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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] PRI apples

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  • From: "Kieran &/or Donna" <holycow@frontiernet.net>
  • To: "Anton Callaway" <marillen@earthlink.net>, "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] PRI apples
  • Date: Sat, 30 Oct 2010 07:55:28 -0500

Anton, Thank you for this wonderful list! My comments follow each variety. Donna

Liberty, usu. a favorite apple, but mealy this year. no CAR.
Very good, I liked the Liberty apples a friend gave me, so that implies I'll like what you like.

Goldrush, excellent this year in flavor and texture, even just off the tree. In years past, it took some time to mellow in the fridge before it was very good. Nice sweet/tart balance. susc. to CAR.
This one sounds really good, from what everyone has said starting I think years ago with Ed Fackler. I suppose that it might could stand the CAR at our place better than other trees because at least it won't be suffering with scab. Also, I can spray sulfur and copper, those don't bother me, it's just the petrochemicals that make me sick. I could put it on a tree further away from the big cedars. Oh, no, there may be no such place.

PRI44, hasn't fruited yet, but appears to be immune to CAR
Guess I'll have to look it up.

Redfree, good flavor, my favorite early summer apple, resistant to CAR
I hoped from the catalog descriptions that I would like this one, so your recommendation gives me further hope. Guess it takes a lot of thinning.

Enterprise, usu. good flavor, tough skin, can't remember about CAR
This one should be CAR res, Lucky sent me a scion but no take. I guess from what ya'll have been saying that tough skin will help prevent bug attack. I was concerned it might be a bit bland, but if you like it I'll try it. Even in our own record breaking heat this year I suppose you and your Enterprise tree would have found it blessedly cooler here in Tenn Z6 than your Z8.

Wms. Pride, inedible, can't remember about CAR
That's it for WP. Those who like it may have different tastes from me. You let us know if you change your mind in the next couple of crops. (You can be practicing your topgrafting skills in the meanwhile.) I really do think the apples were correctly identified at the farmers mkt because the college age kids selling them were right there with Burnt Ridge's trees for sale and owner present. I don't think he's going to let them sell the wrong fruit as advertising for his trees. I don't have a good take anyway, and what I've been wanting to do is graft a sucker and gradually chop back the Chestnut crab that's on the main trunk. The trunk is barely 2" diameter, so I think the transition will work fine, esp if the new scion is healthier. I have yet to figure out if the fruit scabbing and cracking is from scab or if CC is just really susceptible to boron deficiency. The bark on the branches looks as wrinkled and tired as an elephant's skin. Not lesions into the bark, just wrinkling, and no it doesn't have a borer. The only apple doing as badly is a Horse apple on a clonal rootstock which has looked pretty much the same since it was planted 13-14 years ago. The Horse apple graft onto Micromalus has grown as well as the others and even set 2 fruit this year, though they vanished early and I never got a taste. I met someone with a big tree of Horse apple 25 years ago and the kids and I loved them - another symptom of my fondness for tart apples. After all, I'll have plenty of pears that will be merely sweet.

Sir Prize, good quality, can't remember about CAR
Haven't really looked into this one.

Jonafree, good flavor, susc. to CAR
PRI41, has't fruited yet, susc. to CAR
Pixie Crunch, not as disease resistant as the others, but excellent quality, very crisp like Honeycrisp, susc. to CAR
I'm gonna run out of trees to graft. I'd rather try Goldrush for my one CAR susc tree.





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