Hi, folks!

I have a question about grafting.

I know that for a graft to take, the scion and rootstock need to be closely enough related for that to happen. My question is, if the scion and rootstock are NOT closely enough related, will the scion fuse to the rootstock at all? Or will it just fall off?

I have a Tiger Eyes Sumac, and have used it for grafting practice, since the bark, cambium, and wood are easy to separate (and it's a very hardy plant). I've experimented with grafting Redstar Peach and Italian Plum onto it (I'm going the stone fruit route, rather than citrus). While I won't know for some time if they'll actually grow, both of them have successfully fused to the rootstock (Tiger Eyes).

Is that a good sign? Or is it common for the graft union to fuse successfully, but not grow if the relation isn't close enough?

I hope that makes sense!

Thanks, everyone!

Nate

P.S. Tiger Eyes Sumac has a really thick, sticky white sap - could that be what I'm mistaking for graft fusion? The scions are secure in place, and I do see some white substance/debris around the union, but it doesn't look like sap, or appear to be wet.