With that size you can’t really get a significant gap. Just use a straight wedge and wrap it tight. The gap will seal itself during the season. I would rather wrap the top with tape than use any grafting paint/wax coating (if that is what you mean by coating) which could leak into the possible cavity and prevent it from filling with bark/new wood naturally.
Ok, thanks for letting me know… good to understand about the void and back back-filling, too. Do you think for windy areas this is a better approach than the modified cleft, or they are equally good?
I am thankful this region has no 90mph winds, nor 4 inch rains in a day. My experience thus far argues the strength of the bond between stock & scion may be more important than the graft type over time. I had Edelborsdorfer on Geneva41. In its eighth leaf a pair of 60 mile-per-hour gusts broke it off right at the graft union. Edelborsdorfer had heavy twigs & a stout trunk by then. The break was astonishing - clean as a whistle.
I had other apple trees grafted via wh-&-t, cleft, saddle & chip-bud onto EMLA26, Geneva30 & Budagovsky118. None of those showed any sign of strain in the same storm.
Commercial sites state Geneva30 doesn’t do well with Gala, which apple has light brittle wood. I would hazard Gala doesn’t do well with many stocks. I had no interest in growing Gala, so cannot comment on it directly.
Avoiding G41 & Gala, along with reasonable after care: strip precocious trees when too young to handle fruit load &/or thin heavily until you deem your tree capable of handling the load; watering deeply in dry conditions on a weekly basis so roots strike far down; pruning to get desired shape & size for carrying crops & allowing bees access to flowers, and so on, will reduce or eliminate the dangers.
That goat foot graft is interesting. I may try it this year.
Personally, I go for wedge. It is more stable (definitely early on) even without joining or support. Things fly in the wind, animals may knock into it, too. And I’m not a gambling person (plus that joinery analogy took too well , since I studied industrial design).
I think I’ve gotten turned around now I’m still trying to learn all the different graft types! Are wedge and cleft graft the same, versus modified cleft (where it’s pushed to the edge)? I think that is what you’re saying.
Or I’m too tired. Thanks. Fixed.
Have a nice evening. You’ve been very helpful