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Bethlehem CT

I have heard people say that the reason they disagree with grafting is because it is not natural, but in fact grafts do occur in nature. The most common graft that occurs naturally is the root graft. When two root hairs of like species touch they graft themselves together. This can be beneficial as the two plants can share nutrients and water. Diseases are also spread this way. Back when Dutch elm disease was killing off all the elms on our Main street's. If one elm got the disease, the trees next to that one would also die because they shared the same root system. Modern science is learning more about root grafts and how common they are. It is amazing to see how interconnected everything is.
The other type of naturally occurring grafts happen when shoots fuse together. In order for this to occur species that are living in close proximity to each other must have branches or trunks that touch each-other. Over time they will fuse themselves together. Some species graft themselves very frequently. Often times they are thin barked trees like beeches and magnolias.
Check out this website for some more information
https://instruct1.cit.cornell.edu/courses/hort494/mg/history/HistGB.html

10/22/2013 7:47:58 AM

formerly RGG

That is true big moon. I have observed this occurrence when a pink and a white dogwood were planted together in the same hole.

10/22/2013 3:16:45 PM