Hi all! My neighbor has an apple tree. The top portion died off and the original tree is growing. Thinking that we could graft a new variety to it. Not sure of variety on the original tree, but are going to see if we can determine it. Can we graft a tree besides an apple onto it??
Thanks!!
Apple is very easy to graft. You can try Flowering crabapple.
Like Sophia says- apple and crabs, and I’ll add sometimes pear, but there are complications there. I think @auburn could help you on that (unless I’m confused!) There are other people here trying it, but since I don’t want to myself I haven’t paid very close attention to that aspect.
Apples and Crabapples. Pear grafting onto apples for entertainment.
Bill do you think pear on Apple works even in the long run? I have harrow sweet grafted on Fuji with winter banana in between. Graft is two years old. Not sure what to expect from it. It doesn’t grow much but it does grow enough to give me hope. Not enough so I wonder if it’s worth keeping it. Since it makes the tree lopsided.
short answer No.apples to apples
I accidentally grafted apples on an AsĂan pear and on a Euro pear. All four grafts have grown vigorously. The two on E pear flowered and one graft set several apples. A few of those apples grew almost to maturity when they disappeared, possibly by squirrels.
I don’t recommend it but at least Kamijn de Sonnaville and Calville Blanc grafted on pears have worked for me for the past two years.
I can see your reason for questioning the point of keeping it. Most of my first grafts of this type were on small limbs off a more establised tree. In this case you don’t risk much if it grows slow or even fails. Since then I have been testing many different variety combinations between pears and apples. This winter I have probably added about 25 more combinations. In most cases I try to graft in a way that allows the tree to grow naturally if a problem comes up with compatability. I enjoy experimenting so it is worth it to me in intertainment value. I’m not sure that I am young enough to ever put a stamp on saying which is compatible and which is not but I do have some combinations that are growing well. About two years ago I added a small tree with this combination which has some of your combination but not all that your testing. The tree appears to be dwarfed much like B9 rootstock imparts. It has the following grafts. M111 root/15" Bud9 interstem/Winter Banana 3"/Harrow Sweet pear. The tree is growing slow but the graft between WB and HS appears to be healthy. I think these type grafts are only worth it if you like the process.
As mentioned you cant generally cross species, just like you couldnt drop a goat spleen into a human patient, so you are stuck with apples and POSSIBLY a few pears.
What keeping the rootstock would give you is a 2-4-year or possibly even greater head start as thats a lot of root to nourish grafts…but you better want a fruiting or flowering apple, not a plum or whatever
Edit: another question would be rootstock…a lot of box-store semi-dwarf is on m7 i believe, which wouldnt be a favorite of mine because it tips
Auburn, have you tried quince on apple?
Ok! We aren’t expert grafters, so I think we will just try another apple. My neighbor already has two pears, but no apples, so we will just figure out an apple variety to graft onto it. Thanks y’all.
I haven’t tried that combination yet.
What about medlar on apple? I have heard that they work but have never seen or tried it myself.
I havent tried that one either.
Any suggestions on apple varieties that work well in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Zone 8a. Thinking something precocious, good for fresh eating, and produces well (rather than the most delicious that doesn’t produce very much).
Did some research on the site and saw several recommendations for goldrush, one for Anna, for Pink Lady, and one other than I’ve now forgotten. 
Any other suggestions? Thank you!!
The Arthur Turner variety, so I hear. Mine is only one year old. Partially self fertile, August ripening, pink blooms, heavy crops. (Mostly a cooking apple I suppose…baked or dried apples or pies…but like I said, still waiting on it. I grafted to G30 and B9 so maybe I’ll have some before long.)
Winesap possibly? Have seen 25 bushels on a standard tree.