North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Ginda Fisher <list@ginda.us>]

On Feb 14, 2011, at 11:08 PM, Alan Yelvington wrote:

> I live in NW PA and there are abandoned family orchards all over the place. 
>  People tell me that the tree's a Northern Spy or whatever;  Some of these 
> trees are OLD standard trees, but I never see a graft union on the trunks.  
> Do the grafts eventually disappear, or did the scion take over and the tree 
> "go standard" on them?
> 
> Al Yelvington
> Russell, PA
> _________________

When you plan to grow a standard tree anyway, it's common to plant the tree 
with the graft below ground level, to encourage the scion to develop its own 
roots.  Own rooted plants are generally better than plants with random 
seedling rootstocks, which is what is commonly used for standard trees.  You 
don't have to worry about possible late graft incompatibility, and if the 
tree is somehow killed, it can grow back from the roots, and if you are 
lucky, you will get the desired cultivar.

Ginda