How do you know if you have been successful at Budding

Many people ask, how do I know if I have been successful at budding.

Well assuming that you left the petiole still attached to the bud, that is the short leaf stalk. Then it is easy to check. Just wait approx 2 weeks or so after budding, and follow the photos.

The bud of the scion cultivar will remain dormant throughout the autumn and winter. But the newly budded trees will send you a message of success or non-success (you can never fail, just repeat and repeat if you have to). When the bud and root-stock grow together a chemical message is sent to the petiole. The petiole part of the leaf reacts as if it is winter (due to hormone differences) and falls off. If they do not make a growth connections, no message, and the petiole remains firmly attached near the bud.

If after say 4 weeks the petiole has not fallen, then it will stay attached for months, and it will dry out, and invariably it will still stay attached.