sherwindu wrote:

zxcvbob wrote:


sherwindu wrote:

Bill, I am not trying to be a 'smart alec' or a 'mister know it
all', but this father does have other easy choices. He can plant
a stone fruit seed, which has a much better chance of coming out
with decent tasting fruit. He can plant a raspberry shoot from
one of his neighbor's bush. Giving the kid the false hope that
he will get a tasty apple after nurturing his tree for many
years will most likely disappoint him.

He just needs to set the kid's expectations for a nice big tree
that will bear yucky apples eventually. The entire top of the tree
can be replaced later by grafting/budding the scaffold branches
later if they want to.


Why bother? If he wants to graft something, he can buy a rootstock
and get several years headstart on getting his first apples.


For the experience.


If he "wins the lottery" he might get a good apple and he can name
it.

If the fruit is small and sour, it might make good jelly, pickles,
and/or pies.


Now the kid has to learn all about canning and baking.


You said that like it was a bad thing.


If he has room for it, he can also plant a good semi-dwarf grafted
tree and it will bear in about 3 years.


Why not do it right the first time.


And the right thing is to throw away the seedling that the kid already
has grown and tell him that he shouldn't have wasted his time?

The father is not proposing that they plant an apple seed and grow their
own apples. You are purposely overlooking the fact that they already
have a little apple tree. He has to set the kid's expectations
appropriately low without killing the enthusiasm.

-Bob