Grafting mistakes - apples on pears, what would happen?

Mamuang,
What I would do if it were me is let them grow on the wrong tree this year and cut scions from them next year or cut the buds like Mark advised. Then by next year they will be back in the right place plus you can do a little experimenting to. I would love to find out if any of them will grow long term. @marknmt has the right idea because they are likely to fail it’s just a matter of time.

Hello Clark- Given Bill’s results so far I have to wonder ! I hope They work, but as you say, the odds are against them.

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I’ve done it twice, both ways - both accidentally.
Bought a bundle of P.communis seedlings one year when OHxF were out of stock. Out of that bundle of 10, one refused to take a pear graft -several times that spring, until I gave up and let it grow…turned out to be apple; another one had a graft of Ayers pear that grew vigorously that year, then stalled and declined over the next two before it died out… again, a seedling apple.

A coworker gave me a couple of Arbor Day Foundation seedlings she’d received, labeled as ‘Sargent crab’. I didn’t look, I just grafted them. They’re callery pear seedlings. Mollie Delicious apple grew vigorously for a couple of years…graft union was big and ugly and it broke out in a summer thunderstorn. The other callery seedling is still supporting the Callaway crab I grafted on top of it - and the crab has been fruiting heavily for several years - but the graft union is ugl*y, and it’s a constant battle to keep vigorous shoots from below the graft rubbed off.

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My attempts to graft apples directly onto Callery root have all failed. Interstems on the Callery root have worked well for adding apples scions.

Thank you everyone for advice and sharing your experience. Like Clark suggested I plan to let all three grafts grow out to see how far they can grow.

I happened to grafted the same apple varieties on both E. and A. pear. It will be interesting to find out if there is any difference in compatibility.

My kind source has offered me some scionwood next year. So, I will keep these grafts the way they are until the end as an experiment.

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My Pear/Apple tree is mostly for my entertainment and others. It is a great conversation piece. I don’t know how they will do long term but some of the varieties of apples seem to be doing great while a few show signs that they might not survive. The ratio of pears to apples on this tree is about 70/30. Right now my plans are for a 50/50 random mix throughout the tree. When I detect a compatibility issue all is not lost. I bridge graft wood from a variety that appears to be growing well. No breaks after 5-6 years. The grafts range from 3 months to 6 years. Bill

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In my “early days” growing fruit on my suburban lot, when I would grow anything, I thought I’d try Winter Banana, just because it seemed to be mentioned a lot. I had another variety of apple espaliered on a too-vigorous rootstock, already 8 feet high up the front of my house. I top-worked W.B. onto that. It has done well all these 25 years–that is, it has produced lots of bright yellow apples high up nearly to the roof, which look pretty when the neighbors see them. But the fruit is strictly mediocre for flavor and for keeping. If I had WB on a free-standing tree, I would have taken it out years ago to make room for something better.

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That’s too bad about Winter Banana. I just grafted a scion of it to an apple, along with Pristine. Never tried Winter Banana myself, but one of my neighbors grew up with it. From what this neighbor said and what I’ve read, WB is supposed to keep well and be an ok to good apple for eating and cooking. It won’t be around here that long if it is more as you describe…

I guess taste is subjective. I can name a few apples I care less than Winter Banana :grin:

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Ok to good is a fair assessment in my opinion. I have a few grafted in but not a whole tree.

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Must depend on where it is grown. I have no problem selling them out every year here in SE Ohio and even mail a box full to an elderly lady in Indiana who grew up eating them.

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I think it has a lot to do with individual taste. My top apples have a little zing such as Pink Lady. The WB to me is a milder apple which should appeal to many others. I picked and ate my WB slightly early by accident and it had a pretty good sweet/sour balance. I can see why the ones who mostly like sweet will be pleased with it. Bill

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I agree with individual taste as well. I can sit down and eat Redfield or Niedzweckyana fresh without any problem and to most people they are way too tart for that. And for Winter Banana I prefer them just before peak ripeness so they have a little of that “green” banana tartness and flavor.

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@Auburn Your graft of M111/Moonglow - how did this do longer-term?

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I grew M111/Moonglow for about two years and it appeared okay. Sorry but that’s all the information that I have on this combination. We have since then relocated so I’m starting a few new selections.

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I have a big WB on my property. It’s vase-shaped and quite lovely. It blooms early and over a good period and is an excellent pollinizer, and it’s tolerant of low chill. It bears reliably and heavily.

The apples are large, with a red blush over a clear, shiny lemon-yellow - very attractive. They hang for a long time on the tree, eventually becoming greasy and mealy when overripe. Because they look ripe long before they are, I suspect that many folks harvest them prematurely. Even properly ripened, it’s just OK for fresh eating.

When ripe, though, WB is a good baking apple. It cooks down soft, so you may want to blend it with apples that remain firm in the oven. My favorite use for it is drying; it may be the best apple in my orchard for that purpose. It really does develop a mild banana scent here in some seasons.

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