I prefer whip grafts but the other methods like cleft grafting will work as well. Good luck. Bill

It depends on the size of the scion vs the existing tree. If they don't match then cleft graft. However, if this is your only tree, I would put it in the ground and cut it back to 3ft. this will cause it to branch out below the cut. I would pick 3 branches in different directions and let them grow. Then this fall bud graft a different variety onto each. Then next spring you cut off at the bud, and the bud starts the new branch. This gives you plenty of time to learn about grafting. Also, you will need to learn about pruning and training. This tree will want to run away. You need to keep it short and fat

Thanks for the suggestions. Here's a link to a thread from last summer showing a photo of my seedling. It grew a little more since then before it got put to bed.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1488406/suggestions-needed-for-apple-seedling-what#3914314

Have been watching some grafting videos, and right now I'm leaning toward a cleft graft and wrapping the whole graft with parafilm just because it looks easy. The whole situation is very fluid though, and I'm sure I'll change my mind 100 times about stuff in the next 6 weeks. I hastily ordered a couple of scions just because I thought I was going to miss the window for ordering. They don't seem that easy to find in small quantities.

I like all the advice above, and if you only have room for one or two trees the idea of a multi-graft as Curtis suggested is worth considering.

Here's a complication to further confuse things: cut it off like Curtis says, but go ahead and cleft graft two scions as you'd planned. If they both take you can remove the weaker and let the stronger grow. If they both fail you should get branching to graft to, and it's possible that you'll get some branching even if the scions take. With luck, you'll get three nice scaffold branches and your new graft will put on good growth. When it reaches about six feet up from the ground graft to it again.

Well, it sounds like fun to me anyway!

I'm thinking of ordering a couple of root stocks just in case the graft fails. The whole thing is overwhelming and I'm trying to keep it simple. Onegreenworld has M7 available. Is that a good basic root stock?