Maple Root Stock Acting Weird

[Saddler]

I'm not sure about the leaves. The reason I would encourage you to remove it is 1) it's already creating an unsightly lump which will rapidly get worse as it grows 2) it may kill the top of the tree when the graft fails. I have a high grafted Tamukeyama that also had a regressive shoot and even several years later the trunk is still marred.

The own of the tree could care less about the lump it leaves. I can always take my knob cutters to it. If I see the lace leaf become not vigorous before I am doing learning what I can, I will deal with it then.

Your warnings are not going unheeded. The more I hear them, the closer I will watch the tree.