Late Hanging Apples

[greyphase]

I have a "soft spot" for late hanging apples. Hunting on a cold December day through a woods or thicket with snow covering everything it's always special to find an old apple tree with apples still clinging to it's limbs. I have one such tree on my ground. It's an old multi-trunked "volunteer" apple tree sprouted from a seed from one of the old apples trees, now gone, that I remember from my childhood. She's a reliable producer and never shows any signs of disease or insect damage. Located just below the house in the horse pasture I call it the Sinkhole apple for it's proximity to an old sinkhole. It's a "tart" apple not for fresh eating although it maybe good for pies. I thought I'd share some pics of it with you.
A snowy day this past November.

And a pic from this New Years Day. You can tell just how far our old mare can reach by the absence of low hanging apples.

Here's what they look like in the late summer.

And this is what they look like now.

Taking a bite of one is like taking a drink of hard cider, and I suspect you could get "tipsy" if you ate enough. The old mare likes them and after I fed her this one she followed me around nudging me for some more.

I've grafted one scion of it to a wildcrab and one to an Antonovka rootstock both growing in the Back40. This spring I want to graft a couple more to some B118 rootstock to plant in the Back40 so that some day some hunter 20, 30 or more years from now can stumble upon one of these "gems" in the late season still holding it's fruit long after most apple trees are bare. I also am fortunate to have successfully grafted 2 pieces of scionwood from CrazyEd's "Airport apple" that's a late hanging tree on to some B118 rootstock.
Anyone else have a late hanging apple tree that they would like to share pics of?

 

[CrazyEd]

Looks like a real Gem Rick! I can't wait to start grafting again this season! I will ask my dad to swing by the Airport apple to see if it has any fruit this year and see if anything is still hanging. He always goes to that area to take photographs of the snowy owls that come down from the arctic. I have noticed some trees that seemed to hang on forever in our area did not hang as long this year.

My dad did pick one of those airport apples this summer, I don't recall when we tried it but at the time it was really tart. He may have picked it too soon, unfortunately i don't recall the circumstances.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Rick - Nice tree ! I have some pix of some tree near my camp in N.C. Pa. ( as well as some pix from my camp ) that I want to post here on the forum, but I'm having trouble posting them. I just finally caught up to my neighbor ( who does that kind of stuff at work ) and he agreed to help me get the pix up on here.

If I remember correctly, you had told me you were interested in some scion from those late hangers? I will be going up-state to try to get permission for scion soon. If I get the green light, I'll PM for shipping address, etc. Looks like you found a friend !! ( apple bribe )

 

[sandbur]

Late hanging crabs on seedlings that I started a few years back. They are about dolgo size and they are probably also on the Sandbox thread.




And another from the same seed collection.

 

[sandbur]

Rootstock crab that you have also seen before.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Bur - When you say rootstock crab - what rootstock are you talking about? How does someone lay hands on such rootstocks?

 

[Honker]

Here's one I found this fall, picture taken October 19th, 2014.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Wow !!! That tree is LOADED !!! Perfect size for deer to eat. Did you try a bite of one per chance? I'd love to have about 3 of those trees to plant on a side-hill. Nice find.

 

[sandbur]

Here's one I found this fall, picture taken October 19th, 2014.

That looks like a tree that I have that bears every other year. A small yellow apple like that. The deer used it last winter.

 

[sandbur]

Bur - When you say rootstock crab - what rootstock are you talking about? How does someone lay hands on such rootstocks?

Stu and I suspect it is columbia crab. It is hard to find, but I have 3 or 4 grafted that are 6 feet tall, if there were no mix ups by the custom grafter.

I will also be trying to graft a few this spring.

 

[leexrayshady]

Rootstock crab that you have also seen before.View attachment 3549

look at all those beutifull scions Bur :)

 

[Jordan Selsor]

I pray I get to see my Arkansas black apples in full stature 30 years from now!
Very cool thanks for posting

 

[sandbur]

look at all those beutifull scions Bur :)

Lee- did those scions from last year take?

This is the first year we had enough rain for me to get decent scion on it. I hope it will take easily to dolgo rootstock for a greenhorn like me.

 

[leexrayshady]

I cant recall Art, I didnt keep a good enough check on my grafts last year, but this spring I should be able to know

 

[Honker]

Here's another, this one's on my property. "Honker crab" picture taken 11/24/2013. Some of you may have seen these pictures before.

 

[Honker]

Wow !!! That tree is LOADED !!! Perfect size for deer to eat. Did you try a bite of one per chance? I'd love to have about 3 of those trees to plant on a side-hill. Nice find.

I did try it, kind of sour, but not horrible.

 

[Honker]

This one is a known variety of some sort. I found it in a parking lot growing as an ornamental, dolgo maybe? I don't think I've ever seen a dolgo in person so I can't compare. "Parking lot crab" picture taken 11/15/14. This one tasted a bit mealy but it had been frozen a few times.

I am willing to send scions of these if anyone wants them, I just won't be able to promise any besides the "parking lot crab" until I have them in hand. The other two are 3 hours away.