I’m going to plant apple trees

[Haus86]

http://eap.mcgill.ca/CPTFP_7.htm#Pruning

Have fun

[Haus86]

Link I posted is a good resource I thought

[Lockdown]

I’m hoping these apple trees provide food and some big ole scrapes that the big boys can’t help but check.

Funny you should mention a scrape under an apple tree. Took this pic earlier this fall.

That’s not a coincidence. Every PRODUCING apple tree I’ve ever found (only 3) always has scrapes under it. Often there are multiple.

[Lockdown]

Link I posted is a good resource I thought

Thanks for your input I will check it out!

[greenhorndave]

I’m hoping these apple trees provide food and some big ole scrapes that the big boys can’t help but check.

Funny you should mention a scrape under an apple tree. Took this pic earlier this fall.

That’s not a coincidence. Every PRODUCING apple tree I’ve ever found (only 3) always has scrapes under it. Often there are multiple.

Makes total sense. It’s a huge food draw for all deer so it’s kind of like they get the best ROI on a scrape located under an apple tree.

[mike_mc]

Anybody plant or look into chestnut trees? Looks like they drop mid September.

[UntouchableNess]

Anybody plant or look into chestnut trees? Looks like they drop mid September.

I've got 2 two year old chestnut trees in the nursery and added about 30 chestnuts to the nursery this fall in hopes they sprout next spring, along with one pound of chinkapin oak acorns. Ordered seed from White Water Native Seeds, a local farm.

[Lockdown]

Anybody plant or look into chestnut trees? Looks like they drop mid September.

I've got 2 two year old chestnut trees in the nursery and added about 30 chestnuts to the nursery this fall in hopes they sprout next spring, along with one pound of chinkapin oak acorns. Ordered seed from White Water Native Seeds, a local farm.

I have thought about planting chestnuts. Probably will at some point. I’m going to try and concentrate on one thing at a time for now

I remember reading about Dunstan chestnuts.

[Lockdown]

I’ve been reading and watching videos as I get time, and it’s surprising how complex it is.

For now I think I’m going to buy specific trees so I start with a good base and know exactly what they are and when they’re suppose to drop. However I’m getting mildly obsessed with the idea of starting my own rootstock and grafting my own trees. I get enjoyment out of doing things on my own from start to finish.

To give everyone an idea of how green I am, I had to look up the specific definitions of rootstock and scion. So you order a 5’ apple tree… is that deemed rootstock? I didn’t know. and I had no clue what scion was.

The main thing I need to research now is the best way for me to start my own rootstock. I read that the type of rootstock effects the size of your grafted tree. I do know two trees I’d like to graft from. My neighbors have an apple tree that is LOADED every year. Then I want to graft from the crabapple at the sugar patch as well.

I knew that when you grow an apple tree from seed you don’t get an exact match to the parent tree. But I’m curious if I can grow my rootstock from seed and graft on to it. The thing I like most is apple trees appear to grow quite vigorously.

I have a feeling this thread is going to last for years and years…

[Ryan549]

Growing rootstock from seed will give you a standard sized tree (25-35’) and standards typically take a few more years to bear fruit.
B118, M111 are your best bets for a 15-20’ tree . That is considered semi-dwarf. B118 is fantastic

Very well anchored, good disease resistance and I’ve had it bear fruit in it’s second leaf. That is very quick- typically 3-4 years

[oldrank]

Do it Lockdown. I have planted a few every year for 8 years. I really enjoy it and had basically the same plan u have. I have around 20 or so of various ages in. Some are producing good fruit already. I plan on buying more this spring. I have pears, cherry n peaches also.

[Lockdown]

Growing rootstock from seed will give you a standard sized tree (25-35’) and standards typically take a few more years to bear fruit.
B118, M111 are your best bets for a 15-20’ tree . That is considered semi-dwarf. B118 is fantastic

Very well anchored, good disease resistance and I’ve had it bear fruit in it’s second leaf. That is very quick- typically 3-4 years

What do you think of this rootstock variety? They are out of b118
https://www.cumminsnursery.com/buy-tree ... ck&id=3128

So when this rootstock claims it is high production and produces wide branches, does that stay true after grafting? It’s weird to me that the characteristics of the scion don’t take over. You’d think the roots feed it and that’s it. I can believe root characteristics stay the same. That only makes sense…

[Lockdown]

M-111 sounds awesome for my situation. Lists heavy wetter soils which is what I have. Sounds like a winner for sure but production stinks. Again, does that stay true after grafting?

https://www.cumminsnursery.com/buy-tree ... ck&id=3135

[Ryan549]

Growing rootstock from seed will give you a standard sized tree (25-35’) and standards typically take a few more years to bear fruit.
B118, M111 are your best bets for a 15-20’ tree . That is considered semi-dwarf. B118 is fantastic

Very well anchored, good disease resistance and I’ve had it bear fruit in it’s second leaf. That is very quick- typically 3-4 years

What do you think of this rootstock variety? They are out of b118
https://www.cumminsnursery.com/buy-tree ... ck&id=3128

So when this rootstock claims it is high production and produces wide branches, does that stay true after grafting? It’s weird to me that the characteristics of the scion don’t take over. You’d think the roots feed it and that’s it. I can believe root characteristics stay the same. That only makes sense…

G935 is an awesome rootstock- just not for deer. It will produce a small tree- branches will want to start about 18-24” off of the ground. It is great for a commercial orchard.

The rootstock is basically the brain- it controls everything. Even a slow to bear cultivar like a Honeycrisp can be pushed to fruit sooner on a more precocious rootstock. G935 is used exactly for that reason, but your deer would eat the entire tree. The rootstock controls everything that your tree will do. The only time the characteristics of the scion will take over is when you plant the tree with the graft union below the soil line- the scion will start to send out roots and take over. Always plant with graft union 3” above the soil.

The variety of the apple is less important than the rootstock. Deer will eat any apple, but you don’t want it on a tree that will only grow 10’ tall.

[Ryan549]

M-111 sounds awesome for my situation. Lists heavy wetter soils which is what I have. Sounds like a winner for sure but production stinks. Again, does that stay true after grafting?

https://www.cumminsnursery.com/buy-tree ... ck&id=3135

I have a bunch of M111- production doesn’t stink, it just isn’t as precocious as B118. Having a better matched rootstock for your soil conditions is key. The fruit will come- not 5 yrs later, maybe just a year later. But during that year, that tree is loving life because that rootstock wants to be in that type of soil- where as a B118 in the same spot might not fruit because it feels like it too wet.