I purchased this young tree online and was a little concerned about the graft. what do you think? The black markings and cuts are on the scion. Is it okay for the graft union to be this shallow? It looks like the rootstock and scion were just pressed together. Do you think this graft will make a healthy tree in the years to come?
Will this graft create a viable plant in the long-term: Probably not. I would go with your instincts on this--usually graft unions should appear "healthy" upon visual inspection. While unions can be created very superfically or with very superficial cuts, it is usuallly better for them to be a bit deeper for strength purposes in the plant's early life. Over time, if that graft does survive, the superficial appearance will become less problematic. Often, grafting cuts made that shallow will not knit to begin with.
It has been a few months and the graft is getting much worse. no replacement tree yet. I'm definitely not buying maples off ebay anymore.
