all (or most) fail and there is no nurse branch, then your tree is REALLY in trouble.

 

[Telemark]

I always did it, and it has caused me a lot of problems. From now on I will graft low on the tree and cut off everything above the graft if it takes.

 

[BrushyPines]

I have always used a nurse branch. I figure less stress on the root system until the grafts take over. If the grafts all (or most) fail and there is no nurse branch, then your tree is REALLY in trouble.

When do you usually cut the nurse branch off?

 

[Prof.Kent]

At the end of the growing season usually.
It depends on how well and how big your grafts are growing.

 

[Diesel5610]

Last year was my first year doing bark grafts and I used nurse branches on the 3 I did and they all worked. I have a tree or two this year where I am going to try it without as there isn't a branch low enough to really work. Interested to hear other experiences.

 

[sandbur]

I like the nurse branch and I have found that one on the south side can be better if it shades the new graft just a bit.

I do pinch back and do some pruning on the nurse branch during the first summer, once growth looks good.

 

[yoderjac]

Going to take my first shot at bark grafting this year. I've been watching how to videos and there is a mixed bag of people using nurse branches and people that dont. Just wanted to get yall's view on it and whether or not yall use a nurse branch or not.

It depends what you are grafting. For bark grafting persimmons I would not leave a nurse branch. I want to force energy into the scion. Persimmons respond to bark grafting injury by putting up water sprouts below the graft that need to be removed. If my graft fails, I just pick one of the water sprouts as the new central leader and continue to remove the rest.

I'll let others talk about other fruit grafting.

 

[BrushyPines]

It depends what you are grafting. For bark grafting persimmons I would not leave a nurse branch. I want to force energy into the scion. Persimmons respond to bark grafting injury by putting up water sprouts below the graft that need to be removed. If my graft fails, I just pick one of the water sprouts as the new central leader and continue to remove the rest.

I'll let others talk about other fruit grafting.

I plan on grafting pears this year, but that is good to know, Jack. I plan to graft persimmons in the future.