Grafting Utah juniper – removing the original foliage

I grafted the Utah juniper below almost a year and a half ago (see “Grafting Utah juniper“). The scions have really taken hold – so much so that it’s time to remove some of the original foliage.

Utah juniper grafted with kishu shimpaku foliage

After removing most of the original foliage

I left two of the original branches alone as the scions grafted to them are growing more slowly than the others. That’s somewhat expected as they have been shaded out by the branches directly above.

Less vigorous scions

As for the new foliage, I’m leaving the ties in place. I’m in no rush to remove them as they help keep the scions in place while the fused connections grow stronger.

Grafting tape and what remains of the grafting bags

I’ll likely remove the tape and bags at some point between now and next spring depending on how quickly the scions grow.