I have a dream of planting a hill on my land into a fruit tree orchard. I would like all BUD 9 rootstock that will be trellised with dribbler irrigation. I plan on grafting my own trees. I have 15 apple trees, a meteor cherry, a plum?? and a pear in my yard already. My plan was to get scions from my apples and cherry trees. The first year I would like to graft 25 apple scions to BUD 9 rootstock. The next year I would like to graft pears, plums and cherries to dwarf rootstock.
-I need help locating BUD 9 rootstock and dwarf rootstock for cherries, plums and pears.
-What is better for a beginer grafting? bench grafting scions in early spring or bud grafting to rootstock in summer?

Do both. Start to whip and tongue graft as many as you can. On the ones that don't take, bud graft them in the summer afterwards.
John S
PDX OR

As I said in another post, Maple Valley in Gillett, WI can serve most of your needs. Besides apples, they also have plums and pears. However, they do not have cherries. You can find a different selection including cherries at places like Cummins, FEDCO, and Raintree. Cummins sells rootstock, they are at: http://www.cumminsnursery.com. Raintree specializes in the new Gisela 5 dwarf cherry rootstock. They are at: http://www.raintreenursery.com.

Have fun.

I recently grafted some leafed-out scions of black cherry to some leafed out rootstocks, avium cherry. They halted all growth for around 10 days, then started growing more. Doc Farwell glue over the whole scion after grafting, of course, to prevent dessication of the scion until it healed in. Elmers school glue would to just as well if you could keep the rain off the graft for the first two weeks.

I suppose apple and pear could be done the same way, just never did them as i have always had plenty of dormant scions of them.