Opinions, experience with Granny Smith?

[Apple Junkie]

I am already planning for next year’s deer orchard additions. I am considering the addition of a Granny Smith to the mix. It seems they tend to bare early, have decent crops every other year, and ripen in late October, early November (upstate NY). I don’t know how long they hang on the tree into the winter, but on paper, they look good for my purposes. I’m leaning toward adding one or two - any thoughts or experience with this variety?

 

[chickenlittle]

Have you looked at Enterprise, Goldrush and Sundance? These are late apples have better resistance to scab, fireblight, and powdery mildew than Granny Smith. I would add those first if you don't already have them.

 

[Apple Junkie]

Thanks for the heads-up chickenlittle. Enterprise and Goldrush are on my wish list too, and I've added Sundance on your recommendation. I happen to see Cummins had some grade #1 Granny Smith trees on MM.106 rootstock so my trigger finer started to twitch! I will hold off and see if they add any Enterprise, Goldrush, or Sundance on a standard or semi-standard rootstock.

 

[Spur]

Thanks for the heads-up chickenlittle. Enterprise and Goldrush are on my wish list too, and I've added Sundance on your recommendation. I happen to see Cummins had some grade #1 Granny Smith trees on MM.106 rootstock so my trigger finer started to twitch! I will hold off and see if they add any Enterprise, Goldrush, or Sundance on a standard or semi-standard rootstock.

I can teach you to graft and you can make your own, and it costs very little to do so. I'm sure we can get most varieties you want from those on this site or locally.

 

[Charman03]

Spur please teach me too :)

 

[chickenlittle]

If you want to graft, youtube is your friend. Spend a couple hours watching grafting videos and you'll be be confident enough to try it on your own. Then watch them again before you start grafting.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=apple+grafting

 

[Spur]

Spur please teach me too :)

I'd love to but harrisburgh is 3.5 hours away from me. Now is the time to learn bud grafting.

 

[Apple Junkie]

Thanks spur, chicken.... I tried my hand at grafting for the first time this spring will only moderate success. 6 out of 9 are still showing signs of life, with 3 of the 6 doing fairly well. None take off like the bare root trees I get from Cummins. Grafting is rewarding and I'll keep at it, but I get a little impatient waiting for the grafts to take. Maybe as I get better, my grafted trees will do better too.

 

[NY_Terrence]

I am in Upstate NY as well. I have approx 30 varieties planted, but agree that Enterprise, Goldrush and Sundance are solid. My trees are young, but all three have produced nice apples. I had Enterprise still hanging at end of gun season.

 

[chickenlittle]

Apple Junkie, That is the argument for buying grafted trees. Grafting your own can be cheap, easy, and fun but it is not fast. I got started by splitting a 50 tree order from Cummins with a friend. It costs more but you have nice trees at least a year earlier than if you graft. Depending on your grafting success, maybe 2 or 3 years sooner.

Even though I have grafted a couple hundred trees, I bought a couple grafted trees last spring. I could not get scionwood to graft those and I wanted to get those varieties in the ground while I could.

 

[Neahawg]

A Friend of mines grandmother has a granny Smith tree he claims is several decades old. If you believe him it bears regularly and for them has had little disease trouble here in North East Arkansas.

I personally have no experience with it as I've never planted though I do have Enterprise, freedom, pricilla, Williams pride, liberty, goldrush, and Sundance coming on.

 

[aerospacefarmer]

I am already planning for next year’s deer orchard additions. I am considering the addition of a Granny Smith to the mix. It seems they tend to bare early, have decent crops every other year, and ripen in late October, early November (upstate NY). I don’t know how long they hang on the tree into the winter, but on paper, they look good for my purposes. I’m leaning toward adding one or two - any thoughts or experience with this variety?

Awesome tree for me in PA. It has given me a crop every year since it started producing. Never had any disease issues with them and they do hang late but tend to drop when ripe and they are great eating apple if you like a tangy apple and many swear by them for apple pie. I would definitely add them. Here is a pic of one of mine as of last week

 

[H20fwler]

I have two in but they are more for the family than wildlife....they are less DR than other varieties and might need sprayed, I planted them because we like to eat them.

 

[Apple Junkie]

Thanks for your thoughts guys, that's what I was looking for. I think 'ol granny smith may have to move to the back of the bus, but it's a big bus, so I am not throwing her from it quite yet.

 

[Jhoss]

I have a tree with exactly 9 hanging now. It's its first year fruiting. My girls love GS to I had to plant one. Good strong grower, I did train a bunch of branches out near horizontal. We will see how it goes here in SE Mich as far as growing season..and ripening. Seems everything is 2 weeks early this year and I hope that doesnt mean a freeze coming too early.