Citrus dieback due to root problems and why the grafted section almost always dies off first 😱😱

If you've ever lost a grafted citrus due to root issues, invariably due to root rot ( haven't we all 😥😥 ), you may have noticed how quickly the grafted part of the plant can die off, but how occasionally the rootstock later manages to recover and send out new shoots even though the grafted variety remains resolutely dead. This is because the grafted area is a weak point on the plant and no matter how beautifully it was grafted and how long the grafted has been established, perhaps for many years, the deformed and scarred tissue in the vicinity of the graft union always means that the flow of nutrients and water through that area will always be far less efficient than undamaged areas of the trunk and branches. That's why in the event of serious root problems, damage, disease, drought etc, the grafted section of the tree will almost always die off first. In fact the main part of the plant ( the base ) will cut off the nutrient supply to the extremities to try and save what it considers the most important part of the plant, i.e. the top of the roots and base of the trunk. Don't forget your plant doesn't know you've grafted a choice variety onto the main stem, it just wants to survive 😁