This year, I started grafting pecan trees in early May. Today, three weeks later, most of my scions have broken bud (photo at right). For me, the grafting process now shifts towards efforts to train and prune the young grafted tree. Starting today, I took steps to ensure that the scion continues to grow rapidly and does not become overwhelmed by stump sprouts that form below the graft union.
Whenever I see that I have a successful graft, I prune off all stump sprouts. At this point, stump sprouts are still small and easily remove by just ripping them off the trunk with my hand (photo at left).
More stump sprouts will probably appear later this summer, but for now, all the tree's energy will be focused on growing scion shoots (photo at right). I like to visit my new grafts every three weeks during the summer to prune off stump sprouts and to train the scion to form a new central leader.
