Cavey, you sure are covering all the bases Presuming this isn't your first scion buying binge what is your favorite so far?
This is my second round of grin, I did an order 2 years ago, last spring I focused on wild crabs and apples.
My Grin order from the 1st round took a hard hit with our -38 degree winter and deep snows last year- the snows helped some to protect the trees but I did have a bunch of die off. I did B118 root stock last year and this year I went back to Antonovka rootstock. I have a mix of trees from eaters to crabs to cider trees most are too young and not bearing so to say I have a favorite is something I could not really do yet.
My goal is to have drop times across the board. Last year with the wild trees I got scion from I was gunning for heavy bearing annual wild apples that late hang and wild crabs that do the same to provide late season food sources. My Goal is 24/7/365 food for the wildlife - primarily deer. I am attempting to get into ciders but with a 1 year old I'm a bit behind on that so I have been gathering more and more cider trees lately.
The first trees I planted are all desert/eating apples most of which I did a crappy job labeling and I lost the map of the trees so I have dozens of producing trees I can only guess what they are.
The first year a grafting I had real good success (Ive done a 100 per year and this is year 4 coming up) but I used crappy tree tags that had no UV protection and they faded ... I do metal tags now. Its going to be a few years before I can say what my favorites have been - pretty much any that produce and have survived.
I also have shrubs Im working with not to mention bees so I dont do as good of a job tracking my trees as others do. This spring will be a busy one... I have logging going on and my food plot fields are log landings now. My spring goal is to get hundreds of apple trees out. I have to get the balance of the first year (4 year old trees) out and planted and want my 2 year trees out as well. I put most in the nursery now for a few years then transplant out. Only a handful have been direct plantings. I would have done more but I have been waiting 3 years for logging to get done. My world is a mess.
Not the answer you wanted but eventually I will be able to tell you more.
