It is easy to be lulled into thinking that just because your graft has taken and is pushing new leaves that all is well. It is an important part of healing graft care to quickly remove any rootstock sprouts that appear or these will often take over the graft and become the most dominate stem, sometimes even creating the result of the grafted cultivar dying.
With Carambola we find that they can be prolific rootstock sprout producers in early stages of graft healing. However there are some easy tips that can help you spot these sprouts early and manage them aggressively.
- Regular scouting of healing grafts for rootstock sprouts is vital. At least once per week, if not twice.
- In Carambola specifically the rootstock sprouts often have much tinier leaves (purple circles below) than the grafted cultivar’s large leaves (yellow circles below). This tip helps us scout quickly for a leaf size pattern that doesn’t fit what we are looking for.
- To confirm a rootstock sprout, look for where a stem of new growth connects. Is it on coming from the scion part of the graft union or is it coming from the rootstock? (Red circles below)
- The final step is aggressive management. Either brushing off the rootstock sprouts, if they are still small enough, or clipping them off, if they are bigger.
With regular pruning care the scion will become dominate and suppress rootstock sprouts, but regular maintenance is needed until that point.