Grafting Apple Trees: Whip-and-Tongue, Cleft and Bark Grafts Explained

By the Garden Voila editorial team · Updated October 30, 2026 · How we verify

Grafting apple trees means joining a cutting from the variety you want, called the scion, to a compatible rootstock or branch so they grow together as one tree. It is the only way to reproduce a named apple exactly. For home growers, the easiest method is the whip-and-tongue graft, done in early spring with dormant scion wood and rootstock of the same diameter, about ¼ to ½ inch. Collect scions in late winter, keep them cold and moist, match the green cambium layers of scion and stock, wrap the union tightly and seal it. Cleft and bark grafts are used to add new varieties to established trees.

Apple grafting methods compared

Why graft apple trees?

Apple seeds do not grow true to type, so a seed from a Honeycrisp produces a new, unknown apple. Every Honeycrisp tree in the world is a graft of the original. Grafting lets you:

• Reproduce a variety you love, including an old family tree or an heirloom that is hard to buy; see heirloom apples.
• Control tree size by choosing a dwarfing or standard rootstock; see dwarf apple trees.
• Add varieties to an existing tree, creating a multi-variety or “family” tree; see the cocktail fruit tree.
• Add a pollinizer branch to a lone tree; see self-pollinating apple trees.
• Change varieties on a mature tree whose fruit you dislike, a process called top-working.
• Speed up fruiting of a seedling by grafting it onto dwarfing rootstock; see how to grow an apple tree from seed.

How does grafting work?

Just under the bark of every twig is a thin green layer called the cambium, which produces new wood and bark. When the cambium of the scion is pressed tightly against the cambium of the rootstock, the two layers grow callus tissue that knits them together, and water and nutrients begin to flow across the union. Grafts fail mainly when the cambium layers do not line up, when the union dries out, or when the pieces move before they have healed. Apples graft easily with other apples and crabapples; grafts onto pears or other genera usually fail.

When should you graft apple trees?

• Collect scion wood: In late winter, February or early March in much of the US, when trees are fully dormant. The Iowa State University Extension guide to whip-and-tongue grafting advises collecting from the previous year’s growth when temperatures are above freezing.
• Whip-and-tongue (bench grafting): Late winter to early spring, while scion and rootstock are both dormant. Bench grafts are made indoors on bare-root rootstocks and then stored or planted.
• Cleft and bark grafts on established trees: In spring, as the tree’s buds begin to swell and the bark starts to slip, with dormant scions from the refrigerator.
• Chip and T-budding: Mid to late summer, using a single bud from the current season’s growth.

What do you need to graft apple trees?

• Scion wood: Healthy, pencil-thick shoots from last season’s growth, with several well-formed buds. Avoid fruiting spurs and water sprouts with widely spaced buds.
• Rootstock: Bare-root rootstocks are sold by specialty nurseries. Iowa State lists dwarfing options such as M.7A, M.9 and M.27 (virus-free versions sold as EMLA), and newer Geneva rootstocks such as G.11, G.16 and G.30. Choose based on the tree size you want.
• A very sharp grafting knife. Clean, flat cuts are essential.
• Grafting tape, parafilm or rubber budding strips, or ½-inch electrical tape, as Iowa State suggests.
• Grafting sealant or wax to cover cut ends and the union.
• Labels and a marker to record each variety.

How do you collect and store scion wood?

1. On a mild day in late winter, cut 12 to 18 inch lengths of one-year-old shoots about the thickness of a pencil from healthy trees.
2. Label each bundle with the variety name.
3. Wrap the bundles in slightly damp paper towel, sphagnum moss or sawdust and seal them in plastic bags.
4. Store in the refrigerator, away from ripening fruit (ethylene can damage buds), until you graft. Scions stay viable for several weeks to a few months if kept cold and just moist.

How do you do a whip-and-tongue graft?

Iowa State describes the method this way:

1. Match the size. Choose a scion and rootstock of the same diameter, ideally ¼ to ½ inch, so the cambium layers line up on both sides.
2. Make the long cut on the stock. Make a smooth, straight diagonal cut 1 to 2 inches long across the top of the rootstock.
3. Cut the tongue. About one-third of the way down from the tip of the cut face, slice downward into the wood about ½ to 1 inch, roughly parallel to the grain, to form a tongue.
4. Repeat on the scion. Make the same two cuts on the bottom of the scion, using wood from the middle of the scion stick.
5. Join them. Slide the scion and stock together so the tongues interlock and the cut faces sit flat against each other, with the cambium matching on at least one side.
6. Wrap tightly. Wrap the union firmly with grafting tape or electrical tape from below to above the cuts.
7. Trim the scion. Cut the scion 3 to 4 inches above the union, leaving 2 or 3 buds.
8. Seal. Cover the union and the cut top of the scion with grafting compound to prevent drying.

How do you graft onto an established apple tree?

Cleft graft

The cleft graft is used to top-work branches about 1 to 2 inches thick. In spring as buds swell, cut the branch off squarely, split the stub down the middle about 2 inches with a grafting tool, wedge it open and insert two scions, each cut into a long wedge at the base, one on each side of the split, with their cambium aligned with the cambium of the stub. Remove the wedge so the stub grips the scions tightly, then seal all cut surfaces thoroughly with grafting wax. Keep the stronger scion and remove the other after a year or two.

Bark graft

The bark graft works on larger branches once the bark slips easily in spring. Cut the branch off squarely, make a vertical slit in the bark, cut the scion with a long, flat slanting face and slide it under the bark so the cut face is against the wood. Several scions can be placed around a large stub. Nail or tie them in place and seal everything.

Chip budding

Chip budding is done in late summer using a single bud cut from a current-season shoot, inserted into a matching notch cut in the rootstock or branch and wrapped tightly. The bud remains dormant until the following spring, when the stock above it is cut off to force the bud to grow.

How do you care for new apple grafts?

• Bench grafts: Iowa State suggests placing grafted trees in a plastic bag with moist sphagnum at room temperature for 7 to 10 days to start callusing, then refrigerating them until planting outdoors, or planting immediately if the soil is workable.
• Remove competition: Rub off shoots that sprout from the rootstock below the graft so energy goes to the scion.
• Loosen wraps: Check the tape after a few weeks of growth and remove or loosen it before it constricts the union, usually by midsummer, unless it is a self-degrading tape.
• Support: Tie new shoots to a stake so wind does not snap them at the union.
• Grow on: Keep young grafted trees in a nursery bed for one or two years, then plant them in their permanent spot; see when to plant apple trees.

Why did my apple graft fail?

Can you graft different fruits onto an apple tree?

Only close relatives. Different apple varieties and crabapples graft readily onto apple trees. Pears are in a different genus and usually fail on apple long-term, and stone fruits such as peaches, plums and cherries are incompatible with apple. Stick to apples on apples, pears on pears, and stone fruits on compatible stone-fruit rootstocks, as explained in our cocktail fruit tree guide.

How long until a grafted apple tree fruits?

A whip-and-tongue graft on dwarfing rootstock usually fruits in about 2 to 4 years after grafting; on vigorous or seedling rootstock it can take 5 years or more. Scions grafted onto an established, mature tree by cleft or bark grafting often fruit within 2 to 3 years, because they draw on a large existing root system. See how long an apple tree takes to grow.

How many grafts can you put on one apple tree?

Many. Home growers and collectors sometimes graft dozens of varieties onto a single tree, and some famous multi-variety trees carry far more. In practice, three to six well-placed varieties on a home tree are easier to manage, because vigorous varieties can shade out weaker ones. Place each variety on its own main limb, label every graft with a durable aluminum tag and prune the strongest varieties harder to keep the tree balanced. Grafting is an old craft with a long history; the Wikipedia article on grafting describes its history and many techniques.

Planning more fruit? Browse every variety, planting and care article in our complete fruit tree growing guide.

Grafting details from University of New Hampshire Extension

The University of New Hampshire Extension fact sheet on grafting fruit trees gives specific numbers. Collect scion wood while trees are dormant, in late February or March there, choosing straight, smooth wood about pencil thickness; upright water sprouts near the tops of trees are ideal. Trim to 12 to 18 inch lengths, wrap in a damp paper towel or sphagnum moss inside a sealed food-grade bag and refrigerate until grafting, which usually happens in mid- to late April.

Choosing a graft

• Whip and tongue: for pencil-thick wood of equal diameter. The face cut is about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches long, the scion is 5 to 6 inches and the tongue cut starts about 1/3 inch from the tip.
• Cleft: for top-working an older tree cut about 30 inches above ground. Set two year-old scions of 5 to 6 inches and align the cambial zones, because stock bark is much thicker than scion bark. Cover cuts with grafting compound.
• Inlay (bark): for stock larger than about 4 to 5 inches in diameter, with a 4 to 5 inch scion and a one-inch cut.

Compatibility and aftercare

Grafting is generally limited to the same species. Most apples take on other apples and most pears on pears, but an apple scion cannot go on pear rootstock or the reverse. Wrap unions with grafting tape, masking tape or 1-inch strips of plastic bag. Grow new trees in a nursery row for one to two years, then plant with the graft union about 2 inches above ground so the scion does not root. Grafts stay brittle for a few years, so train carefully.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: Iowa State University Extension, Whip and Tongue Grafting Apple Trees; University of Minnesota Extension, Growing Apples; US Patent and Trademark Office, Plant Patents.

Reviewed October 2026. Sources: University of New Hampshire Extension: Grafting fruit trees