North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[list@ginda.us]

I have some new land I can use, so I ordered some apple trees this fall 
from Cummins:

*Ashmeads Kernal on M7
*Tydeman's Late Orange on M111 (because I wanted to try Tydeman's, and 
thought there might be room for an M111)
*Golden Russet on G30 (because I wanted to try G30 and Golden Russet 
isn't bad)

But I'd really like to try Karmijn, since it sounds like an apple I'd 
like.  I have two branches of it grafted to my crab, along with lots of 
other stuff.  They look healthy enough, but don't grow much each year 
since they don't get much sun.  I should mention that this is the same 
multi-tree that fails to flower anything but the crab branches every 
year (since I put in the grafts in 99/00).  That is, The remaining crab 
branches flower, but none of the domestic apple grafts, despite some of 
the grafts now being a few feet long with several twigs.

I'm afraid to graft the Karmijn directly to the G30, since G30 is 
probably sensitive to random viruses, and who knows what's up with the 
multi-grafted tree.  So I thought I might graft the Ashmead to the G30, 
and the Karmijn to the M7.  These are supposed to be small bareroot 
trees, 3/8 to 5/8 caliper.

Any advice?  Whip&tongue graft in the spring (or veneer?)  Wait until 
summer and bud graft?  Wait until the stock has settled in and graft 
next spring, or next summer?  If I bud graft, when do I remove any 
unwanted scion?  Should I try to graft down low near the original graft 
(or below it?) or just "top work" the trees?  Would any of these 
cultivars be problematic as an "interstem".

Oh - and how much support does that G30 need?  Will a single metal 
stake be good enough?

I may leave the original scion on at least one, and have a two-type 
tree, partly because my daughter thinks it's neat.

Thanks, and I hope you had a warm holiday.

Ginda Fisher
eastern Mass., zone 6