Field Maple [Acer campestre] - Threadgrafted branch too early removed from the donor. Help.

Hi Everyone, I need your help.

Last season (28/05/2012) I have threadgrafted two new branches onto my Field Maple. Everything went ok and the new shoots started to grow and thicken. Almost 3 weeks ago (24/04/2013) in some incomprehensible way I've removed them both from the donor... Don't ask

So from that 3 weeks the branches look the same, don't grow and all the buds have almost completely dried. Every few days I check cambium lightly scraping the bark and it is still green. Maybe not so vivid but almost.

The question is IF the grafts have managed somehow to take and the whole branch is hardly alive but not dead, should I trim it to save some energy for feeding (is the whole branch sucking the sap from the tree stronger?) or leave it as is and hope it will recover?

Here you have pictures from 'before' and 'after' grafting.

Thank you very much for your help!

Hi Aleph

I have a campestre, ( not treadgrafted) who did not open the buds on one side of the trunk. I tried everything, from no wind, lot of light, but no direct sun, nice warm soil, and spraying regular...nothing happened.....3 days ago, I cut back the rest of the tree, and maybe... just maybe, does it look like the buds are better.

Kind regards Yvonne

I think the banch it´s perfect. Just let it grow!

Thanks for the reply!

Unfortunately the branches did not connect with the trunk and were almost dead, so after last cambium color check I've deicded to remove them and make the threadgrafting again. After all it's a maple, right? Thank you once again. Cheers!