Weeping form apple tree - I was ready to cut down, but......

[Native Hunter]

This tree has been planted about 5 years on MM111 and started flowering last year. First year it flowered the fireblight (FB) was what I would call really bad. I was ready to cut it off and top work it but decided to give it one more year.

This is a Brushy Mountain Limbertwig - a true weeping type apple. They make many long, slender limbs and the fruit usually forms out toward the end of the limb - so the limbs take on a weeping form from the weight. It seems almost impossible to train this tree in the manner that most of us do. It shoots out little slender limbs everywhere and kind of looks like a nightmare...LOL. I had a central leader going until FB ruined it, so I just gave up. Won't win any beauty contests.

This year the FB was pretty bad again, but it is literally loaded with apples despite that. I also see some scab and CAR, but I experiment with apples for wildlife trees that need no spraying. Now it looks like this tree could be a good possibility for a deer planting.

Just thought I would share my experience with it.

 

[chummer]

I have never seen a tree like that. Pretty cool

 

[Native Hunter]

I have never seen a tree like that. Pretty cool

Lots of limbertwig varieties are called weeping types, but some of them are much more so than others. Black Limbertwig doesn't look any different than most other apple trees to me. It was easy to train to a central leader, and never shows a hint of FB or much anything else for that matter. It is a fine apple and highly DR.

I can't call this Brushy Mountain DR, but if it produces apples to maturity and continues to do so, I would be happy to put it in a wildlife planting.

In looking for apple cultivars for wildlife I have gone with lots of the new PRI and others bred for DR, but I continue to be interested in lots of the old heritage apples - especially the ones propagated by mountain people back in the olden days. They wouldn't keep an apple going unless it did pretty well for them.

My thinking has also changed somewhat over the years. Beauty is nice to have, but deer could care less about beauty - they just want apples.

 

[Merle Hawggard]

None of my limbertwig trees are that old yet, but I hope they take that shape if no for other reason than to give me something else to look at. What is the drop time on that one?

 

[Native Hunter]

None of my limbertwig trees are that old yet, but I hope they take that shape if no for other reason than to give me something else to look at. What is the drop time on that one?

October in North Carolina. I'm not sure how much different it will be here. But looks like I will find out this year.

 

[greyphase]

Thanks for the pics NH. I have a number of 2 & 3 year old limbertwigs planted along with many other heirloom apples. In a few more years hopefully I'll be reporting on my successes and failures in my orchards.

 

[Native Hunter]

Thanks for the pics NH. I have a number of 2 & 3 year old limbertwigs planted along with many other heirloom apples. In a few more years hopefully I'll be reporting on my successes and failures in my orchards.

I'm looking forward to your experience, and hopefully we can compare notes.

 

[buckvelvet]

I cant wait till my bushy mtn limbertwig gets that big, i grafte it this year and antonovka in the field.


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[Native Hunter]

I cant wait till my bushy mtn limbertwig gets that big, i grafte it this year and antonovka in the field.


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buckvelvet, I think Antonovka might be the perfect rootstock for Brushy Mountain. I can already tell that Brushy isn't highly resistant to FB, so the bigger the tree the better. I don't think Brushy will ever be a showpiece, but it might just be one of those workhorses that gets the job done. Time will tell for both of us.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Looks like a good productive tree, Native. You're right - deer don't care what they look like, as long as they taste good !!

 

[buckvelvet]

buckvelvet, I think Antonovka might be the perfect rootstock for Brushy Mountain. I can already tell that Brushy isn't highly resistant to FB, so the bigger the tree the better. I don't think Brushy will ever be a showpiece, but it might just be one of those workhorses that gets the job done. Time will tell for both of us.

Yeah, I love all this stuff! I have a Meyers Royal Limbertwig on Sweet Crabapple rootstock, I didn't plan for those 2 to marry but I didn't know I had all these limbertwigs from Greyphase until I dug deeper in the bag. They are planted right next to eachother and are thriving. I left a space open for its brother Kentucky Limbertwig that is on Ranetka and is growing in my nursery real well. So I'll have 3 Limbertwigs when its all said'n'done.

 

[Native Hunter]

Yeah, I love all this stuff! I have a Meyers Royal Limbertwig on Sweet Crabapple rootstock, I didn't plan for those 2 to marry but I didn't know I had all these limbertwigs from Greyphase until I dug deeper in the bag. They are planted right next to eachother and are thriving. I left a space open for its brother Kentucky Limbertwig that is on Ranetka and is growing in my nursery real well. So I'll have 3 Limbertwigs when its all said'n'done.

I have a Myers as well. It has been slow coming to apple production but will have a few this year. Only negative I noticed is that it did have a few leaves to yellow and drop early this time, but that seems to be over with now, and the remaining leaves look good.

My best limbertwig (the black) was churning out the apples. Bit it was one that had to be moved with a backhoe. It that wasn't enough, it got girdled half way around by a vole or something this last winter after the move. Needless to say, it has had quite a setback. But still alive. I didn't know what to do about the girdling, so I piled dirt above the bad place in hopes it might take root above the girdle. Just a bummer to have this to happen to the best tree you have.

 

[buckvelvet]

That black limbertwig you should name 'the iron horse'.