Does long-term graft strength vary by graft type (when rootstock and scion are different diameter)

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.

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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?

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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.

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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).

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I think I’ve gotten turned around now :slight_smile: 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.

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Or I’m too tired. Thanks. Fixed.

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Have a nice evening. You’ve been very helpful :slight_smile:

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