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Apple Grafting

When

April 11-12, 2025

Where

Virtual

Apple tree filled with green apples.

2025 Apple Grafting Workshop

Registration is Open!

Register here

Three images on a red background, a close up of apple tree cuttings, an apple tree, and a woman cutting a piece of scionwood with a grafting knife. The bottom of the image says "Virtual Apple Grafting Workshop" next to a sketched graphic of an apple

About This Workshop Series

This workshop series will teach you the techniques and processes required to successfully bench graft new apple trees. We’ll walk you through the process of splicing dormant scion wood and rootstocks. Once the splice is made, the new trees will need to rest and heal under cool and damp conditions, and then be planted outdoors. There are few things a gardener can do more gratifying than to graft and grow their own apple trees, and we look forward to walking you through the process.

Note: Apple trees grow best in zones 4-8. Although we will send materials to all contiguous US states and accept all virtual registrations, for best results, we recommend planting apple trees within zones 4-8.

Registration includes guidance for caring for your apple trees throughout the year and access to educational videos, recordings of live sessions, and other resources. This is a virtual class. Registrants will receive an email from [email protected] with a Zoom link no later than April 7, 2025.

Workshop Series Schedule

All times are in Central United States time zone.

  • Grafting Class with Live Q&A – April 11, 9-10:30 AM
  • Orchard Care with Live Q&A – April 12, 9-10:30 AM
  • Small Group Knife Skills Session (Note: You will only need to select ONE small group knife skills session between Friday, April 11, and Saturday, April 12 for your small group session.)
    • Friday, April 11, 10:45-11:45
    • Friday, April 11, 12:15-1:15
    • Friday, April 11, 1:30-2:30
    • Friday, April 11, 2:45-3:45
    • Saturday, April 12, 10:45-11:45
    • Saturday, April 12, 12:15-1:15
    • Saturday, April 12, 1:30-2:30
  • Planting Your Tree with Live Q&A – April 25, 1-2:30 PM
  • Disbudding and Taping Up with Live Q&A – May 30, 1-2:30 PM
  • Protecting Your Tree for Winter with Live Q&A – October 10, 1-2:30 PM

Students who cannot attend live will receive recordings, and our instructors will be available to help and answer questions throughout the year.

Fees

Level I: Instruction only (no trees, no grafting kit) $35

Level II: Instruction + Scion Kit $75
Scion Kit includes five (5) heritage variety apple scions from SSE’s historic orchard, five (5) rootstock (size M-7, ¼”, semi-dwarf), practice wood, grafting tape, thumb cot, and tree tags

Level III: Instruction + Full Grafting Kit* $115
Full Grafting Kit includes: Scion kit plus a bench grafting knife. You must choose between a right or left-handed knife.

Additional Scion & Rootstock Kits: $60
Additional Scion & Rootstock Kit (SKU: EVT016A) includes five (5) heritage variety apple scions from SSE’s historic orchard, five (5) rootstock (size M-7, ¼”, semi-dwarf), practice wood, grafting tape, thumb cot, and tree tags (same as grafting kit above).

Note: We cannot accommodate specific variety requests for this workshop. This allows our orchard team to select the best scion available when it is time to collect it. It also allows us to send out lesser-known and rare varieties with only a small amount of scion. You will receive five unique, rare, and historic varieties from SSE’s historic orchard. Along with your kit, you will receive names and descriptions of each variety. If you are looking for specific varieties, we recommend going to the Exchange to order additional varieties from IA SSE HF. Note that varieties requested from the Exchange do not come with rootstock. To learn more about the Exchange, go to exchange.seedsavers.org.

Also, please note that scion kits can only be shipped to contiguous US states. Your grafting success is dependent on using the right tools. A bench grafting knife has a single bevel with one straight edge to create a flat grafting surface on the rootstock and scionwood. We highly recommend purchasing one if you do not already have a grafting knife.

Registration Deadlines

  • Level I: Instruction only (all instructional sessions, no trees, no grafting kit), April 4, 2025
  • Level II: All instructional sessions + Scion Kit, March 20, 2025
  • Level III: All instructional sessions + Full Grafting Kit, March 20, 2025

Shipping Timeline

Scion and Grafting Kits will be shipped in early April. Changes cannot be made to orders after Thursday, March 27, 2025.

Refund Policy and Contact

We can offer full refunds up to March 20. After that time, we are unable to refund your registration.

If you have questions about this event, contact our customer service staff:

When you make a purchase from Seed Savers Exchange, you help fulfill our nonprofit mission to protect our food and garden heritage. Do even more good by making a donation to help us preserve and share even more heirloom varieties!

Register Here