apricot branches

Question

I have a dwarf apricot I bought dormant in spring and it has branches everywhere. The bottom two branches have long slender leaves. They do not match the other leaves. Do I cut these off or is this possibly another fruit?

Answer 1

It sounds like the rootstock on the graft is trying to grow, but this happens from below the graft line. The graft line is normally near the soil but sometimes trees are grafted near where the canopy is. Look on the trunk for a scar that goes all the way around. This is the graft line. You want to remove any branches that grow below the graft line as these are from the rootstock and will not help the tree.

If you are not able to find the graft line, removing the branches with the slender leaves will not hurt the plant.