Grafting

[Kea]

My M-in-L has a great cooking apple in the garden. It's an old tree, variety unknown. It cooks to a 'white fluff' and tart taste. The house is edwardian and the tree was probably planted when the house was new. We really like it and I would like to have ago at grafting it but we live in Cambridgeshire and she lives in Cumbria. When we visit we have to sit on the boot to get it shut with all our hillwalking gear so no room to take the root stock with us or bring it back. Also we're usually there at possibly the wrong times of the year Easter and August. So if I collected the cuttings while there, would they survive to be grafted? How long would I have ?

[Kea]

[Tulipa]

Kea,

I love apple trees,

This website hasn't been updated which is a shame as it mentions a course on fruit tree propagation and is near you

http://www.applesandorchards.org.uk/index.php

Wow, a website all about apples with a forum which seems quite active....

http://www.allaboutapples.com/index.htm

Brogdale might have something:

http://www.brogdale.org/index.php

We are coming up to 'apple day' so there will be info around soon about apples.  I am envious of your visits to Cumbria too, OH and my boys have just been up there for a walking weekend.

T.

[Tulipa]

Just found this in my favourites, there is a link to grafting with info on it:

http://www.fruitwise.net/menu.html

T.

[Kea]

Thanks Tulipa that's very useful. I have to contact the apples and orchards people see if they have a course this year.

Maybe if I post an apple to Brogdales they might be able to identify it, or get my mother in law to post it as she has the tree. I've got a hunch it's a Keswick Codlin but that wasn't on that list.