# How do you make a Graft from a tree? apples, apples everywhere. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 18, 2003, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-make-a-graft-from-a-tree-apples-apples-everywhere/195958 "2003-08-18T13:01:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2003, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-make-a-graft-from-a-tree-apples-apples-everywhere/195958/1 "2003-08-18T13:01:32Z")
My neighbor told me if I wanted to make a graft from one of his apple trees (macintosh) he wouldn’t mind at all. Looking at him rather quizzically, I said how do you make a graft. “Damned if I know” the man said, “these trees are more than 80 years old, I moved here in 1974!” So I’d love to do this, and I consider myself a bit of a green thumb, but darned if I know how to graft from an apple tree. Anyone know? ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2003, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-make-a-graft-from-a-tree-apples-apples-everywhere/195958/2 "2003-08-18T13:06:10Z")
It’s very easy, and you can grow several varieties on one tree! [http://www.oreworld.org/grafting.htm](http://www.oreworld.org/grafting.htm) google this and many good pages come up: fruit tree grafting technique ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2003, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-make-a-graft-from-a-tree-apples-apples-everywhere/195958/3 "2003-08-18T13:07:50Z")
darn…this is the ‘step by step’ link I wanted to post 🙂 [http://doityourself.com/fruits/grafting.htm](http://doityourself.com/fruits/grafting.htm) ---
**Author:** ![mrbuddylee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/51bf81/32.png) [@mrbuddylee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrbuddylee)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2003, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-make-a-graft-from-a-tree-apples-apples-everywhere/195958/4 "2003-08-18T13:21:32Z")
My father is a pro at this, I have had back luck though. It’s tough, but a very interesting process. I don’t know how the heck it all works. It’s like a cross species or something bizarre. Most of the ‘dwarf’ trees you buy at nurseries are grafted at a young age and that’s why they’re dwarfs. Anyways, I didn’t really add anything to this post, but good luck! ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2003, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-make-a-graft-from-a-tree-apples-apples-everywhere/195958/5 "2003-08-18T13:33:47Z")
Wow that was a good link **Phil** but I’m afraid still over my head. I’m not sure I fully understand where to get the _scion_ and _rootstoock_ from on a healthy tree? Do I get the scion from the tip of a small branch? with buds on it? And where do I get the rootstock from? Basically, do I cut the tip of a branch with buds, and shove it into a peice of root from the same tree? and let it sit for a while until it shoots some fledgling roots? Slightly lost still I’m afraid. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2003, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-make-a-graft-from-a-tree-apples-apples-everywhere/195958/6 "2003-08-18T15:25:17Z")
Almost all fruit trees are grafted. That bulge just above the ground is where it happened. The tasty varieties, it seems, come from trees with weak root systems. So, somebody at the nursery cut off the top of a strong-rooted variety. What’s left is the **rootstock.** Then she grafted on a branch **(scion)** from a tree known to make good fruit. After a few years, it grows into the tree you see for sale in the spring. The other kind of grafting is when you take a healthy branch of your neighbor’s Macintosh onto your existing tree. If the graft works, you’ll have two kinds of apples growing on your tree. Same technique, but it’s done higher up on the tree. I’ve never done it, but it looks pretty simple. ---
**Author:** ![sunstone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunstone/32/3372_2.png) [@sunstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunstone)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-make-a-graft-from-a-tree-apples-apples-everywhere/195958/7 "2003-08-19T02:27:40Z")
Welcome to grafting, P! Apples are among the easiest plants to graft. I used to have my high school biology students graft apples when we were studying plant tissues…had to know things like cambium, and so forth. These students achieved about 85% success on their first tries…with supervision. Stock…the part with the roots…you splice a length of desired variety onto this. The desired variety is called a scion. I’ve grafted and raised over 120 varieties of apples! Lots of fun. I think the best variety is Ashmead’s Kernel…which is a parent of Cox Orange Pippin, which in turn is a parent of Gala, which is pretty (Unlike Ashmead’s Kernel)…but I digress. There is a lot of information on the net. Below are some links for you to read. Send me email if you have questions. [www.tree-mendus.com/grafting/grafting\_main.htm](http://www.tree-mendus.com/grafting/grafting_main.htm) ceinfo.unh.edu/rootstok.pdf www.ext.nodak.edu/county/cass/ horticulture/fruit/graft.htm ag.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/mg/ propagation/grafting.html