Sole Bud on Bench Graft is a Flower Bud

A friend did two apple bench grafts where the tip bud is a flower bud. He doesn’t think there is a second viable vegetative bud on either.

Is there a way to turn a flower bud into a vegetative bud?

Sure, pick the flowers off and it will revert to a vegetative shoot.

With some varieties (Anna, Dorset Golden) all you are going to get is flower buds.

5 Likes

My winter banana is the same way. Almost all of these scions had flowers.

Sorry to bump this thread – Does the same apply for Cherry? If you pick off the blossoms before they open does the bud revert to a leaf bud? Cherry experts feel free to chime in…

I cleft grafted a spurry scion (Van on Lapins) last year. It gave me three vegetative shoots and no flowers. But I got a bunch of spurs in that location this year.

Not exactly the same problem – it sounds like these were not flower buds on your scion, even if they were spur-like. I have a few two bud scions that have calloused up nicely – I chose sticks without obvious spurs. But of course, given my careful selection, some are non-spur flower buds, not leaf buds. I pinched off the cherry blossoms at the stem. I’m just wondering if there’s a small leaf initial at the base of the bud that will take over, or if I should expect no more growth from that bud?

withdrawn.