Fall grafting apple trees

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5 year old buck +
Anybody fall graft with the trees still in the ground over the winter?

Thinking of buying ome scions from whitetail crabs and grafting them on antonovka's I planted in the spring from SLN. 30-06, droptine, libety, and maybe enterprise.
 
Are you asking if you can graft now? Well you could but the odds of the scion surviving until Spring are not good. The scions will dry out before the graft union has callused. Generally speaking you want to the root stock to still be growing or to be just about to start growing. Our Fall budded apples are typically grafted the end of August. Spring grafted trees about the end of March.
 
Makes alot of sense.....

I got antonovka bareroots from SLN. They say they grow decent wildlife fruit, so I planted them in the spring. Most are for my home in zone 5. Can't formally cage trees up at camp, but thinking of encapulating it with branch litter and caging the trunk for rabbits / voles. Transplating a 6-8 footer a few falls from now. Zone 3

Any prefered scions to use? Thinking Freedom, Liberty, and maybe chestnut crab for my home ones. Cedar Apple Rust is a major concern in my area. There are abandoned apple trees all over town. USed to be a apple orchard town years ago.

Zone 3, thinking more chestnut, maybe dolgo, haralson, or rostbite. The scon that has cedar apple rust resistance whie they mature some at home would be prefered. No need for a true winter tree. Most winters the deer herd yards up at a nearby lake. So a mid fall dropper is just fine. There are some bears, so a hearty tree might be helpful.
 
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