Absolutely no idea, but Jesse in Maine was the first one to point it out clearly to me. It seems to be more of an issue for us northern growers, especially where there’s snow. For some reason seedlings don’t typically have this issue. I don’t paint my seedlings, just grafted trees. Just something about the graft union makes the tree much more susceptible, especially while it’s younger and the bark is smoother.
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update and follow up question on this - i did a bunch of bud grafting from persimmon scions to sucker stem but the sucker grew so fast that it kept breaking through the parafilm i used to secure my grafts. so, i’m not very optimistic that any took.
this is one of the persimmon suckers from rootstock next to the dying scion. I planted this tree in spring of 2022 so in several weeks, maybe 6, the sucker grew the same height as the scion did in 4 years. I am noticing the same thing with my paw paws - rootstock sucker growing way faster than my grafts ever did. Does this give me any important information?
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I have the same experience with pawpaw. I have grafts grow slowly while a root shoot takes off and is tall quickly.
The exception for me is Maria’s Joy which has been very vigorous as a graft.
I usually get around to removing the root suckers, but I’m considering an experiment where I don’t.
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Interesting that the suckers are so much more vigorous. I’d be tempted to try leaving one and see how it fruits, might end up being a better tree for your conditions anyway.
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Allelopathy is also a possibility. Allelopathic plants release phytochemicals from their roots or leaves that disrupt or stunt the growth of other plants.
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