We are purchasing a new home and on the property is a lot of apple trees. Some of the oldest ones were planted in perfect rows.
There are also younger, probably seedling apples in amongst the fields and woods but it's the very large ones that interest me the most. This one is the largest and it's circumference above the supposed graft union is 7ft exactly.
Is there a way to tell if an old apple tree is grafted?
This particular apple tree looks like it has been, what do you think?

I also found a yellow half eaten fruit nearby the tree today, any guesses on what it is if it is a grafted apple? My guess is Yellow Bellflower, as there were also a few high up still on the branches that had that red delicious-like shape. Time will tell for sure :-)

Thanks,
-Jeremiah

It is hard enough when you have a couple of clean apples to look at still fully sound- Some years back I had Roger Way try to identify about 25 varieties from fresh reasonably sound apples and I think his accuracy rate might have been about 75% based on what the trees told me later (ripening time, average size, etc). At the time he was considered the best at the game in NY state.

The tree does look like a grafted one based on the swelling at the base.

I agree with Harvestman...I seriously doubt anyone could ID those apples with any degree of accuracy. You should email your photos to John Bunker at Fedco...he's a Maine guy and a recognized authority on old antique heirloom apple varieties. He might even be very interested if some of the really old ones are old enough.
If you do write him, post back and let us know what he had to say. I for one would be very interested. I love old apple trees, especially the big hunkers.

Yes there is a way,...grow from root cuttings and see if apples matches the top, if so, then it's not grafted.

Thanks for your input.
I have met John Bunker a few times before, a very intelligent man. I will wait till next fall and bring him some specimens/pictures. I will keep these big guys sprayed and hopefully have some nice fruit to show come fall time. I will keep you updated.

Thanks,
-Jeremiah

Some atvs tore through another patch of what I believe were old feral trees in early spring mud season, really tore the place up. Many suckers developed along the edges of the ruts that summer.

There are two old trees that grow in some very thin wet soils about a mile from our home. We have a lot of thin wet soils on our place and these interested me greatly as potential rootstock. so last spring I dropped a spade down in a number of places halfway out to drip line. I was trying to damage but not sever some smaller roots. I got two apparent suckers to develop. Hoping to be able to move them this coming spring and experiment.

I found this out by accident...

Not sure most but had experienced allot of my tree roots close
to the surface have sprouted out when I got rid of about 3 trees when I put in a pond about 5 years ago, same with Evans cherries. I have some bushes now on the slope which I like to stabilize the soil for now.
I would expose some roots by shaving off soil close to the end of root ball,..cut off the heavy feeder root further toward the trunk and let the smaller feeder end roots only be covered with very little soil, or just slightly see the roots, this is how mine sprouted out.

You can also try by not cutting through, or in half, the heavy feeder root, it might be better.