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MIgardener: The Single Most Important Thing To Remember When Growing Grafted Trees



When growing grafted trees it is very important to remember one care tip that will ultimately safe the health of your tree, And that is pruning. Not just pruning the top either, but instead pruning the rootstock growth! This is a very importsnt step and one that cannot be underestimated.

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32 Comments

  1. You are correct Luke I do budding and grafting if you don’t remove the shoots on the rootstock while it is growing up the grafted buds can die.. you have to keep a close eye on your plants.. also Thank You for keeping your seeds at a reasonable price. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

  2. I’m about to plant a grafted apple tree (3 in one) and was wondering what the maintenance should be… I’m trying to keep the tree happy and on the road to apples.

  3. If I didn't leave after the awful Dad joke, I'm certainly not going to leave just because I don't have a dwarf willow, especially since your videos are always so instructional and informative: it's more the process than the specific circumstance. Thank you for your inspiration and the education. You are amazing. Best to you and yours this Festive Season.

  4. Those willow whips are so supple and flexible they used to be made into furniture and even fencing. Look up wattle fencing, something from the middle ages (or earlier) in Europe. Very cool!

  5. We have some sort of grafted tree in our front yard that drives me insane. The actual tree has jagged branches that hang low, and inevitably always try to skalp me when I mow under them. (No joke, it has pulled hair out of my head, and ripped my hat off many times.) We've tried to trim some of the branches so they don't hang as low, but then the tree starts to look weird if you clip off too many.

    The main problem is, the graft is above ground, and it tries to take over fiercely every year. At least once a week, to every two weeks, I have to go out and cut a bunch of shoots off of the graft. The graft has gotten so large that it looks like a tumor on the side of the tree. This plus the low-hanging jagged branches, I beg my husband every year if we can rip it out. He argues it's a pretty tree when the leaves come in, as they are a nice dark purple, and I agree, but I'm about to tell him he has to mow from now on. Needless to say, I'll be relieved when it dies. Lol

  6. Hey Luke, off topic but I noticed that you font sell seed potatoes. Do you have a supplier that you would recommend?

  7. Okay… Thank you so much! I had to compost 2 lemons and I do have a 50 ft crabapple where I swore I planted a dwarf apple. Holy COW! How have I been gardening this long and not know this??? Thank you so very much! (That crabapple is staying, though, the birds just love it.)

  8. When planting a grafted tree it is also important to plant it above the graft so it doesn't encourage the growth of the rootstock to produce new growth..

  9. Feel free to correct me since I haven’t thoroughly thought this through. But….. couldn’t this be avoided for us if instead of buying cuttings grafted on to rootstock….we bought cutting from those trees that were then rooted?
    So for instance I have been taking cuttings (propagating)from bushes and trees I like and sticking them in the ground or water to root and then they produce the same as that branch on that tree produced. Why do we wait for them to graft onto a bunch of rootstocks instead of taking cuttings from one that has been grown on rootstock to have only that which you want and not the potential for original root.
    I may be wrong and the root stock trait might not work through cuttings?
    I guess I’ll find out in about 3 years.

  10. How do you tell if a tree (or any plant) is grafted, or not, if there is no obvious, easily visible, graft? I'm hesitant to dig in the ground around the main trunk or stem and possibly damage the tree. Also, is there any way to find out what the root stock is?

  11. Some years ago I bought a beautiful pink rose bush and enjoyed for some time but then one year it started growing ugly single petal small roses in abundance. I didn’t know that when you plant a grafted rose you’re not supposed to bury the grafting point. And to do maintenance like you showed. Thanks for the video 😊

  12. Hi Luke! I have quite a few dwarf and semi-dwarf fruit trees in our suburban yard, less than 1/4 acre total. I have always trimmed the shoots, but I also want to keep the top of the tree shorter and the width even smaller, so I have tried lopping off several feet from those areas. Could you share any tips about that? Thank you.

  13. Grafting was one of my favourite topics to learn about in my high school agriculture class, such a fascinating process!

  14. thank you for explaining so well. All my fruit trees, except my chicago fig, are dwarf. now I understand how they were created.

  15. Your video is great information as always! I now know why I lost this exact tree… my dwarf willow was completely overtaken by the root stock and it still grows to this day… but isn't nearly as beautiful as that willow would've been!

  16. I loved that you demonstrated the size of the sucker, haha!! My family is looking at buying a home with a giant bush/tree with what looks like tiny peaches or apricots all dropped on the floor. I’m going to take a better look at it next time we’re there. Thanks for your help as always!

  17. I have a dwarf nectarine and dua cherry tree. First year, both got the growth coming out from lower part of the tree. I chopped them both off, unluckily, the cherry tree died. That was 3 years ago. This summer, got my first nectarine fruits, roughly 20, should have thin it out a little more, tiny semi bitter/sweet fruits, ripen on tree before I pick to eat. Such satisfaction. I also have a fig tree, the golden honey variety? White inside, only 2 fruits, most delicious figs I ever tasted. Can’t wait for next year, I got plans for it. It was meant to be a bonsai, so I ignore it, for 3 yrs. This summer, I repotted it in a bigger pot, and it decided to fruit, only 2 survived. My patio is small, and space is premium. Every time I turn I knock off a fig by accident.
    M looking for a dwarf asian pear tree. Tallest would be 5ft. So far so bad.

  18. Thanks! I have a White Willow that I will prune according to your instructions. I plan to use the bendable branches in garden projects.

  19. I have an apple sapling grown from seed doing this. I thought it was just grafted trees, but apparently not!

  20. I planted a dwarf red haven. The following year I tore my rotator cuff in the spring 2018. The following years I had multi major surgeries so my garden was very neglected. This year was my first year able to garden and 3/4 of the red haven was sucker growth that I didnt realize until the 1/4 actual red haven was ripening. I got a good laugh and learned a lot in the process. I now know how to prevent it with my new trees.

  21. My fruit trees are 3 years old and I need to do this. I will go back to the 86 year old fruit grower. All the leaves are off now. Merry Christmas. God Bless and stay safe.

  22. I have a grafter Meyer lemon in zone 6 that blossoms late fall when it’s brought indoors for winterizing never fertilized no fruit why. Thanks

  23. Thanks. I have a regular willow tree and I prune the lower branches off of it too. I use the pruned branches to start more willows. So easy. Just put them in a bucket until they grow roots. I give them away to people. I love the way they grow so fast. Another great fast-growing tree I have is a eucalyptus. And they are gorgeous! Unfortunately bark beetles killed two of my large blue spruce trees. I would love it if you ever did a video about how to stop them. I think it's too late for my spruce trees though. They are dying from the top down.

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