I very much doubt your tree is ungrafted. It would have had to be grown from a cutting which is a very inefficient way for an Apple grower to produce stock. UK suppliers specify which rootstock their Redlove trees are on. Was that not stated when you bought yours?

Thanks, floral. Yes, I understand that it must be a grafted tree, but darned if I can find any evidence of it, and I've done quite a bit of grafting myself over the years, so thought I could recognise one. They're obviously better at it than I am.

I still have the quite comprehensive label, but no mention of root-stock there, except to say that it's a dwarf tree. I'll try and find a contact email for the growers and ask them.

I suppose I was hoping for a miracle. But I'll let it grow for a few years and see what I get...

Only miracle would be if you didn’t see graft because it was buried below soil line and the sprouts are coming from above that. I’ve seen people bury their grafts not knowing what they were doing.

Prices in Australia seem high for a 250mm seedling. I followed your link and then a link to Bunnings Warehouse. 250 mm is 10 inches. That's a first year whip. The seedlings I grafted last year were that long when they came off the grafting table ( read my kitchen table), I checked some other apple prices the Redlove was only a few more dollars than common apples like Red Delicious or Granny Smith. But crab apples are expensive as much as 4 times the price of the Redlove.

I could almost consider selling apples on eBay and ship to Australia with free shipping. But I don't know where to get a Redlove scion. Not to mention shipping restrictions.

I grafted a Redfield apple myself last spring. It's a cross between a Niedzwetzkyana apple and a big Wolf River apple. The red flesh is from the Niedzwetzkyana. I tell you this because the Niedzwetzkyana has the red flesh, its leafs tend to red, the Cambrium is red and it has huge 4 inch (100mm) red blossoms. The 50mm apples aren't that great for eating but make a great sauce, pies or cider. And there's always those (few) who find the taste as the best apple they've ever had. But with those blossoms it's worth growing as an ornamental.

If you can't find a graft on your plant ( I'd pull back the soil and look a little deeper) then you might gamble on it recovering.

the question would be ... does the fruit have sterile seeds ... and i dont have that answer nor the time to search for it ...

if the fruit has sterile seeds ... then ALL progeny would have to be grafted ... or rooted, if possible ... [can apple be rooted??? ... usually anything is possible ... but then you would need it to be such.. in volume for future sale ....]

if the fruit had fertile seed ... then the next question would be.. what percent of seedlings would actually be what you would call.. true from seed ... especially.. if one were to be selling 'seedlings' .... you wouldnt want to be selling 'seedlings' that ended up years later.. not giving the red fruit ... you might ruin your own business when it became known that you werent selling named stock as.. named stock ...

you have nothing to lose ... but time and garden space ... waiting to see if you will end up with the red flesh ... but if it were me ... i would probably buy another .. so that in 5 years when you actually get a fruit .... at least you doubled your odds ...

personally .. i dont want to admit.. how many times i might have bought a 'to die for conifer'... read that expensive ,... before i actually got one to live ... all hobbys can become expensive ...

ken

"Dwarf" in this context = a dwarfing root-stock having been used. The only pertinent question in this instance is if the sprout now present originates above or below the graft line.

shaxhome, you might let a sucker grow for several years until it has a branch at the lowest level you would want a branch and leave it to grow. Then graft to the leader above that to a variety you would like. Then wait and see! If the rootstock sucker fruit turns out to be nothing worth keeping you won't have waited for nothing as you'll have another good apple above. Meantime you can imagine it being your red apple! Sue

I've never heard of a natural dwarf apple (there might be, but I am not aware of it) so I agree with embothrium -- it has to be a grafted tree.