Biggest Apple tree I ever topworked

[Native Hunter]

This one was a whopper, and I wasn't sure if it would work out. However, after 2 years the space is almost completely closed in, and the trees is loaded with blooms this year. This was an American Summer Pearmain, and I never ate an apple off of it for several years. I could not grow the cultivar successfully in no spray. However, in the second year after topworking to Priscilla, I had several apples, and this year it appears we will have a bumper crop.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

How are you liking the Priscilla, Native? Eat any? Drop time for you?

 

[Native Hunter]

How are you liking the Priscilla, Native? Eat any? Drop time for you?

It’s my top eating apple and the DR is excellent. I now have 4 Priscillas. The drop time is too early for deer hunting.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

It’s my top eating apple and the DR is excellent. I now have 4 Priscillas. The drop time is too early for deer hunting.

Thanks for the info! Glad you found Priscilla to be a good eater. I haven't gotten to try a Priscilla yet from camp. We have 2 there. Some of the other members that live much closer to camp can at least grab some for eating. They're too early up here for deer hunting too, but they at least help pollinate other trees since we have so many varieties in the main orchard. Any DR apple or crab is OK with us!

 

[bigboreblr]

The main leader still pearmain? Or is that all Priscilla.

You topworked a few years last year or two. How are those guys doing.

I do DR, but i live near commercial orchards. Bugs are horrible. I spray monthly and some trees don't look like I do.

 

[Native Hunter]

The main leader still pearmain? Or is that all Priscilla.

You topworked a few years last year or two. How are those guys doing.

I do DR, but i live near commercial orchards. Bugs are horrible. I spray monthly and some trees don't look like I do.

No, it's 100% Priscilla with all of the Pearmain removed. The only Pearmain left would be below the topworking.

I have done a bunch of topworking in the last two years but most of it has been Callery Pears to good pears and common persimmons to known cultivars. Those have gone great, and I'm probably at a 90% success rate on those. One callery that I topworked to Olympic Giant had more than a 5 gallon bucket of pears in only the second year after topworking. Another pear that I topworked to Sweet Advent had pears before the donor tree did.

This spring I just finished 5 more Callery pears, and I already see leaves on two of them in less than10 days. I have about 6 or 7 persimmons to do, but I need to wait about another 2 weeks on those, because they are just beginning to make leaves. I also have two mulberry trees to topwork to Illinois Everbearing, and those are just beginning to make leaves as well.

PS - If we don't get a late freeze, I'm going to have the best apple year on record and about the third best pear year. I will update my apple thread with any new varieties.