Dolgo seedlings as root stock for other crabs

[cavey]

Has anyone ever used Dolgo seedlings as root stock for other crab apples. I kind of goofed up and did not order root stock this year thinking I was going to be too busy - and I needed to focus on getting 3 years worth of grafted trees out and planted from the nursery area. However I have the itch to graft and have found a number of late hanging crab apples and still have a source of seedlings that could maybe if having a large enough caliper be used this spring as root stock ... if not then next year. Dolgo is cold hardy and I would assume to a degree seedlings of such would have some if not all of that hardiness, it is my "informed" general understanding that Dolgo seedlings retain most of the parent tree characteristics with some obvious chance for variability. Any thoughts from the graft masters or crab gurus out there???

I normally graft to Antonovka - even the crabs, grafting to Dolgo seedlings would give me a smaller tree, maybe fruiting faster and I have areas where some smaller trees would work for me.

 

[yoderjac]

Yes I have. I grew seedlings from Dolgo and Siberian red seeds. Most were Siberian red but some were dolgo. I planted those seedlings in the field in the fall and tried to graft them with named varieties (both crabs and domestic apples) the next spring. I wanted to see what kind of apples the seedlings would produce, so I left a nurse branch. My grafting success was marginal. I think in some cases it was the difference in green-up time between the rootstock and the grafted varieties. In all cases whether the graft took or not, the rootstock continued to live. I've gone back each spring and grafted those that did not take. I still have a few left but most are now healthy grafted trees.

So, I can tell you that it can work, not that it is the best thing to do.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[sandbur]

My fastest growers are on dolgo seedlings. I ordered dolgo rootstock a few years ago.

They are a great rootstock in our area and used by a commercial supplier (Baileys).

I grafted Norland, Whitney, kinder Crisp, Golden Hornet, and more than I remember on dolgo. Probably also wickson. Kerr should be a good choice as it is dolgo/ haralson if my memory is correct.


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[cavey]

I have about a dozen failed graft/root stocks which I could graft to and a handful of larger trees I could graft to as well; I agree it is just nice to do it right the first time. I want to add more crabs and have been locating wild ones that late hang - I guess I was looking to hard and found a bunch - now I want to graft them all but the places I typically order from are out of RS for the season. The dolgo seedlings came up as an option - and honestly I would prefer grafted Dolgo's over seedlings and I like the standard root stock I've been using for my apple grafts even for the crabs. Did you at least have a higher success crab to crab versus crab to apple. I would be doing strictly crab on crab - not sure that even matters but just curious.



I kept back a number of failed grafted RS in the nursery to use as stooling sources for my own RS. My last Grin order I ended up with so much scion (4 to a stick on many) that I ended up Frankensteining the heck out of those trees just to keep the scion alive. I should have bought my usual 100 RS just create a proper stooling bed for the future.

 

[cavey]

My fastest growers are on dolgo seedlings. I ordered dolgo rootstock a few years ago.

They are a great rootstock in our area and used by a commercial supplier (Baileys).

I grafted Norland, Whitney, kinder Crisp, Golden Hornet, and more than I remember on dolgo. Probably also wickson. Kerr should be a good choice as it is dolgo/ haralson if my memory is correct.


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cool, I may just go ahead with my order of a 100 seedlings - and try it. We are in roughly the same zone'ish so they will work for me. The joke in the end will be that I will likely graft dolgo to dolgo as I do want a few of the parent tree for future cider production. Have any of your ungrafted seedlings gone to fruit yet and how did they end up tasting.

 

[sandbur]

My fastest growers are on dolgo seedlings. I ordered dolgo rootstock a few years ago.

They are a great rootstock in our area and used by a commercial supplier (Baileys).

I grafted Norland, Whitney, kinder Crisp, Golden Hornet, and more than I remember on dolgo. Probably also wickson. Kerr should be a good choice as it is dolgo/ haralson if my memory is correct.


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cool, I may just go ahead with my order of a 100 seedlings - and try it. We are in roughly the same zone'ish so they will work for me. The joke in the end will be that I will likely graft dolgo to dolgo as I do want a few of the parent tree for future cider production. Have any of your ungrafted seedlings gone to fruit yet and how did they end up tasting.

I have a handful of dolgo seedlings. Bird sized crabs and also one I like.

Some people call this a spitter. Not me!


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[Northbound]

How many years to bear is typical for dolgo seedlings?

 

[John-W-WI]

How many years to bear is typical for dolgo seedlings?

It depends on how far away the bear hibernates. Hopefully a long way away.

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

 

[sandbur]

How many years to bear is typical for dolgo seedlings?

I would guess ten years from seed. Good soil and weed control make a difference.

Some are just fast growers, thick trunk,disease free. Others have disease issues.

My best growing trees are right next to my best corn ground.


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[DLH]

Where are you buying Dolgo seedlings at? I found alpha nursery but they have a order minimum.

 

[cavey]

Alpha is the nursery I was going to go with, they do have dolgo seedlings but they are actually getting them from another source than their own this year so the price is bumped up a bit... they had some issues with them. I was able to order from willamette nursery and get a 100 root stock of B118, so Im not going to be ordering the dolgo seedlings after all... I went back and forth on that...but in the end I can graft to the B118's which is more in line with what I was going for.

 

[sandbur]

Where are you buying Dolgo seedlings at? I found alpha nursery but they have a order minimum.

One order came from our local SWCD office. The lady at the office ordered a bundle of 25 for me. I suspect they came from Lincolnoakes in North Dakota. I hope I spelled that correctly.


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[cavey]

Where are you buying Dolgo seedlings at? I found alpha nursery but they have a order minimum.

If you can hit their $100 minimum and utilize the bundle size the volume/price is pretty good. But I do get the fact that not everyone wants plants in 50 or 100 counts.

 

[DLH]

I actually found a place kinda close to me ~130miles. If I drove there I would spend my shipping in gas but the prices are pretty good. They also have a minimum but they have some other things of interest too. If I end up getting any Dolgos I may go there. They may even be grafted I think I will call them tomorrow. If they are grafted I think I will stool a few and plant a few.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

Chief river nursery has dolgo seedlings at $5.25 each when you buy 25. I've planted some and the survival was good. They grew pretty slow the first two years, but I'm hoping they take off this year.

The seedlings were the right size for grafting.

 

[Northbound]

I see them listed at almost every conservation district sale. I've got about 50 of them going on 3rd year. The district I bought from was selling 10 for 14 bucks.

 

[cavey]

10 for 14 is a good price... alpha has them from .55, .72, and .92 (12"-18") ea.. but you have to buy them in bundle counts if under a 100 they have a pretty steep multiplier that jumps the price.

Northbound do you remember which district up by you that had that deal...

 

[Northbound]

10 for 14 is a good price... alpha has them from .55, .72, and .92 (12"-18") ea.. but you have to buy them in bundle counts if under a 100 they have a pretty steep multiplier that jumps the price.

Northbound do you remember which district up by you that had that deal...

Yeah that would be the sheboygan county tree sale. They have best rates of the other nearby counties.

 

[cavey]

Yeah that would be the sheboygan county tree sale. They have best rates of the other nearby counties.

I will have to check into their sale, as a kid I grew up in New Holstein on the east side of the state and have relatives and friends that still live in Sheboygan co and the big city proper.

Actually just pulled it up on the computer... the sale is still open till feb 20th. and they even sell some apple peach pears and plums 18.00 a tree for a 4-5 footers. Not to shabby of deals. Local pick up 2-4th of May. I see that many of the districts order from alpha then bulk break.

 

[Jimmy G]

Yeah that would be the sheboygan county tree sale. They have best rates of the other nearby counties.

I will have to check into their sale, as a kid I grew up in New Holstein on the east side of the state and have relatives and friends that still live in Sheboygan co and the big city proper.

Actually just pulled it up on the computer... the sale is still open till feb 20th. and they even sell some apple peach pears and plums 18.00 a tree for a 4-5 footers. Not to shabby of deals. Local pick up 2-4th of May. I see that many of the districts order from alpha then bulk break.

Like the prices much better than our county sales. Much better selection too!

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