Forcing growth from the Graft Bud

Three weeks after grafting, the grafting tape needs to removed and the graft inspected. (Being left too long with the grafting tape can apparently cause the graft to die.) 

If it is not obviously healthy, scrape part of the graft (away from the actual bud) to see if there is green tissue underneath. (If it is dead, it will all be brown & rotting.) If the graft shows signs of green, viable tissue, cut the top off the tree 1 cm above the graft to force the tree to grow from the graft bud. Cut at a slight angle (20 degrees) away from the bud, with the bottom of the cut 1 cm above the level of the top of the graft. 

It seems strange to be reducing such a large young tree to a stump but that's the way it works. 

Now to wait for 2 to 3 weeks to see if it shoots from the graft bud.