- 1). Select a scion from an apple tree that is younger than 5 years old. Pick a branch that grew on the tree during the previous summer, not the most recent summer, but the growing season one year before the graft is taken, to get the best scion. Make sure the branch you choose has nubs on it where buds will form, because in the fall the buds will not be showing.
- 2). Cut the scion as late in the fall as possible. The earlier you cut the scion, the more likely it is to start blooming once grafted -- and become damaged by winter frost. Cut a length of the branch between 4 to 6 inches with at least three buds on it as the scion.
- 3). Trim back a branch on the rootstock -- the apple tree you are grafting the scion on to -- so that the branch is flat on the end. Choose a branch that is at least twice the diameter of the base of the scion branch. Make a slit into the rootstock branch just below the cut you made, cutting at a downward slope 1 to 2 inches deep.
- 4). Cut the base of the scion so that only one side of the tip remains. When you are done cutting, you should have a sliver at the tip that can slide into the slit you made on the rootstock.
- 5). Push the cut tip of the scion into the slit in the rootstock. Cover the cut portion of the scion and rootstock in grafting wax. If the scion does not want to stand upright in the rootstock, tie it in place as well.
- 6). Protect the grafted branch from frosts. If you graft in fall, the grafted scion may not fare well in frosts. Cover it in plastic or landscape fabric for protection from the elements.
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