Follow up to recent grafting

In late April, a month ago, I grafted over 15 established apple trees (variety Kidd's Orange Red) to 2 other varieties, Suntan and Ashmead's Kernel. I did this because we had miscalculated and planted too many of this variety. Kidd's Orange Red is a very good apple but we find grown in our soil and microclimate it does not usually keep beyond December. Last year we threw many boxes away for the birds and mice to eat since they went soft before we could sell them. They are still edible but most of our customers reject apples which are even slightly soft. This is a pity, but its what they are used to, courtesy of modern technique of picking aples just before they are ripe and storing them in carbon dioxide/nitrogen at 4 Centigrade. They stay crunchy forever that way, although like pasteurised chese never really develop a full flavour. When the fossil fuel is gone we will have to set a higher value on naturally produced and stored fruit even if it isn;t picture perfect.

Suntan and Ashmead's Kernel are very richly flavoured aples which we find keep until January or in the case of Suntan, March. We have too few of these and always sell out, so it was logical to graft over. This will get the trees up to full cropping 4 years sooner (and with much less effort) than digging out and replanting.

Top working (grafting over) is a good strategy if you discover that the varieties in your orchard are not the best ones for you. In our case, we miscalculated (easy to do when all you have to go on are old books) and also through the hard reality of the market place discovered our customers likes and dislikes.

You may discover this when you move into a new property and inherit old trees-too many of one variety, apples not to your taste. Or, very often, someone has done what I always say NOT to do and grown an apple from a pip. It may be a big, strong tree, but the fruit quality will usually be indifferent. don't cut it down, graft it over!

A month after the operation, they are looking OK. I will video again later.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• apple
• tree
• orchard
• fruitwise
• stephen
• hayes
• ashmeads
• kernel
• suntan
• kidds
• orange
• red
• graft
• top
• work
• cleft
• saddle
• rind

[ouTxTuo]

so If I am right you need to cut a litelle bark in the tree stump and put the limb in it and close it whit tape?

[stephenhayesuk]

yes, but...get the details right. See my other grafting videos. I have noticed a few other videos on grafting added recently buy other youtubers, worth watching.

Its now too late to graft this apples or pears this year, but I will show the summer technique of chip budding in late July.

[bluzy25]

Hello Stephen, What is the spacing in rows between your apples?

[stephenhayesuk]

15 feet between rows, 10 feet between trees in the rows. This is on rootstock MM106. Modern orchards tend to be very dwarf stocks and trees about 3 feet apart or in double or even treble 'hedgerow' plantings with post and wire support. This is a very tradional spacing.

[keljay98]

great videos watched them all now many times. going to start grafting in the new year on my allotment and have found these videos great with step by step instructions, top man

[ouTxTuo]

oow oke thanks, yesterday it was a very suny weather so I have maked 10 more seedlings :)

I can't wait over 10 years :)

[monkeybike]

I have no intension of grafting, but its very interesting to see.

[whydoialwaysgetspam]

Beautiful, very helpful

[DamonBKnox]

Hey Stephen,

Man your orchard looks really good.

[MadBadVoodo]

Five Stars!!

[bluzy25]

Thank you sir!