When I have grafted in the past years I would put my apple grafts in permanent location and put 5 foot plastic wrap around them and most would be out of the 5 foot by the end of the growing season. Well this year I put grafts in pots for the first time and have kept an eye on them in my backyard. Here is my question.... Half of the grafts are suckering under numerous leaves that are only two foot tall. Do you guys remove these suckers when you see them or wait until the end of the growing season? This did not seem to happen when in the tubes. I want the first branches to be about 5 foot tall but I also know most important is to develop good roots this first season. So remove suckers now or when dormant? Or is there something else I need to know here?
Potted apple graft question
- Thread starter KY wild
- Start date
bigboreblr
5 year old buck +
Im still new to this, but when i feel the young tree has recovered from grafting damage, id remove it.
Some grafts look healthy proper sized leaves, but do not expand much. Id keep the sucker till seasons end.
If you feel it needs it, keep it.
Some grafts look healthy proper sized leaves, but do not expand much. Id keep the sucker till seasons end.
If you feel it needs it, keep it.
Turkey Creek
5 year old buck +
Remove them. They are decreasing nutrient and moisture levels to the scion.
Turkey Creek and Big bore thanks for advice but I want to make sure we are on the same page. These suckers are above the graft, they are part of the new growth but are trying to branch only 18 - 24 inches above the soil under each new leaf. So I should remove them, to push the energy to the central leaders vertical growth, correct? Thanks in advance
Thanks Trelemark. As with many things this is why communication is so difficult. In tobacco plants small stems will sprout under every leaf up and down the plant and farmers spend much energy removing every sucker to give main leaves all the energy, which I have done many times. Likewise on tomato plants suckers will start above every branch and slow the main plant. But suckers are only suckers on apple grafts below the graft apparently since I have researched after Telemarks comments, which look and act exactly like tobacco suckers to me but Telemark is correct, only called a sucker with apple tree below graft. Well anyways since I do not want limbs this low it seems a waste of energy, I want first limbs much higher. So I want to remove them to push tree higher, is this a poor choice or is it OK choice?
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Telemark
5 year old buck +
I think I see what you are saying. If you want to pinch off the young branches that are growing out above the leaf node, that would be fine.
bigboreblr
5 year old buck +
Its like a new node off of a lateral, or making of a new latteral........
I'd lean towards leaving it on in general. More so if the tree is in its permanent home. I feel year 1 is all about roots, then after that make your shape.
Since it is in a pot right now, You could clean up the tree a bit.
How the rootstock looked root wise during grafting might be an influence to me too. I got some m111's with a few threads this year. And I have antonovka's I have trouble fitting the roots in 5 gallon rootmaker pots.
When are you planning to plant them? Are you going to look inside the soil for healthy root shape, bust up any rootballs? I just cam back from camp, planted 4 apple trees from the rootmaker pots. Did that last july 4th and they came out fine.
Several of my best grafted trees I have pretty much left alone. Even if the tree makes a double leader, I let her go. Most of my trees are gifts, I will cut the tree to shape before giving it to them. MY own, let em go till winter pruning. I;m making healthy trees for me. A commercial outfit needs to make a quality marketable tree. May or may not be a conflict of interest.
MY best growing bareroot I ever bought I asked fspecifically or a double leader. Mainly wanted scion. But, that end up being my biggest tree with zero problems too.
I might trim back the top leaf on a lesser leader, to promote growth on the main keeper.
Those little leaves you want to remove make me happy. I know I got a pretty healthy tree in the making.
I'd lean towards leaving it on in general. More so if the tree is in its permanent home. I feel year 1 is all about roots, then after that make your shape.
Since it is in a pot right now, You could clean up the tree a bit.
How the rootstock looked root wise during grafting might be an influence to me too. I got some m111's with a few threads this year. And I have antonovka's I have trouble fitting the roots in 5 gallon rootmaker pots.
When are you planning to plant them? Are you going to look inside the soil for healthy root shape, bust up any rootballs? I just cam back from camp, planted 4 apple trees from the rootmaker pots. Did that last july 4th and they came out fine.
Several of my best grafted trees I have pretty much left alone. Even if the tree makes a double leader, I let her go. Most of my trees are gifts, I will cut the tree to shape before giving it to them. MY own, let em go till winter pruning. I;m making healthy trees for me. A commercial outfit needs to make a quality marketable tree. May or may not be a conflict of interest.
MY best growing bareroot I ever bought I asked fspecifically or a double leader. Mainly wanted scion. But, that end up being my biggest tree with zero problems too.
I might trim back the top leaf on a lesser leader, to promote growth on the main keeper.
Those little leaves you want to remove make me happy. I know I got a pretty healthy tree in the making.
The trees are in root maker pots. I plan to plant in Sept. or October if there is ample moisture. I don't really know what to expect from rootmaker pots. I mean will entire pot soil be pretty intact with roots and I simply unfasten pot from soil and place into hole, pack a little soil around the edges, water and walk away?
bigboreblr
5 year old buck +
Some might break off, keep as much as you can intact. Plant level, or go deep if you want it to be a full szied seedling. IF you can water them in their permaent home, put it in. Kentucky, I would probably wait mid august or so if you cant water. Northern NY I put them in pretty much anytime. I definitely do so at home, I wait until I know the growth pattern proves to be a healthy rootstock combo. I pot three to guarantee one, then give away the other two. Even if the graft fails, I got some hunter buddies who'd appreciate seedling rootstock fruit.
IF you can water, I feel they do a bit better in the ground. Assuming you got the temp. Potted plants soil gets warmer sooner in the year.
IF you can water, I feel they do a bit better in the ground. Assuming you got the temp. Potted plants soil gets warmer sooner in the year.
bigboreblr
5 year old buck +
I pruned my young trees with issues pretty hard. My scions that have decent sized leaves, but not many; I cut the rootstock's branches off. Not alot of leavs, but lets see what I get. One rootstock had a failed graft, so I T budded between the roostocks healthy leader/ branches. I removed the leader lower than the t-bud. The leader above it, I cut it back to 1 or 2 leaf nodes. I think I regrafted my failed ones early may. The t-bud is 30-06 and probably has a touch under a foot of growth. 2 or 3 more failed grafts had enough roostock left to either cleft or tounge and whip regraft, they're doing good. Cleft works, but tounge and whip grows faster and better.
I am pruning thse because they will be given away as gifts. Good chance they'll almost never be pruned. Might as well steeer them right before they go into the wild......
30-06 and kerr are going to be my plan B's. I am going to catch both o these right before they wake up and keep a few freshest ones for regrafting failed grafts. 30-06 just grows like a weed from a graft, and works well in zone 3 so far. Kerr is about as ideal as a 1 n done apple tree for eating and hunting nearby. Also produces good branch angles for lazy gardeners...... Both of these I can get from my trees. The shortest time from parent tree, to firdge, to grafting produces the best results from my experiences so far.
I am pruning thse because they will be given away as gifts. Good chance they'll almost never be pruned. Might as well steeer them right before they go into the wild......
30-06 and kerr are going to be my plan B's. I am going to catch both o these right before they wake up and keep a few freshest ones for regrafting failed grafts. 30-06 just grows like a weed from a graft, and works well in zone 3 so far. Kerr is about as ideal as a 1 n done apple tree for eating and hunting nearby. Also produces good branch angles for lazy gardeners...... Both of these I can get from my trees. The shortest time from parent tree, to firdge, to grafting produces the best results from my experiences so far.
bigboreblr
5 year old buck +
One thing about rootmaker pots, pick them up and feel the weight before watering again. Some get a spot where soil has gone away and just dumps water out the side holes. I take a bit of soil and dam them up around the sides. Sometimes just picking them up deforms the soil and makes a water channel.
Did mine last week, probably about 20% had that issue. Put some mulch ontop afterwards too.
Did mine last week, probably about 20% had that issue. Put some mulch ontop afterwards too.
RGrizzzz
Administrator
I've had much better luck with mine after buying the felt "caps" or whatever they're called. I have 1 gallon(pots) and 3 gallon sizes(pots and bags)
bigboreblr
5 year old buck +
Pretty much achieve my goals at home and at camp. Giving away all but 10 rootmaker pots. Keeping them when the loggers come in a few years and mow over a few. Got a little over 40 trees at home on a few acres, and after planting this fall should have somewhere in the 30's for trees at camp.
Tossing around the idea of bulk planting 2 acres of trees for you pick organic orchard at home here. Still on the fence. IF that goes through, it'll be soon and I will buy the trees.
