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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] Liberty apple and cedar apple rust?

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  • From: "Mark or Helen Angermayer" <hangermayer@isp.com>
  • To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Liberty apple and cedar apple rust?
  • Date: Thu, 13 Jul 2006 19:21:13 -0500


John Smith Wrote:

> "I got some Liberty scionwood from The Christian
> Homesteading Movement Richard Fahey last winter and
> grafted several trees. Cedar apple rust has been one
> of my biggest disease problems because I don't spray
> much and so I had high hopes for resistant trees. The
> problem is, the liberty grafts developed cedar apple
> rust, though not as much as my susceptible trees.
> This could be because my susceptible varieties leafed
> out earlier than the new grafts and by the time my
> grafts were growing well, they may have escaped much
> of the rust this year. I had also grafted some other
> trees that should be resistant including Williams
> Pride, Arkansas Black etc and they developed no rust
> at all, leafing out at the same time as the Liberty.
> My question is, have others seen cedar apple rust on
> Liberty? Do you think I might have been sent another
> variety by mistake?"


Hi John,

I received a Liberty this spring from VanWell nursery (A great nursery by
the way. The trees were very good and the prices were unbeatable, $13.95
per tree incl. shipping! I have another order from them for next
spring-same price.) I did not notice any CAR on the tree. I also grafted
two other Libertys from that tree and haven't noticed any rust on them
either. I know rust is a problem here too, because my neighbor has a big
ole cedar (Juniper) tree not more than 80 feet from my apple trees. This
same neighbor put in a couple crabapples last year and they have the
characteristic yellow spots pretty bad. I have another neighbor who also
has the yellow spots on some of his apple trees. My guess is you got the
wrong variety or the fungus has changed enough to get around the defenses of
your Liberty (A hort. professor from MU told me this can happen), but my
vote is the former. Interestingly, I also received scionwood from Richard
Fahey. A Nova Easygro. The graft is doing well and there is no evidence of
CAR. I'm thinking of ordering a roxbury russet scion next year.

If you want some scionwood from my Liberty, I may be able to get you some.
I pruned all the branches off the tree, save one, because I am trying to get
the tree to put all the energy in the leader, but you're welcome to that one
side branch if it survives the winter. Obviously I can't guarantee it's
true to type, but I think VanWell is a reputable nursery and that probably
counts for something.

God bless,
Mark Angermayer
Zone 5 Kansas





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