Quote:
Originally Posted by Father'sDaughter
Advice of many is to leave it on until it falls off on its own.
|
Good advice. You can just wait till the stem gets so large that it looks like the clip is nearly ready to pop off and then just remove it then. I usually make sure the clips are off before I set plants into the garden. I give them plenty of time to harden off so there is no doubt that they are ready to have any clips that haven't fallen off removed at that time.
Another point is I prefer to let the grafted plant get a good bit larger before putting it out in the garden so that it is easy to clip it to some support and in my case that is a drop line. Even a well healed graft can sometimes separate if it is put out by itself too soon in the strong winds of spring. The graft ★★★★★★★★ seems to remain a weak spot on the plant for a few weeks after it has been set out. Eventually it is as tough as the rest of the stalk but I think it takes a little weathering to get it to that point.
Bill