I thought I would start a new thread taking some thoughts that Susan and Jim left me with me from the Grafted A. shirasawarum thread. Susan and Jim bring up some interesting comments about grafting problems (or should we call them natural occurences) that occur when the understock is not as vigorous as the scion. I have often wondered about this incompatability dilemma and ways to "fix" it. A dwarf is a genetic anomaly that sometimes arrises as a sport branch growing off a "nomal" tree. So I the questions... Wouldn't the understock of a more vigorous specie influence the dwarf characteristics? Doesn't the slight graft incompatability (which causes the unsightly graft union) encourage the dwarf characteristic? Wouldn't a more vigorous rootstock change the nature of the dwarf? I find that sometimes, for whatever reason (possibly a more vigorous rootstock?) that a graft union bugle does not occur in some grafts that I make with Little Gem, Shaina or Aratama. And other times it is so bad that the graft eventually fails. Check out the photos. The circinatum graft is a classic Little Gem graft union that Susan is talking about. The Aratama graft 2 in the photo is bit cleaner, though sometimes they are as inbalanced as the little Gem. I have experimented with intraspecific grafts with various results. I plant to try some of the suggested ideas put forth by Susan and Jim. I will keep you posted. robert
