Franklin Cider Tree Availability

[silver_yummies]

^^^ Nice.
I just got off the phone with Stark Bros. They told me they'll only be selling Franklin Cider Apple trees wholesale next year. 50 or more required to be able to buy. Previously, word was they'd be available for retail sale. No soap, fellas.

I actually just placed an order for 2 of them from Stark today so they are accepting smaller orders for 2019. Just thought I’d share in case anyone was wondering.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I just got the new Stark's catalog yesterday. They have Franklins in it for sale. I called them to ask what rootstock they were grafted on, and the girl said B-118 and M-7. I then asked if I ordered one on B-118, could I be guaranteed that's the rootstock I'd get - she said no. They ship what they ship ...…….. you could get either according to the girl I talked to. It seems odd that you can't pick & be sure of what you'll get.

I guess I'll just stick with the 2 we already have.

 

[sandbur]

I just got the new Stark's catalog yesterday. They have Franklins in it for sale. I called them to ask what rootstock they were grafted on, and the girl said B-118 and M-7. I then asked if I ordered one on B-118, could I be guaranteed that's the rootstock I'd get - she said no. They ship what they ship ...…….. you could get either according to the girl I talked to. It seems odd that you can't pick & be sure of what you'll get.

I guess I'll just stick with the 2 we already have.

I got the same reply from her.


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[yoderjac]

Stark lists them to Zones 3 to 6. Anyone try them in zone 7A or higher?

 

[wooduck]

I got the same reply from her.


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Get a group together order for 2019 they will deliver any root agreed on at time of order of 50 or more and you will get a wholesale price ,

 

[Appleman]

Is there resistance to cedar apple rust?

The Franklin is determined to be Cedar apple rust, scab, and Fireblight resistant as reported back from Stark Bro's in their field trials. The parent tree has been under observation for 10 years and supports these findings. The parent tree without the use of any insecticidal treatment showed no infectious signs of the diseases and yielded between 24 to 30 bushels of apples annually.

 

[Appleman]

Stark lists them to Zones 3 to 6. Anyone try them in zone 7A or higher?

The Franklin is a newly released variety and does exceptionally well in Zones 3a (location: Franklin, Vermont) to 6a (location: Stark Bros Nursery, Missouri). We are hopeful it
will do well in warmer zones but can not make any claims to this until it is tried in these zone locations. I would too like to hear from any zone 7A or higher growers.

 

[chummer]

The Franklin is a newly released variety and does exceptionally well in Zones 3a (location: Franklin, Vermont) to 6a (location: Stark Bros Nursery, Missouri). We are hopeful it
will do well in warmer zones but can not make any claims to this until it is tried in these zone locations. I would too like to hear from any zone 7A or higher growers.

I have 4 doing well on the Tug Hill, zone3/4. We average 300” of snow a year and occasionally hit -40,s. I have had many zone 4 apples not make it. These have been through one winter so I am anxious to see how they do this winter. Winter started early November and temps have been way low to way high. I think those roller coaster temps are hard on young apples so hoping for the best.

 

[Appleman]

I have 4 doing well on the Tug Hill, zone3/4. We average 300” of snow a year and occasionally hit -40,s. I have had many zone 4 apples not make it. These have been through one winter so I am anxious to see how they do this winter. Winter started early November and temps have been way low to way high. I think those roller coaster temps are hard on young apples so hoping for the best.

If I am correct, I was told there are more wind power turbines along Tug Hill then there are apple trees. I am optimistic the Franklin will do well in your area. The parent tree is estimated to be 70 years old with no winter kill or dieback of the branches. In comparison, I have lost some or found dieback on Honeycrisp and SnowSweet which was surprising since the winter-hardy information at the Northern Minnesota testing area found both cultivars to have good winter-hardiness in extremely cold regions. A good number of Franklins are being offered at Stark Bros on B118 rootstock. I think this is valuable for Growers in cold regions like ours. The B118 is a cold-hardy rootstock originating form the Minsk breeding program, Russia, which imparts a high degree of winter-hardiness. This combination of rootstock to scion for the Franklin should provide you with the best chances for success in the Tug Hill region. (I don't remember temps as low as -40f in our area but -35f has occurred on occasion.)

 

[Native Hunter]

If I am correct, I was told there are more wind power turbines along Tug Hill then there are apple trees. I am optimistic the Franklin will do well in your area. The parent tree is estimated to be 70 years old with no winter kill or dieback of the branches. In comparison, I have lost some or found dieback on Honeycrisp and SnowSweet which was surprising since the winter-hardy information at the Northern Minnesota testing area found both cultivars to have good winter-hardiness in extremely cold regions. A good number of Franklins are being offered at Stark Bros on B118 rootstock. I think this is valuable for Growers in cold regions like ours. The B118 is a cold-hardy rootstock originating form the Minsk breeding program, Russia, which imparts a high degree of winter-hardiness. This combination of rootstock to scion for the Franklin should provide you with the best chances for success in the Tug Hill region. (I don't remember temps as low as -40f in our area but -35f has occurred on occasion.)

I think we all agree that many of us would like to have more Franklins on B118. But I think the question is: "How do any of us know that if we buy more trees from Stark Brothers that is will be on B118?" Based on Post #42 in this thread from Bows, we could be buying trees on M7.

I've heard too much bad about M7, and that includes reports from some pretty high profile experts. One horticulturist with the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commissionan, described M7 it as a "...noxious weed...." and said that 30% of them would fall over if they weren't trellised. You can find the source for that at the following link:

http://www.goodfruit.com/get-it-right-at-planting/

Find us a source for your trees where we can get them on B118 at a reasonable price, and I'm sure lots of folks would buy several more.

Best Wishes......

 

[Appleman]

I think we all agree that many of us would like to have more Franklins on B118. But I think the question is: "How do any of us know that if we buy more trees from Stark Brothers that is will be on B118?" Based on Post #42 in this thread from Bows, we could be buying trees on M7.

I've heard too much bad about M7, and that includes reports from some pretty high profile experts. One horticulturist with the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commissionan, described M7 it as a "...noxious weed...." and said that 30% of them would fall over if they weren't trellised. You can find the source for that at the following link:

http://www.goodfruit.com/get-it-right-at-planting/

Find us a source for your trees where we can get them on B118 at a reasonable price, and I'm sure lots of folks would buy several more.

Best Wishes......

I am not a big fan of M7/MM7 myself having grown them along side other rootstocks, like M26, M106, G30, and M111. Many M7's of my had succumb to sunscald over the years. I am trying to get to the bottom of why it is the sales representative spoken to at Stark Bro's told "Bowsnbucks" his order may not come in as requested, but could be on either M7 or M118. I know this forum has many knowledgeable apple enthusiasts that fully understand the importance of choosing the right rootstock for their apple tree projects. I will try to get an answer as to why you can or can not purchase the rootstock requested. I already E-Mailed the Chief Marketing Officer at Starks concerning this matter and awaiting his reply.

 

[Native Hunter]

I am not a big fan of M7/MM7 myself having grown them along side other rootstocks, like M26, M106, G30, and M111. Many M7's of my had succumb to sunscald over the years. I am trying to get to the bottom of why it is the sales representative spoken to at Stark Bro's told "Bowsnbucks" his order may not come in as requested, but could be on either M7 or M118. I know this forum has many knowledgeable apple enthusiasts that fully understand the importance of choosing the right rootstock for their apple tree projects. I will try to get an answer as to why you can or can not purchase the rootstock requested. I already E-Mailed the Chief Marketing Officer at Starks concerning this matter and awaiting his reply.

That’s great Appleman. Thanks for the reply.

 

[homerj]

Starks has always been that way with retail customers. You cannot select the rootstock for any fruit trees and to the best of my knowledge you never have been able to. Wholesale is different, there you can select your rootstock.

 

[Northbound]

I am not a big fan of M7/MM7 myself having grown them along side other rootstocks, like M26, M106, G30, and M111. Many M7's of my had succumb to sunscald over the years. I am trying to get to the bottom of why it is the sales representative spoken to at Stark Bro's told "Bowsnbucks" his order may not come in as requested, but could be on either M7 or M118. I know this forum has many knowledgeable apple enthusiasts that fully understand the importance of choosing the right rootstock for their apple tree projects. I will try to get an answer as to why you can or can not purchase the rootstock requested. I already E-Mailed the Chief Marketing Officer at Starks concerning this matter and awaiting his reply.

That's the reason the only trees I ordered from stark are Franklin. The other 40 fruit trees I ordered for spring are coming from nurseries that don't hide the rootstock. And a dozen from nwc who also doesn't share rootstock into but I wanted to try there crabs. Moral of the story is unless you have the sole ownership of a tree I want, I'm going to a more transparent nursery regardless of price

 

[Mortenson]

If they came on B118 I'd order a handful too. The Franklin otherwise seems to have some good traits. I've avoided ordering from Starks because of the root issue. At least with NWC they tell you the trees will be like 25' tall and strong anchored, so it makes sense it's more of a semi-standard root. Worth the gamble there, whereas from Stark it isn't. Thanks guys.

 

[yoderjac]

The Franklin is a newly released variety and does exceptionally well in Zones 3a (location: Franklin, Vermont) to 6a (location: Stark Bros Nursery, Missouri). We are hopeful it
will do well in warmer zones but can not make any claims to this until it is tried in these zone locations. I would too like to hear from any zone 7A or higher growers.

That is why I asked. I was watching it well before it was released. It has been out a little while now and I was hoping some folks in 7A or higher had tried it so I could hear their experiences so far before I buy a couple.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[sandbur]

I think we all agree that many of us would like to have more Franklins on B118. But I think the question is: "How do any of us know that if we buy more trees from Stark Brothers that is will be on B118?" Based on Post #42 in this thread from Bows, we could be buying trees on M7.

I've heard too much bad about M7, and that includes reports from some pretty high profile experts. One horticulturist with the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commissionan, described M7 it as a "...noxious weed...." and said that 30% of them would fall over if they weren't trellised. You can find the source for that at the following link:

http://www.goodfruit.com/get-it-right-at-planting/

Find us a source for your trees where we can get them on B118 at a reasonable price, and I'm sure lots of folks would buy several more.

Best Wishes......

I am not a big fan of M7/MM7 myself having grown them along side other rootstocks, like M26, M106, G30, and M111. Many M7's of my had succumb to sunscald over the years. I am trying to get to the bottom of why it is the sales representative spoken to at Stark Bro's told "Bowsnbucks" his order may not come in as requested, but could be on either M7 or M118. I know this forum has many knowledgeable apple enthusiasts that fully understand the importance of choosing the right rootstock for their apple tree projects. I will try to get an answer as to why you can or can not purchase the rootstock requested. I already E-Mailed the Chief Marketing Officer at Starks concerning this matter and awaiting his reply.

Just to be clear, I was told B 118 (not M118 if it even exists. ) the lady said I would get whatever they grab from the bin. I told her I liked B118 for my soils and climate.


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[yoderjac]

That is why I asked. I was watching it well before it was released. It has been out a little while now and I was hoping some folks in 7A or higher had tried it so I could hear their experiences so far before I buy a couple.

Thanks,

Jack

I posted this question on the Growing Fruit forum as well, but I think they are new enough on the market that I'm not going to get much useful feedback. So, I decided to become a guinea pig and ordered a pair of them. In a couple years, I'll try to provide some feedback.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Diesel5610]

I have always avoided Stark's for apple trees for just this reason. There is absolutely no reason why they should not tell you what rootstock you are getting when you "buy" a tree from them. They guarantee me B118 rootstock and I am in for several also. The couple I got from Cummins 2 years ago on B118 are doing great so far, I am extremely happy with them. If Stark's sticks to this mystery rootstock policy I will just have to wait for the grafts I will be doing this year off those trees. Not a huge deal but I am not getting any younger and would like to gain a few years with started trees for a few spots this year if I could.

 

[Boone]

I was told by Wallace Woodstock Nursery that their standard Franklin's were on b118. I believe you can choose what size you order.