Antonovka trees

[Powder]

If I wanted a cheap way to grow apple trees, would I be able to just buy Antonovka rootstock (due to my cold climate) and let them grow to full sized trees? The rootstock can be bought for $3 for a 1-2 year old plant. It seems that if I let this grow out I'd have a full sized apple tree that grows true to seed. It seems like the worst case scenario is that I could graft a different variety to the tree at a much later time if necessary.

Other than a lack of diversity of ripening times, what would be the downfall to doing this?

 

[chickenlittle]

I'm always skeptical of the "true to seed" part. I'd bet you'll get a decent diversity from planting Antonovka seedlings. But as Stu suggested, buy a few other seedlings types and you have more diversity at low cost.

 

[Powder]

Zero downfalls to doing that. If you want a bit of cheap diversity, buy some seedling dolgo and ranetka rootstocks while you're at it. Another full sized apple that allegedly grows true to seed is Duchess of Oldenburg (resulting rootstock is then named Borowinka)

edit...well, I spoke too soon. Downfalls would be - possible cross pollination issues (probably not since they're seed raised, they wouldn't be genetically identical) and possibly waiting a decade or more for them to fruit.

Are you saying they may take longer to fruit than most other varieties? I'm not sure I want to wait that long for fruit just to save a few bucks.

 

[chickenlittle]

Seedling trees take longer to produce fruit than grafted trees.

 

[Powder]

I'm saying that seedling (any seedling, not just antonovka) apples can take a decade or longer to produce fruit. One of the reasons folks graft is to get fruit more quickly.

For the cost of the rootstock, you can probably score scions here or elsewhere for free or cheap. Learn how to graft and you'd likely have producing trees in 4-6 years.

Buy bareroot, grafted trees from most nurseries and you'll likely have fruit in 3-5 years. Buy large, grafted trees and you can have producing trees in 1-3 years.

Good to know. I didn't realize grafting helped speed up the process that much.

 

[greyphase]

In 2008 I planted a dozen Antonovka seedlings. Only one has fruited and it had small pea sized fruit. Have no clue why it doesn't bear full sized fruit. Maybe a mix-up at the nursery and it's not Antonovka??? Or one of it's parents was a small fruited crab and Antonovka doesn't produce true to see. I've grafted all but one of the others over to various apple varieties. Still waiting for that one seedling tree to bear fruit. Get some B118 and learn to graft. Most guys on the board will send you some scion to get your started. A cleft graft is pretty easy to learn from Youtube videos. Or get some B118 rootstock and plant it. I seem to remember someone saying B118 produces a full sized apple on it's own and being produced in a stoolbed it would be genetically B118 and not a seedling.

 

[sandbur]

I have two Anty's that are producing (these were purchased from Morse nursery). Neither one is impressing me. Lots of CAR and scab. The fruit does not amount to much. I am considering cutting them off and adding some other variety on top of them.

Dolgo seedlings have not all had the same type of apple,a s reported. I have purchased dolgo seedlings and grown my own. The trees have been quite disease free and most have apples that are deer sized versus bird sized. They have variable drop times, in addition.

A few B 118's also appear to be disease free for me after 3 years. It will be interesting to see what they produce. A search here and show up soem old discussions of b 118's.

The dolgo seedlings have produced fruit at a younger age than the Anty's. I am not impressed by the Anty's for wildlife.

 

[Powder]

The reason I was thinking about doing it that way was because the rootstock is cheap and I could plant it, make sure it got established and then cut it off and graft later. I would rather spend $3 on a plant and have it die the first winter rather than spending $30 on a grafted tree only to find out it died the first winter. If it made it through I could graft to it right where it was planted. I could let the original tree grow out and graft a second variety to the same tree. One tree, two drop times.

Unless someone can convince me otherwise I'm pretty well set on Antonovka rootstock. Cold hardiness is by far the most important criteria to me. I didn't think the b 118's were quite as reliable in cold (zone 3) areas.

 

[Powder]

Isn't Baccata a semi-dwarf? From what I've read, semi-dwarf are typically not as hardy. That's why I shy'd away from them. Am I wrong about that?

 

[Powder]

Good to know. I'll look into Baccata. Thanks!

 

[Bowsnbucks]

For cold-hardy varieties, check out www.hardyfruittrees.ca. Canadian nursery that specializes in the zone 4 and colder varieties. I think they have some zone 2 things. Info is good even if you don't purchase trees from them.