I agree with Tippy. That looks like a spectacular job and most likely you will get good results. I wish my grafts looked so good.
I’m afraid the bridge-grafted tree is toast; it will bud out OK, but when the heat comes it will stress really bad. You may want to remove most of the canopy and paint it all white. You will lose over three years of productivity on it.
I’d graft a replacement if you have not already.
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If it were me I would build a hill of dirt around it ASAP and root the top portion. I’ve never done it but that’s a nice tree and it would be a shame to lose it. That would take a lot of dirt to get that done.
I already have other trees grafted and growing, and a Celestia and a Kidd’s Orange Red coming from Southmeadow this year.
If the tree does poorly it can be replaced.
I have a box around my Calville Blanc trying to get roots to grow above a high graft that the tree was really outgrowing, but the damage on the Gala is way too high to try and get dirt around it.
The Gala we did the bridge grating on was damaged last summer. It has already leafed out. Like I said, we had nothing to lose trying it. We’ll probably see how it does this year, and decide it’s ultimate fate this fall/winter. It is a nice big tree, but there are 44 others out there in that orchard, and I have a bunch of young trees in the garden too. We’re planning for long term, so having sound healthy trees may be better in the long run.
I appreciate the input.
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I had one that half of it got stripped by rabbits and it healed back over on it’s own about 5 years ago. You can still see the wound but the tree is ok. That year was bad and they were so hungry they were girdling full grown trees because of the snow.
Here are updated pictures of the bridge grafted Gala.
We pulled all the fruit off of it, and unwrapped the grafts a couple of weeks ago.
It looks like all the grafts are sizing up.
I’m thinking it can only help the tree.
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Yup. Good work- almost makes me jealous. 
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Thanks for the compliment marknmt.
Here is an off topic post showing what my young apple trees would have to compete with, if I didn’t pull the weeds.
These weeds are (I will dig them tomorrow) about six feet from the last row of Apple trees, out in the garden. I’m 5’7" by the way.
According to hubby, they are over eight feet.
This is a single Lambsquarter I dug out of the same area.
We have good soil, and thankfully it’s getting easier to pull weeds out there.
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Whoa !!!
I’m looking at the pictures and can hardly believe the difference four months has made. Here is a picture of the same plants, shot from the same direction.
Then there is the stool bed, which has been boxed to allow hilling up the soil a bit.
And finally there is one of me standing among the trees I grafted just last year.
It is really fun to see trees grow like this!
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Jolene,
That is amazing growth. That is very nice to see. You probably will get some fruit from many of them next year. Great job.
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Thanks Mamuang! 
Given that they are on larger rootstocks (mm106 and Bud 118) and the fact that we’re going to have to move them this fall, I doubt we will get fruit on those that soon. Some of those are triploids, and that contributes the the rapid growth rate. It’s still fun though, and we will have fruit one of these years.
Ate a Strawberry Parfait apple yesterday, and it was really tasty. Only one the blasted game chickens didn’t knock off the tree! The replacement chickens that we’re raising now won’t be able to fly into the trees that way. nods
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Whoa! Nice nursery beds. Great looking whips. You could start your own nursery business on the side.
Thanks Matt.
The rootstocks planted last year really took off this year! If all the shoots have roots, I might have close to a hundred new rootstocks.
My idea is to make custom multi grafted trees, so folks that only have room for one tree can have pollination issues covered, enjoy more varieties, and spread out the harvest. I’m also thinking about combining late bloomers on one tree, for folks in frost plagued areas.
I have four standard frankentrees in the orchard. One with ten other varieties on it, the others with eight, six, and five, beside the main variety of the tree.
I’m hoping to have a lot of less common Apple varieties for people to both taste, and choose from, for their custom creations.
So anyhow, I’m working that direction, and having fun with it. I have rootstocks in several sizes, and about 100 varieties. I also have quite a few trees for sale this year, all single variety of course.
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You might have found an opening in the market for more than the usual multi-grafted tree. Great idea.
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That’s a good idea. Would you ship your trees out of state? You could find that forum members could be your customers, too.
Good luck with you business.
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Thanks for the good wishes Mamuang.
I haven’t really thought much about shipping trees. Though I would be happy to send trees to the good folks on this forum, I always assumed they’d rather graft their own.
I have really found the wealth of information here wonderful. I’m doing things I never imagined before.
Here are pictures of the crab apple grafted over to Winesap (the tree owners favorite).
Here is a close up of a graft. Fun stuff in my beginner’s opinion.
Here’s what it looked like before the grafts grew.
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Jolene,
You definitely have green thumbs. Everything you grow, grow like gangbuster. I’d like to say grow like weeds. But even your weeds grow so well, too. 
Many of us do not have the many varieties you grow. The idea of having a multi grafted trees with interesting varieties is attractive esp.to those having limited space or those who do not graft.
@joleneakamama, you might have seen my post about a couple apple trees that were damaged by rabbits. One has about 40% girdling and the other is about 90%. I am going to try bridge grafting both of them, and saw your work on your Gala that was damaged by goats about three years ago. Could you give us an update on the tree? Did it survive and do well the following years? Thanks.
Short answer, the tree is thriving, and the bridged scions are huge now. I’ll try and add pictures soon. Sadly, I need to do another this year…at least i have a big fridge for the long scions. Maybe I will document the project.
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