skip to main content

Fruit & Orchards

Apple Grafting Question

12 years ago

I moved from Washington to Idaho, and I wanted to take my wonderful apple tree along, so I took a grafting class. I grafted four branches of my tree in the spring, right after we moved, following the directions from the class.

Only one scion stayed alive, but the leaf buds didn't bud out into leaves, it was simply still supple. The rootstock leafed out within a month of my grafting. Since the other three scions died but I could tell this one was alive, and since I desperately wanted my apple tree, I thought maybe I could pick the leaves off the root stock and it would re-send the message to leaf out.

About 9 days ago, I picked the rootstock leaves off, and within four days, the leaves on the scion budded out. They now are opening up, and the root stock also has new leaves, but they are growing faster than the scion leaves.

This tree is extremely precious to me, so I really want to do anything I can to keep it alive. It's in a huge pot with Miracle Grow soil. Is it better to have it in full sun, part sun, or shade? Is it too late in the year (in this cold area of Idaho) for the tree to gain strength and make it through the winter? Is there anything else I should do?

Thank you for your time, anyone who answers.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (3)

calistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
12 years ago
You probably grafted too soon as you rootstock was not ready. You should have kept the scions refrigerated until the rootstock showed it was coming out of dormancy. What you have now I would keep in partial shade for this summer. Are you planning on planting it in the ground? If so I would wait until the weather cools and plant it in the full sun. If you intend it to be grown only as a container tree, I would rethink your soil choice for a long life container mix. Al
Konrad___far_north
12 years ago
You could plant it now, if not, bury the pot a little in the fall.
Don't over fertilize and water late in season, best a little on the dry side, [late September] so the new growth can harden up a bit. Protect against vole damage.
Related Discussions
Apple grafting questions
Q
Comments (5)
It doesn't have to be same size. I grow allot of root stock from seeds, here some grafts on a pear. .. .. This is in my experimental nursery, I do allot of test on cold hardiness, by grafting, [bark grafting] and see how the new growth survives our winter cold. Here is a link that might be useful: Konrad's modified bark grafting
...See More
Grafting Apple to Non-Fruiting Pear Tree Question.
Q
Comments (41)
In the spring of 2012, I attempted to graft a Pear scion onto my apple tree using Winter Banana Apple as an inter stem. (All of he grafting i do is "Whip and Tongue" grafts wrapped in grafting tape. I then coat the wrapped union with grafting wax) The parent branch was a Winesap Apple branch with a grafted Winter Banana Apple scion from a few years before. (I actually have two of these paired branches.) I then attempted to graft two "Kieffer" Pear scions onto my two Winter Banana Apple inter stems. The "Kieffer" Pear scions started to grow, but died a few weeks later. This spring (2014) I attempted to graft this Apple / Pear union again using the same Winter Banana Apple inter stems. I had just enough branch on my Winter Banana branches to try this experiment one more time. This time around, I used "Sunrise Pear" scionwood. The grafting was a screaming success! (I had enough "Sunrise Pear" scionwood to graft two branches onto my apple tree, and two more onto an ornamental pear. All four pear grafts were a success!) I have no idea why this experiment failed in 2012 and was a success in 2014. I do not know if it had to do with the pear variety used, or if it had to do with environmental circumstances. I will re-post in 2015 with an update. There are a few different treads on this subject so I will be re-posting on those threats also. Below are pictures taken on 07/27/2014.
...See More
Apple cleft grafting question
Q
Comments (1)
I have never left a nurse limb. I have done about 40 cleft grafts onto wild apple trees and have had about 95% success rate.
...See More
Apple tree grafting question
Q
Comments (13)
Hi Brandon, yes you're right about the Freyburg which I'll have to replace this year. Annoying but hopefully my other 5 (cider) apple trees I bought are going to produce the correct fruit. I'll assume that the parent tree has taken over the grafts and produced fruit similar to what I was trying to replace (once again, annoying). Interesting to note that both grafts pictured in photo 4 have the same fruit and so both appear to have "failed". Perhaps it is because the scion wood was taken from the "Freyburg" tree before it had fruited for the first time? Possibly if my original Freyburg tree was taken over by the rootstock then maybe it is not a suitable source for taking scion wood from? It would be interesting to actually know the reason why this has happened and I'm hopeful that the other grafts of the Cox's will be successful. Dave
...See More
suzyann13
Original Author
12 years ago
Thank you for the ideas. I am planning on keeping it in the pot and burying it in the ground this fall, then planting it in a place secure from bears and deer in spring when we can put up a good sturdy fence for a garden.

I actually did have the scions in the root cellar, which is fridge temperature, until the rootstock started budding. It was colder than usual in Idaho, so it was late when I grafted. I don't know why the one stayed alive when it didn't leaf out, but now it has leaves, so I am hopeful it will become a healthy tree.

I will keep it in partial shade for the summer, and slow the fertilizer and water in fall before planting. I am so excited to have a possible tree from the one I left in Washington. That tree had the best apples EVER!

: )

Related Stories

EDIBLE GARDENS How to Add an Apple Tree to Your Edible Garden

By Marianne Lipanovich

Readily available, beautiful and fragrant, apple trees offer four-season interest along with crisp, juicy fruit

WORKING WITH PROS 12 Questions Your Interior Designer Should Ask You

By Mike Dietrich

The best decorators aren’t dictators — and they’re not mind readers either. To understand your tastes, they need this essential info

ORGANIZING Pre-Storage Checklist: 10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Store

By Laura Gaskill

Wait, stop. Do you really need to keep that item you’re about to put into storage?

Today's Question: TV Fireplace Dilemma

By Lily Gahagan

Should the TV Go Above the Fireplace — or Not? Have Your Say!

Design Dilemmas: 5 Questions for Houzzers!

By Annie Thornton

Post Ideas for Landscaping for a Modern Home, Updating a Rental and More

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING Crazy for Fruit Trees

By Marianne Lipanovich

Whether a single citrus or a mini apple orchard, even the smallest landscape space can bear deliriously delicious fruit

EDIBLE GARDENS Why Grow Quince? For Beauty, Fragrance and Old-Time Flavor

By Marianne Lipanovich

Delightfully perfumed fruit and lovely spring blossoms make this apple and pear cousin worth a spot in the garden

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING Landscape Tour: Two Acres of Rural Hillside in Maine

By Becky Harris

An orchard of crab apples, a grove of sugar maples, even a hayfield ... pastoral landscape beauty doesn't get more idyllic than this

MOST POPULAR Why We Love Midcentury Modern Design

By Mitchell Parker

There's a method to all this 'Mad Men'-ness — just look to psychology, tough times and, believe it or not, Apple

HOUZZ TOURS My Houzz: Eclectic East London Victorian

By Beccy Smart Photography

A bathtub reminiscent of an apple, a backyard hot tub and hand-crafted touches show a couple's sophisticated yet accessible design style

Sponsored

39 Reviews

Ohio's Kitchen Design Showroom |11x Best of Houzz 2014 - 2022

More Discussions

Peach trees need help!

1

Beginner apple tree initial care

0

What's causing this strawberry problem?

2

Health Issue with a cherry plum tree

3

Is this a crabapple?

8