1st Apple tree order

[Riggsgwp->]

Can you guys give me some advice on ordering around a dozen Apple trees please. My location is central Mn and I'm not sure what varieties I should order from Cummins. I would like to have varieties that both my family and my deer could enjoy assuming they make it. I picked out a few off their site but don't really have a clue what I'm doing and I'm open to any advice. Some of the ones I picked were Zestar, Enterprise, Wolf River, Liberty, Gold Rush, Honeycrisp, Duchess of Oldenburg, Snow Sweet, Cortland, Kerr, Black Oxford, Dolgo and Chestnut. Thanks for any help.

 

[Riggsgwp->]

Most were B118. A few were M7 and Ant. One was a M111

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I don't have the same soil or colder winters like you do in Minn. - but I agree with Stu on the good choices. If it's any confidence builder for you ...... we're growing Liberty, Enterprise, Wolf River, Goldrush, Kerr, Dolgo, and Chestnut , plus several more varieties. Ours are all on B-118, Antonovka, or MM-111 too. Not familiar with M-7. All good choices based on disease resistance and apples good for northern states. All proven to be good deer apples.

Stu and the other Minn. boys and the guys from Wisc. can tell you more about what roots work in the soil out there. I believe they favor B-118 for the sandier soil, if I recall.

 

[Riggsgwp->]

Thanks guys. I may downsize my order so I don't get overwhelmed as I would like to do this right. I've wasted money in the past on Apple trees because I didn't take the time to do things properly. Now that I've planted 12-15,000 trees for my continuous crp I think it's time to get serious about some fruiting tree varieties.

 

[CrazyEd]

^^^IMHO...its better to plant 5 fruit trees correctly than 20 haphazardly. Do however many you can, just do it right the first time ;)

plant 2 the first year, 6 the second and then go bonkers in year three. then if you are really nuts start grafting 100 per year after that. :)

 

[Riggsgwp->]

Thank goodness I'm not nuts! But then again I can't stop ordering regular trees even though I tell myself I'm done right after every spring planting:confused:

 

[tooln]

I'm just learning about apple trees and know nothing about the varieties you picked. What I have learned so far is to plant a varities that drop at different times. Originally I was going to plant 12 next spring but I have decided to go with 6 the first year. Good luck with yours.

 

[2ndHand]

Is Goldrush considered a cold hardy tree? Cummins does not list it as a northern variety ( Good to 22 below). I would be interested in planting them, but I am unsure if they would be productive in my location.
Thanks!

 

[sandbur]

Planting fruit trees correctly really isn't that difficult...it just requires an investment of materials and a bit of time. Even 50 year old dudes can pretty easily do it :D

or 60 year olds.

 

[sandbur]

Riggs- take a look at Huls website. Avon address or actually St. Wendal. They do not have a large variety of trees, but the trees are a very large size and very close to you. The one brother is very knowledgeable. and I used to get a discount with 5 or more trees.

They did not have dolgo in the past, but almost always Chestnut, haralson, haraldred, zestar, etc. The size of their trees is impressive-at least in past years. Rootstock is unknown,but it is Baileys and is hardy. In the past they only handled standard sized trees. and their market was rural landowners of our area.

i also remember Huils saying pears did not do well, but he handles them as people ask for them. I should have listened to his advice.

 

[Riggsgwp->]

I'm just learning about apple trees and know nothing about the varieties you picked. What I have learned so far is to plant a varities that drop at different times. Originally I was going to plant 12 next spring but I have decided to go with 6 the first year. Good luck with yours.

I am planning on doing this with crabapple. I have a few hundred seedlings growing in a future thicket and I will someday start grafting different varieties onto them.

 

[Riggsgwp->]

I talked to Huls yesterday and they said they've been sold out for 2 months. I was hoping to get a few planted this fall for cheap. If you find a deal let me know.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Like NH Mtns said in post #11, you can do a lot of prep work before the apple trees get there. I do all of what NH said and more. I start by spraying the spots where the trees will go with gly the fall before planting. Lime can be applied the fall before planting to let it get into the soil. I make up my concrete mesh cages so all I have to do is set them on over the trees once planted. Pre-cut your rodent screens for stapling around tree trunks. I also make my tree tags with variety, rootstock, and year planted on them. I pre-cut the insulated copper wire ( 12 gauge ) to tie the tags on the cages. Get your soil amendments ( compost, manure, etc. ) there to the planting area. All that makes planting day quicker & easier.

 

[Riggsgwp->]

A lot of good info guys:)

 

[sandbur]

I placed an order with Huls and picked up bare roots when they open in the spring.

 

[chummer]

I placed an order with Huls and picked up bare roots when they open in the spring.

My advise would be go one zone colder than you are listed. I lost 4 trees this year rated for my zone but died in the record cold winter we had. It sucks loosing a tree after all the work it takes to get them to their first winter alive and in tact.

 

[MoLandOwner]

Planting fruit trees correctly really isn't that difficult...it just requires an investment of materials and a bit of time. Even 50 year old dudes can pretty easily do it :D

Do you plant all apple trees and rootstocks the same way Stu?

And how do you plant, some of us that have been doing it wrong for years could use the refresher course!;)

 

[Riggsgwp->]

Where do you buy the watersorb?

 

[Riggsgwp->]

Thanks for the help guys, I'm sure I'm not the only one that will benefit from this. I normally avoid the apple part of this forum but after reading through a lot of the old post I now realize how much good info is here.

 

[NY_Terrence]

Thx for taking the time to write up the whole process. This time, I learned about tent stakes as a substitute for posts.