Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

nafex - Re: [NAFEX] Northern Spy Strategy

nafex@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: John Henderson <jhenderson@ithaca.edu>
  • To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Northern Spy Strategy
  • Date: Fri, 6 Nov 2009 12:12:58 -0500

Thanks for the advice and encouragement. I think I will give covering over the bud union a try.

Although we have a few dozen fruit trees, we have but one Northern Spy, on B9, planted in 2004. The choice of rootstock was made in part for earlier fruiting, but also because of what was available. Although last year we got two apples from that tree, this was the first real year for any production, and it made me desirous of a larger yield. Since we have trees of many degrees of vigorous and dwarfing rootstock, uneven rows are not a concern of mine. Almost all of our other apple trees are on semi-dwarfing rootstock, plus several standards from St. Lawrence and Fedco.

I've only taste-tested NovaSpy once, so there could have been lots of contributing factors, but I was disappointed with its quality and supposed semblance to Northern Spy.

It was as I was preparing the trees for winter that I thought of covering over the bud union. Our location can get very windy, so the less dependent on staking trees the better. Summer pruning is something I have experience with; grafting is not. What I wasn't sure about was whether the N. Spy rooting would completely dominate, or if the combination of standard and dwarfing roots would simulate semi- dwarfing rootstock.

John Henderson
Sage Hen Farm




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page