Prune off tree’s water sprouts now

Q: A neighbor told me that our tree is full of “water sprouts.” He told us that they needed to be pruned off immediately as they are not good branches to have on the tree. Tell me what they are and why they are so bad.

A: Water sprouts are upright shoots on tree branches. They grow very fast straight upward, making them very weak branches that break off easily in windy conditions. They become very large branches in a short time, and can injure people or property when they fall. They should be pruned off immediately when you notice them. You can use hand pruners when they are very small. These branches show up when large branches removed by improper pruning techniques, especially with the removal of large branches destroying the balance of roots to shoots on the tree. When the roots become more numerous than the branches, the sap and nutrients cause latent buds to break into these fast growing branches.

Q: I overheard two tree people mentioning “bud sticks.” What are these things?

A: Bud sticks are pieces of a desired branch of a tree (also called scion wood), which are grafted onto another tree — usually a fruit or nut tree. These bud sticks are cut in the fall or in the very early spring when the tree or shrub is dormant. Grafters place the bud sticks in storage, usually wrapped in wet paper towels or wet newspaper in a plastic bag. They place them into a refrigerator until spring. They should be opened and checked periodically, so they are not totally airtight.

When conditions are right for budding in the spring as the sap begins to flow, a grafter will cut just below the bud on the branch keeping as much bark as possible connected to the bud. The grafter will try to connect as much cambium tissue from both the lower part (rootstock) with the bud (scion wood). He then wraps the connection to keep it airtight and not let the woody tissue dry out.

In a few weeks, the buds will begin to break out and grow into a branch. The upper part of the tree or shrub will then take on the characteristics of the new buds grafted or budded onto the rootstock. The plants must be in the same plant family to be successful.

You can usually tell a good grafter by looking at his hands. The knives grafters use are very sharp and sometimes they cut their fingers or thumbs. Some even wrap their fingers and thumbs with tape to prevent injury.

Good grafters have a 90 percent success rate in a favorable spring. Weather plays a big part in the success rate. The grafters will check later and remove any developing branches from the original rootstock to make sure the energy and nutrients go to the new grafted shoot.

Most grafted plants are more expensive because of the time and expertise of the grafter.

This story was originally published March 17, 2016 at 3:36 AM with the headline "Prune off tree’s water sprouts now."