Ah, thanks! That makes sense, as vigourous species can affect small scions in the reverse by 'speeding them up' in some instances. So if I chose a grafted large plant - usually the 'Glauca' or 'Aurea' of most species - then I should be ok. That's great.

The way the stock on your specimen looks pinched at it enters the ground indicates deformity due to careless container culture. There's a few things I have to say on this one. First, Nope to the lifted comment. Not a chance from a tree that can put on an inch of caliper a year. If it were the case, every single Metasequoia I've ever seen has the same issue...they grow so quickly, in such a non-radial manner, you're going to have idiosyncrasies in how the trunk appears. I've seen a few trees over the years where the scion grew much faster than the stock, or vice versa. a few. I saw one once that had an interstock that grew faster than either scion or stock. By a few, I don't suppose I've seen more than one every few years. They exist. What is the eventual outcome, due to the unequal growth rate? Eventual failure, I'm sure, but in how many years, I just don't know. Every so often, a variant of this question appears on various threads here. Usually in the guise of picture heavy threads of specimens that grow lopsided on one side of the graft or another. Years ago, in my college years (yes, I can remember them), there was a discussion re: graft incompatibility with one of the professors. Long story short, it's complicated, and hard to predict. The specific question was re: caragana and the weeping varieties, what I recall was that he didn't think there was any truly compatible combination of stock, interstock, and scion. But most would last about 20 years before petering out. I've seen orchard rows where in a row or block, there's be one or a few individuals exhibiting vigorous stock growth relative to the scion, or vice versa. Blocks planted at a rate of 1400 hundred trees an acre, and there may be one or a couple, all otherwise identical, except for a meagre handful of rogue individuals. No way to predict, and really nothing to do except let it live it's course.

Martin, thanks. I have read a number of your posts (or should I say a IVXLM of your posts, LOL?!) You always educate me in many ways. I hope your choices improve in Denmark. Believe it or not, here in north Florida, there are no choices either. I may as well be in Denmark. Just a mere 2-3 hours away, there are hundreds of choices. But in Jacksonville (north Florida), there are none other than Lowes and Home Depot - "big box stores (BBS)" - selling "basic" adeniums - single pink, white and red. I have read that a few grafted ones have come in on occasion, but I've never seen them here. UPDATE EDIT: I SAW them here! I went back to Lowes yesterday and lo and behold, in and amongst the adenium there were a few grafted adenium. All of the blooms were spent, so it was very difficult to guess what they had looked like in all of their glory. However, the manager offered to mark them down, without my even asking, and so I came home with four, new, grafted adenium. Shang, thanks for the reply. No, I don't have any experience in grafting but it sounds like a single graft is all I need. Since you're here in Florida in Zone 9, I always read your posts with great interest. I learn so much from you. Dain, those are AMAZING plants! Thanks for taking the time to reply and the photo. I would be thrilled to get a grafted plant that looked like that. So you folks educated me - a single graft is all I need - I gather branching will occur down the road as the plant matures and with good pruning. I'm excited to place an order. UPDATE EDIT: I no longer need to place an order, but I hope this is helpful to others. Carol

Kelley, the hardest part to all the grafts - that one included - was cutting pieces that fit. It’s like creating a little jigsaw puzzle with pieces of wood in a hurry. I only used that one on one because it was the only seedling that was actively growing. It was not more difficult than the others I think. In a way, once I got it to fit in, it was easier to tape up. The Teflon tape worked, but was hard to keep from wrinkling up. I’m interested to feel the difference between that and the grafting tape. Once I get it, I may graft a branch of my ST that is alive, but has been broken and is dangling. When I take the tree out, I’m sure it will snap off, so why not try to I graft it onto another lemon seedling.... I’m on a roll...;)