Thanks hort, I really appreciate the feedback. If it is incompatibility, then the graft seems likely to eventually fail. I had a matte over around the base, with mulch on top to cut off all light to the rootstock hoping that would curtail suckering...... NOPE! Pulled it up yesterday, and there is a full ring around the base of pale white suckers from the RS looking for a way out to the light. I'm seriously considering allowing one of them to grow at this point and taking my chances on getting a female tree. Even if it turns out to be female, other than my two dwarfs, there are NO other Ginkgo ANYWHERE near, so pollination would not be likely. If I did this, I could leave the current graft in place and keep my female significant other counterpart happy, while something more satisfying came up. I know she likes it even though I'm not so happy. I also thought about trying to find a place for another one. On a side note, do you have an opinion as to which cultivar develops yellow fall color the earliest? I'm subject to early and late freezes in my location, and I'm thinking that an earlier turning selection (if I replace this one) might be a wise consideration. Thanks in advance, Arktrees

While I certainly can't rule out some root issues or girdling without digging up the tree, I don't see evidence of this on the trunk (ie. compressed on one side etc). Also I don't mean that is has not grown at all, but it has not really grown taller. Nearly all growth has been lateral, and even downward. Plus it's foliage is dense for a Ginkgo. I also see that I didn't make clear enough that the "flopping over" is the trunk bending over and no longer supporting itself, despite having more than doubled in caliper since the first measurement 5 years ago. I also failed to indicate that this tree is about 6.5' tall. I have attached the only picture I have available with me at this moment so that you can see more clearly. I didn't attach it before, due to the picture being back light making it somewhat difficult to see what is going on. Sorry for the poor quality. Still there are branches growing downward clearly visible. There has also been significant side ward growth this season, but NOTHING upward. Thanks to you all Alley_cat, Dax, and Sara. This is exactly what I need. People to help me think it through. It is much appreciated. Arktrees

Most apple cultivars will be compatible with Bud9, if you have any doubt, just search nursery availability for the cultivar in question and see if they offer it on Bud9. Very non-vigorous varieties may be slow growing on a dwarfing stock. You may want them all to grow as uniformly as possible and if so you may want to choose all vigorous varieties or all non-vigorous. Since espalier takes some fiddling with to look real nice anyway, I'd choose vigorous varieties to speed growth. I'm shooting from the hip here though, as I've never tried espalier before. Have thought about it though.

Delayed incompatibility/graft failure is, in my experience, principally an issue with members of the red/black oak group. Peroxidase enzyme incompatibilities have been documented as at least one issue. You didn't specify what species you were considering, but if a member of the white oak group, grafted onto another member of the white oak group... union should be good and long-lasting. I use bur oak (Q.macrocarpa) understock almost exclusively for all members of the white oak group, including interspecific hybrids. Have just recently begun grafting a few red oak species... mostly Q.nuttalli selections, and mostly onto Q.falcata seedlings, as that's about all I have readily available here on the farm... most grafts have been very successful on falcata and Q.rubra, but have had a few failures on individual falcata seedlings... but numbers are so few that I can't say for certain that incompatibility was the issue.