If you haven't seen it already, Zach Galifianakis' This is a Gardening Show on Netflix is worth a watch. In the episode on apple trees, I was most intrigued to learn, as Zach puts it, 'the only way to get a good tasting apple is grafting.'
Apple tree grafting is common practice in commercial orchards, and you can easily try it at home. It's a necessity for growing brand new apple trees that produce tasty and desired fruit, with cuttings from an existing tree fusing onto a healthy, mature rootstock. The apple tree you bought from the nursery (like this 'Honeycrisp' apple tree from Fast Growing Trees) is likely already grafted, as it's actually one of the only ways to guarantee you'll end up with recognizable varieties.
