North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Ed & Pat Fackler <rocmdw@aye.net>]

Naomi Ann Counides wrote:

> I am not sure that  alkaline soil is the whole answer.  I have alkaline 
> soil and
> water. My Cox is a real pest.  Wants to split, drop, everything.  Maybe we 
> are too
> hot, 100+ in the summer? Irrigation no rain.

     My response--------

     Naomi, you've made an excellent observation.  Also, you should know that 
even in
alkaline soils, calicum can, and is likely to be deficient.  While ca. is 
noted for
influencing ph, like most everything other nutrient, it too is influenced by 
existing
ph.

     You may want to try pellitized ca. which is a very efficient form of ca. 
carbonate
(burn-lime, I believe).  It may sprinkled around the dripline of existing 
trees at 1/8"
lb per tree year of age (rough or est. rate).

     Also, as you've mentioned above and Derry alluded to it, Cox is very 
subject to
extreme heat, as are many of its sibs (Karminjn, Fiesta, Kidd's Orange, 
etc.).  The only
Cox sibs that I'm aware of which do well in warmer districts are (by order of
preference), Suncrisp, Rubinette, Laxton's Fortune, Freyberg and of course, 
Gala.

     Lastly, Derry made a very accurate observation re: influence of 
rootstock on ca.
uptake.

     Hope this helps.

Ed, So. Indiana, Heaven

>  Zone 6 Idaho
> Naomi
>
> dwalsh/wchase wrote:
>
> > Richard,
> >
> > Cox's Orange does not grow well here. Our soils are too acid ... Cox's 
> > really is a
> > limey tree.
> >
> > I dump dolomite lime on my CO 2 x year and get quite a good crop.
> >
> > Oh, yes, they are very vulnerable to that killer of young apple trees, 
> > anthracnose
> > canker.  Mine have survived because they are sheltered for most of the 
> > year.
> >
> > I've had better success with a CO cross named Fiesta, BUT Fiesta needs 
> > heavy
> > thinning and drops early.  Fiesta's flavour is very Cox-like and it looks 
> > better
> > and stores better... well into March.
> >
> > Derry
> >
> > Derry Walsh & Bill Chase  email:wchase@interchange.ubc.ca
> > Aldergrove,  B. C.,  Canada
> > phone/fax (604) 856-9316
> > ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
> > Home web page  http://www.interchange.ubc.ca/wchase/HTML
> > ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
> >
> > : Derry,
> > : Can you grow them there, or do you have to "import' them?  Had my first
> > : cropping of them here (Maine) this year, and they were superb!
> > : Richard
> >
>


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