What kind of tape?? Para-film (think shrink-wrap, but waxy), grafting rubbers(thin&wide rubber band), masking tape?? I have seen some growers remove grafting rubbers(CAN girdle if not enough light and plants grow, gain caliper really quick)to replace with small piece of masking tape...average household stuff...just rots away or falls off after a bit. Does not really last long, but still gives the union extra protection. Used more so on slow conifers, but also on maples.

What size budwood are you trying to graft? Personally, I never try and graft anything more than 3 or 4 nodes - and I cut off at least three-quarters of each leaf. If you leave too much leaf, I feel they transpire too much moisture before it can be supplied by the graft. However, careful wrapping, and then covering the whole budwood and graft in a clear bag will help prevent this. If the leaf stubs fall off, it is a sign the graft is working. If they wilt and turn brown but hang on, it often indicates a problem. My experience is in grafting potted citrus in a cool climate. This is a slower process than in johnmerr's climate, so best results may be different.

There are a lot of misconceptions about tree roots :-) All trees will produce widely spreading root systems - with most mature trees the root system will spread out 2-3 times the height of the tree. Sometimes quite a bit further if soil and water conditions dictate. And the bulk of the root system is contained in the top 12-24" of the soil profile. Also, tree roots do not "tear up" foundations - if the foundation itself is structurally sound - no cracks or crumbling - any tree roots that encounter the solid surface of a foundation wall will simply change directions. Foundation issues only occur if the structure is already compromised and that is typically attributable to settling or soil subsidence, not roots :-) Many trees will develop large roots right under the soil surface that in time will emerge through the lawn or in the soil surrounding them, large growing maples like both silver or reds are just a couple of common examples. This is one of the reasons growing smaller plants under the canopy of these trees is difficult - it is a very rooty location, hard to dig, and those existing roots claim the majority of available nutrients and soil moisture, not to mention the heavy shade these situations produce. Few other plants appreciate those tough conditions. Silver maples are no better or worse than any other large growing maple. They seed heavily - but then so do my native bigleaf maples - and they tend to have a natural branch structure that leads to breakage in high winds or ice storms unless properly pruned/trained (ditto the bigleafs). They are very closely related to red maples and share many of the same characteristics: a preference for moist soils (they share the common names of swamp or water maples), a wide spreading, surface oriented root system, heavy seed production and both are native trees with a very wide natural range. I would not plant either silver or red maples close to inground plumbing/water pipes or near a septic system as their water-loving nature can create problems. Their DNA is so close they are able to hybridize easily, with the resultant Freeman maples (Acer x freemanii) offering the best characteristics of both species. Numerous named forms - cultivars - exist of all three types and all are propagated by grafting.

kcandmilo, don't worry. The cane will probably re-sprout, since you cut it and didn't tear/rip it off. You may even get more than one new cane. In the future, when *you're sure* you have a rootstock sucker coming up from below the graft, then you need to gently dig down to where it is attached and pull/tear it off with a downward motion. That leaves a wound that will scar over and hopefully won't re-sprout. But cutting a sucker is just pruning, and it signals it to begin new growth...and it will. Even though what you cut is part of your desirable rose, what you've done in this case is just a rather severe pruning, and it should have the effect of promoting new sprouts. Even if it doesn't form a new cane, it should incite new growth somewhere, since now there's somewhat more root than top.