North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["del stubbs" <pinewoodel@hotmail.com>]

        Bernie, your timing is impeccable...i just today re-located that 
priceless 
and extensive article you wrote in nafex fall of '94..."Increasing apple 
cultivar hardiness to minus 40F"      when i can figure how to copy from our 
new scanner onto this site i would like to copy paragraphs and go over your 
current thoughts.....but a few
?'s for now ..you mentioned a new rootstock Bud 490 needed trial research , 
have you any opinions today on it?     and on it's ability to root dormant 
scions?              your comments then regarding baccata and renetka 
parallel your comments today, what im eager to learn about is the idea of 
topworking cultivars. in the article it sounds as though you grafted a 
rescue, dolgo etc.
onto siberian crab and then topwork the dolgo.  but it sounded like with 
renetka it was both the frame tree and the rootstock.  how has this 
topworking worked out since then?   was it the winter of 97/98 when the 
botttom fell out?  we had minus 55-60 here, finished off most of the few 
orchards around,  how did yours fare ?         i don"t understand the 
principle of using a frame tree different from the rootstock.    im 
wondering if there is an advantage for me to add a frame of dolgo (at ground 
level ?) onto my malus prunifolia(plum leaf crab) and then top work my 40 
cultivars on to that?    eager to learn.
   twas a balmy minus 27F (-31C) this morn and our resident great grey owl 
was 100 feet out our window hunting our prolific voles from the 4' high tree 
stakes.   bless his beautiful big-eyed soul
                        thanks in advance,minnesota del, 2b
>From: Bernie Nikolai <Nikolai@v-wave.com>
>Reply-To: nafex@egroups.com
>To: nafex@egroups.com
>Subject: [nafex] Apple Rootstocks for Extreme Cold
>Date: Sat, 9 Dec 2000 20:37:42 -0700 (MST)
>
>Nafex member Clair Lammers in Fairbanks, Alaska has an apple orchard of
>several hundred apple trees (and some pear, plum, apricot).  He has
>experimented with many apple rootstocks, and his real world experiences in 
>a
>test winter back a couple of years ago is of significant value to
>orchardists in zones 3 and colder.  He experienced a week or more of -40F
>and a bit colder, but with only an inch of snow to no snow, depending on
>where the wind piled it in his orchard.
>
>All his "hardy" rootstock, ie 100% of the trees on Antonovka died.
>About 99% of the trees on Siberian crab survived, and about 95% plus of his
>trees on Ranetka (apparently Dolgo crab x Siberian Crab) also survived.
>
>Ranetka seems to make a tree grow faster in cold climates.  From my testing
>a two year old tree on Ranetka is as large as a 3 year old tree on Siberian
>Crab.  Ranetka seems also to be compatible with more varieties than 
>Siberian
>Crab. Lawyer Nurseries in Montana is the only source of this rootstock I've
>come across.
>
>While I'm testing many rootstocks, presently we only have about one inch of
>snow on the ground, and the temperature this morning was -24C.  I'm glad 
>the
>majority of my rootstocks are Ranetka and Siberian in my orchard, as it
>eliminates a lot of worry.  I have good confidence in these two rootstocks
>down to -40C and zero snowcover.
>
>Bernie Nikolai
>Edmonton, Alberta zone 3/2
>

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