Apples, If you were to pick just 3

[Bowsnbucks]

those 3 must be badass( along with dolgo crab)

I can grow them in east texas

bill

I hope they do well for you, friend!!! Good deer munchies .....

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Liberty, Enterprise and Sundance are incredible trees. I grow and love them all, but here in Southern KY all of them will be finished dropping by the time hunting season begins. For right now I will stick with my original 3 choices but have some new varieties coming on that have good late dropping possibilities.

Sundance is a great tree here as well. You told me about Yates a few years back ............ and I still haven't planted one. I could kick myself. So many deer planters swear by it. If we have a bear trash an apple tree beyond saving, I'll plant a Yates to replace it. Or maybe clear a spot for one. (grumbling to myself ..........)

 

[bigboreblr]

Sundance is a great tree here as well. You told me about Yates a few years back ............ and I still haven't planted one. I could kick myself. So many deer planters swear by it. If we have a bear trash an apple tree beyond saving, I'll plant a Yates to replace it. Or maybe clear a spot for one. (grumbling to myself ..........)

Turkey Creek has them. Noticed he had them late in the winter still for sale. Thought he still had some for sale in the spring too. Forgot if he offered yates in m111 and B118. Some of the lesser selling ones he only has 1 rootstock option, might be scions prefer a certain roostock though.

 

[Teeder]

Of everything I've planted so far, Yates is the most impressive. Great looking trees!

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I'll look for Yates on a standard rootstock - Antonovka, P-18, Dolgo, or a semi-standard root like MM-111 which grows well at our place. If I'm lucky, maybe I can find one for fall planting.

 

[Mortenson]

My 30-06 and Droptine sure grow well, but they seem to break a lot of limbs, even w/o fruitloads on them. Anyone else see that? They grow too fast? Akin to a junk softwood

 

[Tree Spud]

My 30-06 and Droptine sure grow well, but they seem to break a lot of limbs, even w/o fruitloads on them. Anyone else see that? They grow too fast? Akin to a junk softwood

Have you pruned the limbs back?

 

[Mortenson]

Have you pruned the limbs back?

No. They're the upper limbs kinda getting out of reach - 20' high I suppose in some cases.

 

[Native Hunter]

This year has been a true test for disease resistance in the South. That includes both CAR and Fireblight, and it's mostly due to the recent excessive rainfall and muggy weather conducive to disease. Over the past few years I have planted several new apple and crabapple varieties without knowing how they will perform in this area, but now the winners and losers are becoming extremely obvious. Some have passed with flying colors and others will be either cut down or topworked.

 

[TreeDaddy]

This year has been a true test for disease resistance in the South. That includes both CAR and Fireblight, and it's mostly due to the recent excessive rainfall and muggy weather conducive to disease. Over the past few years I have planted several new apple and crabapple varieties without knowing how they will perform in this area, but now the winners and losers are becoming extremely obvious. Some have passed with flying colors and others will be either cut down or topworked.

would you list the winners and losers?

bill

 

[Native Hunter]

would you list the winners and losers?

bill

Bill, I will get around to putting something together on that one of these days and send you a PM.

 

[bigboreblr]

Mortenson,

The droptine and 30-06 on B118? That's what 90+% of what terry ells unless you ask for something different. Everything on B118 for me grows twice as fast as any other tree. Couple that with good moisture and nutrients, it can make some soft wood a little too easily.

I planted 3 trees as an demonstration on pruning on M111. A fter seeing a few years of grow between rootstocks, I should of done this experiment on B118. I think B118s need to be hauled back hard each winter. I am new to young apples trees, but not mature ones. Chop em'. I have made 1 cut winter pruning numerous times. Take a apple tree like looks like a spruce and chop the top 1/3 off. Most times doing this I had a big crop of apples, which is unusual to a heavily pruned tree. This fall I plan on visiting a tree I did this to over 10 years ago to see long term effects.

We like as much apples as possible, but I'm sparting to think M7 and G890 trees are much more managable far as pruning goes. PErsonally, I think Crossbow is whitetail crab's cats meow. Great growth, no disease issues, excellent crotch angles, and incsests don't bother them much. I got a crossbow right next to a few mature trees. I did not spray the mature trees high this year. So the top part of the tree didn't get malathion. I did spray crossbow like my other trees. Maybe 1st of may and may 23rd or so. I've been hand picking catepillars off my young trees at home. Maybe 3-5 every other day or so on 35 or so young 1 or 2 year olds. Crossbow is closest to where there's a ton of catepillars on some mature trees. Very little sign of catepillar damage and don't recall finding a catepillar last week or two. I'm susppecting crossbow and Kerr are closely related. Even perhaps a seedling of kerr.

 

[deepsleep]

I'm in Southern MI, and have had a large number of trees in the ground for over a decade. The 3 that I can guarantee will have a crop with no pruning or spraying and will cover that time period are Violi's Crab, Galarina, and Liberty. Add a Kieffer pear in as well. As for rootstock, I've had great luck with M7/111 as well as Antonovka. I've also had great luck topworking seedling crabapples I acquired from Coldstream. I planted quite a few on B118 (when they became all the rage) and they have been disappointing overall, with much slower growth. I think they may work better in sandier soil as I think I have some areas with a bit of clay. For the first 6-8 years I went crazy with planting, pruning, grafting, etc, but life eventually got in the way. Yet, my apples continue to produce heavily. I think one key is to get in at least one or two early sprays. That will give you a large number of apples fit for human consumption and a ton for the deer. If you want them only for deer and don't plan to spray, stick with crabs and the highly disease resistant apples. If I could go back in time, I would plant more standard trees. Those Violi's from SLN are enormous and drop pickup loads full of apples every year. I think I planted them in 2011 and I'm confident an adult could safely climb one.

 

[bigboreblr]

deepsleep,

thanks for the info. Would like to see some m7 vs m11 vs anty pics. With my 10ft orchard ladder, I am starting to think the smaller trees are a bit better. Got about (15) B118's (20) M111's, (1) M7, and about 6 unknown semi-standard trees from stark/willis. Tried to put branch trainers on a liberty B118 the other day. About 1/2 of the brnahces I tried broke. I got high quality clay loam, but at the price of compaction. Can't do no-till for more than 3 years at home. Camp I was going to try a B118 this year, but weather got weird so I just planted the dolgo on B118 at home. Very sandy and very variable soil quality. One spot where there's runoff down a hill, it has excellent organic matter, the next spot almost beach. Can literally be day and night in a course of 20 yards.

 

[deepsleep]

Here's an example of Antonovka next to M7. In this case the M7 is naturally dwarfed as these are Centennial and Chestnut trees. The very large trees are Violi's on Antonovka. They are both on 11th or 12th leaf. I'll try to post other pictures later.

 

[Mortenson]

How far apart are those trees planted? Nice trees!

 

[bigboreblr]

Nice pics. My main tree area on home is 25ft by 25 ft with the mix of B118 and M111. 2 rows of 11 With a single row of 3 around the corner of the property. Those guys will be getting an irrigation system next year. On the south part of my property, I got a long single row 16 feet part. Got almost all M111's there. I did put a all winter hangover in there on anty. Had it on a rootmaker pot and planted it in mid december. Thought the pot froze to death in my trailer, so planted it at home. 1st leaf of that one and doing well.

 

[deepsleep]

How far apart are those trees planted? Nice trees!

25’ or 28’ I think. I remember thinking they’ll never grow together when we planted them!

 

[H20fwler]

My 30-06 and Droptine sure grow well, but they seem to break a lot of limbs, even w/o fruitloads on them. Anyone else see that? They grow too fast? Akin to a junk softwood

I've had the exact same thing with some older Droptines. They grow fast and that combined with any racoons equals broken or bowed limbs. My original ten-year-old tree horseshoed over bad.

To solve that issue, I hardly fertilize those and when they are a couple years old I prune them back pretty hard, I will cut branches back 50% to help strengthen them up. Couple years later if new growth gets looking whippy I do it again to the new growth. With the original Droptine I topped it pruned it hard and it looks great now.
That has solved the problems with mine.

 

[andrew bullard]

I've had the exact same thing with some older Droptines. They grow fast and that combined with any racoons equals broken or bowed limbs. My original ten-year-old tree horseshoed over bad.

To solve that issue, I hardly fertilize those and when they are a couple years old I prune them back pretty hard, I will cut branches back 50% to help strengthen them up. Couple years later if new growth gets looking whippy I do it again to the new growth. With the original Droptine I topped it pruned it hard and it looks great now.
That has solved the problems with mine.

I’m glad topping the droptine turned out, the bears top mine for free even though I wish they’d stop! Maybe there is hope.

A few of my droptine have had such high fruit production at a young age, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a few branches break, especially with the assistance of a coon or bear. They’re loaded every year.


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