Late dropping apples for Deer

[Ben.MN/WI]

I have always bought the standard large size 4'-6' tree from Whitetail crabs , I see Terry even has some Premium 6'+ trees this year.

For 2025 I ordered four of my usual 4'-6' trees , and three 2'-3' foot to try. While I'd rather have his larger trees, this year Finances are a little tight , so I got the smaller Redfield, Golden Hornet and a Death wish to save a buck or two. Has anyone had good look planting Whitetail Crabs smaller 2'-3' trees ?.

I've planted 50+ seedling apple trees that were only around 12-18" tall and they did fine, but they just grew much slower. I think the weed competition is harder on the smaller trees, so it takes them several more years to fruit.

The last couple years I have purchased seedling dolgo trees from Yellow River Nursery in Wisconsin and they are great trees. The price per tree is under $5 when purchasing 20 if my memory is correct. I use those for my grafting rootstock and pot them for a year before transplanting. I also put some of those seeling trees in pots without planting since I like dolgo seedlings. Some of those dolgo seedlings are now 6' tall after keeping them well watered and fertilized in pots for this growing season.

 

[Teeder]

If a person isn't getting at least 50% takes when grafting last year's apple scion growth, its time to review your technique/method. Maybe watch a few more videos or attend a grafting workshop. Apples are the easiest tree fruit to graft.

I agree. 2 years ago was my first try at grafting. I went roughly 19 for 20. I thought, hey, this is easy!
This past season i did about 30 and didn't get a single take. Not one!

 

[b116757]

I agree. 2 years ago was my first try at grafting. I went roughly 19 for 20. I thought, hey, this is easy!
This past season i did about 30 and didn't get a single take. Not one!

My grafting mirrors yours. I’ve had good luck and bad luck and don’t know for sure what the issue is. I think that maybe the temperature the rootstock and scions are held at for a day before grafting maybe the issue but idk wish I did.

 

[bigboreblr]

Most my grafts are placed in pots. I did well last year letting the graft heal for 2-3 weeks in a cool dark room before putting them outside. Got to do my homework, I got 2 trees at home and 5 or so at camp to topwork.

Luongo,

What trees do you have now? Enterprise is a great apple tree to have if you do not have one yet. November drop time, good for almost any kind of baking cooking juice, disease resistant, has thicker skin to help ward off bugs. Probably about the best overall apple out there next to liberty.

 

[Mortenson]

I have good luck with the takes. Just sometimes I go through a fair amount of scion wood to get there. My whittling technique must not be great.

 

[Mortenson]

What trees do you have now? Enterprise is a great apple tree to have if you do not have one yet. November drop time, good for almost any kind of baking cooking juice, disease resistant, has thicker skin to help ward off bugs. Probably about the best overall apple out there next to liberty.

I agree on those two trees. I'm planting another Liberty. We enjoyed eating the apples this year, and it was my most bullet proof tree the entire growing season.

 

[Mortenson]

Did I hear that MN crossed a Liberty and Honey Crisp? Anyone plant one of those yet?

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Did I hear that MN crossed a Liberty and Honey Crisp? Anyone plant one of those yet?

I heard that too. Don't know what it's called, though. Seems there are a few new crosses out there, but I haven't researched what they are. More for commercial market than wildlife, I'd suspect.

 

[homerj]

Did I hear that MN crossed a Liberty and Honey Crisp? Anyone plant one of those yet?

Triumph. Don't have one

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Triumph. Don't have one

Thanks for this info, homerj.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Late Apples -
For eating "market orchard" apples - Granny Smith, Pink Lady, and Goldrush (if you live where CAR isn't a problem - Goldrush would require spraying if CAR is a problem).

For wildlife - Enterprise, Yates maybe ---- and I'd check out what Blue Hill Wildlife Nursery and Whitetail Crabs has to offer. They both have some late droppers.

 

[bigboreblr]

Did I hear that MN crossed a Liberty and Honey Crisp? Anyone plant one of those yet?

I want the forbidden scion......... enterprise crossed with honecrisp. cosmic crisp. Need some conspirators for that conspiracy theory......

Want a goldrush but have CAR in your area sundance. Thought I mentioned that and galarina before.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ Sundance and Galarina are both great trees. I think Native Hunter is a big fan of Sundance. Our camp has both.

 

[Native Hunter]

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ Sundance and Galarina are both great trees. I think Native Hunter is a big fan of Sundance. Our camp has both.

Sundance makes big, beautiful apples here, but they will all fall by mid September in my location. However, I liked them so much for a human apple that I put another one in the ground this spring.

 

[Teeder]

Forum member Chainsaw (Dave) who passed away owned 600 acres in New York that is mostly covered with wild apple trees. I used to communicate with him a lot, and he sent me scions from some of his trees. While he had many outstanding apple trees, the one that stood out to him above all others was Turning Point. It made incredible crops for him. The drop time started in mid October and extended past the end of December into the next year.

I have a young one planted down here and have no idea how it will do this far south, but if I lived in NY I definitely would want several of those. Another one that came from his place is Sweet November. My young tree had about 4 of those apples this year, and they looked great.

I don't know how I missed Sweet November. The description sounds perfect for my place.

 

[bigboreblr]

I tyry to get well known varieties and not gamble as much on plantings. Running out of room. However, did buy a Saint Lawrence Tree called big deer. They call it a seedling of sweetango. This is another forbiden scion. University of Minnesota intelectual property. Guess they planted the seeds and saw what happens. Anybody have any intel on this tree. Might keep a m111 rootstock around and graft one for the house. So far my only rootstocks coming in for 2025 are siberian crabs from SLN. Tempted to keep a cpy of Viloi's, AWHO, and winter wildlife at home too. Probably digging up a dolgo on B118 and movngn it to camp for room.

Big Deer Crab Apple

-50°F or colder. A chance seedling of SweeTango. Ripens in October. Red. We planted 100 of these seedlings in the hopes of a winner. Big Deer wasn't what we had in mind, but it is a winner nonetheless! An average sized crab, 1 - 1.5" diameter, with very intense tannins. Big Deer also hangs on...

www.slngrow.com

I did buy a tree called rhuby. Going to give that to my wife's middle kid who just bought a house. His dog is named ruby. Got some CAR concerns I tihnk, but will keep a stick if anyone wants one for their efforts.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I tyry to get well known varieties and not gamble as much on plantings. Running out of room. However, did buy a Saint Lawrence Tree called big deer. They call it a seedling of sweetango. This is another forbiden scion. University of Minnesota intelectual property. Guess they planted the seeds and saw what happens. Anybody have any intel on this tree. Might keep a m111 rootstock around and graft one for the house. So far my only rootstocks coming in for 2025 are siberian crabs from SLN. Tempted to keep a cpy of Viloi's, AWHO, and winter wildlife at home too. Probably digging up a dolgo on B118 and movngn it to camp for room.

Big Deer Crab Apple

-50°F or colder. A chance seedling of SweeTango. Ripens in October. Red. We planted 100 of these seedlings in the hopes of a winner. Big Deer wasn't what we had in mind, but it is a winner nonetheless! An average sized crab, 1 - 1.5" diameter, with very intense tannins. Big Deer also hangs on...

www.slngrow.com

I did buy a tree called rhuby. Going to give that to my wife's middle kid who just bought a house. His dog is named ruby. Got some CAR concerns I tihnk, but will keep a stick if anyone wants one for their efforts.

I can tell you that Rhuby from SLN is one very tasty apple!!! Rhuby is proprietary to SLN, since they introduced it as theirs. We have no CAR around camp (no alternate fungal host plants - juniper family - near us) so can't comment on CAR problems with Rhuby. Rhuby was sweet, tart, and tangy when we tasted it. Shocked me, actually. Complex flavor that spans the taste spectrum. Good luck with yours up in N.Y.

 

[bigboreblr]

I can tell you that Rhuby from SLN is one very tasty apple!!! Rhuby is proprietary to SLN, since they introduced it as theirs. We have no CAR around camp (no alternate fungal host plants - juniper family - near us) so can't comment on CAR problems with Rhuby. Rhuby was sweet, tart, and tangy when we tasted it. Shocked me, actually. Complex flavor that spans the taste spectrum. Good luck with yours up in N.Y.

Son-in-law's getting that one at hs house. Won't be pruned, wont be sprayed, luck to get watered...... Wife wanted to give him that one. Had a liberty on M111 ready for him i n august. Didn't want to play with outside stuff yet. Bought the house in july.

I wouldn't hyper focus of super late trees. Some guy wonder the benefit of those zombie fruits. Something that hold decent fruit for awhile, then dumps it. Turning point looks like a textbook one. Winter rye and winter browse works great for the herd. Daikon raddish is another great one. MY wife hates the smell.