Apples, If you were to pick just 3

[Native Hunter]

My Revised List for 2025:

For The Deer in Deer Season:
1. Keener Seedling (AKA Rusty Coat) Just incredible for me this year. Long, Slow, Late Drop.
2. Yates
3. The later dropping Dolgo that WG sold

For Myself:
1. Priscilla
2. Sundance
3. Early Harvest

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I know you posted about Kenner (Rusty Coats) on here somewhere. How are they for DR, Native? Might have to look into 1 or 2 for any replacements and/or cleared spots.

 

[Native Hunter]

I know you posted about Kenner (Rusty Coats) on here somewhere. How are they for DR, Native? Might have to look into 1 or 2 for any replacements and/or cleared spots.

It grows very clean for me down here, so you should have no problem in your location.

 

[bigboreblr]

That kenner, isnt keener is it?

I purchased some scion from turkey creek last year. He said he had some later dropping dolgo. Put a stick on a galarina I have growing. Could be wrogn here on dte. I did buy a dolgo from him in 2024. Not sure if that's a later dropping one.

You got it right with the mix though. Some later ones, and some reliable mid season producers.

 

[Teeder]

I'll be putting another 12 rootstock in this year. Haven't decided yet if I'll graft this year or wait a year. The past 2 years have been very heavy snows, so I think i want to concentrate on late holding varieties to help the deer get through.
What are your favorite "winter" varieties?

 

[Teeder]

Something I see reading back through a few years on, some guys didn't recommend any crabs because I stated "apples". In my mind "apples" means anything that has "apples" in the description. Crabapples, applecrabs, apples. Never meant to just ask about "apples".

 

[Derek Reese 29]

I'll be putting another 12 rootstock in this year. Haven't decided yet if I'll graft this year or wait a year. The past 2 years have been very heavy snows, so I think i want to concentrate on late holding varieties to help the deer get through.
What are your favorite "winter" varieties?

Droptine, Golden Hornet and Winter Gold from Whitetail Crabs and Roadkill from Blue Hill all had crabs up until a week or so ago for me. All fast-growing, early age producers, and the fruit just hangs. Every time there’s a stiff breeze the tracks appear…

 

[Native Hunter]

That kenner, isnt keener is it?

I purchased some scion from turkey creek last year. He said he had some later dropping dolgo. Put a stick on a galarina I have growing. Could be wrogn here on dte. I did buy a dolgo from him in 2024. Not sure if that's a later dropping one.

You got it right with the mix though. Some later ones, and some reliable mid season producers.

Yes, I spelled it wrong. I have corrected the post above. Thanks for pointing it out.

 

[bigboreblr]

Almost everyone has changed their favorite 3 several time, so any kind of apple / crab is good to talk about.

Everything I got is young, but I need zone 3 for camp. My picks there are 30-06, courthouse, and Violi's crab from SLN. I got winter wildlife and AWHO from them but AWHO is biennial and winter wildlife behaves alot like 30-06. Winter wildlife has been tough bugger to graft. 30-06 you could graft on anything. Easiest one to take from what I have done.

yates, keener, and kerr are commercially known 3 picks for late trees. Turkey has all 3 of them.

Best by far way to graft is fresh off the vine. Got some unpruned low branches on 30-06, crossbow, and chestnut. Ordered P18 to try out at camp. Also got a few m111's I thought wouldn't do well up there, but might as well try it out. G890 are experiments for the house. I got a franklin cider on b118 doing well at home, giving those a try at amp this year too. I'm not sure if I would recommend franklin, seems so-so. But, its well known and can survive polar vertex's in northern VT. Im not too far away in NY.

One I think will be great for folks in dry areas is arkansas black x dolgo. I am digging up my young arkansas black though. Roots are loose. Going to topwork a branch or two on my dolgo from turkey creek. I think he has a more speciial variety that drops a bit later. IF they meld together good, that'll be a cactus of an apple tree. Future of deer apple trees might be more environment than