A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 Apple tree

Grandpa just died. In his back yard was an old very very small apple tree that was about 40 years old he said. I cleared the shading trees away over the years, learned how to prune it and it went from producing 6-10 apples a year to over 60. Success.
The problem is not that he is gone the house will be sold and I will loose a great tree, and a great memory.
I know that I said it was small, but digging it up seems like an awfully huge job. It is probably 8 feet tall and 400 miles away.
I have tried to read about grafting but it all sounds confusing and the pictures dont seem to be helping.
Does anyone have a great way of telling me how to do what? Do I cut off a limb and tick it into the hole of a tree at my own home? And what type of tree should that surrogate be?
Thanxs

You could do a graft, but that is a bit more of a undertaking for an expert. You could also take some seeds and start new trees from them, or have a professional company dig and ball and burlap the tree for you.
If you choose to try the grafting here is a link from the U of Minn. that should provide some help to you.
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/DG0532.html

Invaluable material. Thanks ever so much. I think that I can give it a shot. There will be lots of the tree left so I can always do the dig up and more thing if my grafts dont work out, but with such wonderful instructions, I think I can do it. Thanks again.

the info was great but it did not answer two last questions. Well, one really when I put it in a sentance. Can I graft an apple producing piece onto a crab apple tree. Do I have to remove ALL of the crab apple brances eventually or let both limbs live, and wont the apple branch grow huge like it would on its original tree and bend over the little crab apple tree?
See! all one question really!

Eventually, (once you see for sure that the graft has taken, and your apple is growing) you want to get rid of all the crabapple branches. Then your graft will grow as if it's the trunk of the tree. It's also best to place the graft close to the ground if you can. It's not necessary though. 5-in-one apple trees are grafted higher up.

Okay, I re-read your last post, and you can also keep a branch of the crabapple as well, if you want. I would try to work at eventually evening up the crabapple half with the apple half, so neither part overwhelms the other.

Thanks. I think that will be a great look as well. Thank you all for this help. I can breath easier. Oh, and I am sure grampa is smiling as well. He always thought a garden should be 40%fun and 60% experimentation. I am only going to be carrying that on.