You can graft your rootstock and then store them for weeks/months in refrigeration. Professional nurseries will often provide a couple weeks of dark storage at warmer temperatures(70F) in order for the graft union to callus over. They then refrigerate the grafts until ready to plant. I've stored bench grafts for over a month in my cellar which stays between 40-50F. Keep them well wrapped in plastic, and the roots in moist sawdust, straw or peat so they don't dry out.

According to St. Lawrence Nursery, which specializes in cold, northern climate fruits: "St. Lawrence Nurseries does not grow or sell dwarf or semi-dwarf apple trees because they do not have the hardiness, vigor, and disease resistance needed to thrive in our northern climate. So what Is "Standard"? Although the word âÂÂstandardâ implies that all apples grafted onto standard rootstock grow to be about the same size, this is not the case. For instance, Red Delicious or McIntosh seeds from cannery waste have often been used to grow âÂÂstandardâ rootstock. Growing in Zone 6 or 7, trees grafted to these rootstocks will often reach a mature height in excess of 30 feet, necessitating a 40-foot orchard spacing and long ladders. In contrast, Malus antonovka, a âÂÂstandardâ seedling rootstock, when grown in Zone 3 or 4 without pruning, will produce a 15 foot tree. (See photo p. 22.) The same tree can be kept at 10-12 feet by annual pruning. We use Antonovka for our apple rootstock. It is the most tried-and-true rootstock known, having been used for 500 years in Russia. Northern grown and well pruned apple trees on Antonovka rootstock are equivalent to âÂÂsemi-dwarfâ trees in size, yet still retain the necessary vigor to flower, fruit and become dormant within the time constraints of a short growing season." Here is a link that might be useful: WHICH APPLES SHOULD I CHOOSE?

Almost any apple can be grafted to your crabs. And, crabs make fine pollinators for them, assuming that they are blooming at the same time. There are a number of different approaches to grafting- you can get deeper into that next spring, when you will actually be able to start. Many people here do it and will be happy to share links to tutorials, videos, and so on, and to answer questions. Often you can get scions or bud sticks from friends or through people on this forum, or you can buy them. Scott Smith has a great list (which I don't have copied on this computer, or I'd give it to you now) and which should be available to you by searching this forum. Lots of good help here too about pruning. Hope this is a start. Good luck, Mark

Kolos, first of all, if your intent is to grow beautiful Macintosh apples, this is not a good way to do it. Seedlings are alot like our children. They never look identical to the parent and sometimes look nothing like them. It's difficult to say how the fruit would turn out. There's a good chance the fruit would be small and inferior and maybe not resemble a typical Macintosh. Buy a grafted tree if you want guaranteed results. If you are determined to grow a tree from seed, your method should work. Just a couple pointers...make sure the peat is slightly moist. You might want to add a fungicide. Put it in the fridge (just above freezing) in the fall and check in early spring. When you see little white sprouts, you can put them in one of those tiny greenhouses for seedlings from Lowes or Home Depot. Leave it in a windowsill until temps moderate. Acclimate them slowly to sun and wind (a couple hours a day-gradually increasing). Then plant outside after last frost. Good luck. I've done this succesfully with maple seeds and I don't think apple seeds are too far off. If you are determined to grow a tree