Hello, I recently purchased a grafted Abies pinsapo 'Aurea' (recent graft that had a still growing rootstock. The graft portion is still green and looks healthy. Should I keep the rootstock growth until spring or should I cut it now....or should I just keep it until the graft is more mature? Thanks Scott Hamilton, NJ
Where did you buy it? I've never heard of a grafted plant being sold before the top of the root stock was removed. I would wait till spring (when you see new growth) before cutting it off. Cut it now and you have 3 months for nasty stuff to enter the plant through the wound before is really starts to heal. M.
It was from Collectors Nursery, I have heard that they are closing so I am trying to get anything that I still need from their website. I am guessing that this was just one of the last of this particular species that they had. Thanks for the advice
Lucky you that you can get their stuff! In Canada it seems impossible; we'd have to drive there. Anyway, I was talking with a nurseryman here about this very question a while ago, as he too was selling fairly small grafts of something with the rootstock still growing. He said he would wait to cut it off as the rootstock's growth is still feeding the roots. I guess the idea is to wait until the new scion growth has enough foliage to deliver nutrients to the roots - funny, I've always thought of it the other way around, but there is some sense to it.
That does make a lot of sense. It's important not to let the rootstock shade the graft or it will just die like any other shaded branch. Just thought that was worth saying. M.
Thanks very much for the advice and also for the second opinion. I am hoping that Collector's can stay open, but it seems like a scary trend of specialty nurseries closing recently. I have been trying to do my part, but I am not sure how much more my wife can handle. Thanks Again.
