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Post by gsquared23 on Apr 12, 2022 19:35:45 GMT -6
Tried topworking for the first time today at my brother’s house. Used 4 varieties, his picks: zestar, cortland, virginia gold, and late strawberry.
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Post by benmnwi on Apr 13, 2022 11:57:44 GMT -6
I hope you have better luck topworking large branches than I do. I have pretty good luck topworking and grafting similar sized branches/rootstock and scion, but I've had very little luck on much larger branches.
You should have some good apple wood for smoking after cutting down those large branches.
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Post by honker on Apr 14, 2022 12:24:32 GMT -6
Still to early to graft so I did some more planting for my screen. I found a spot on state land with hundreds of spruce growing in the ditch. I transplanted 18 yesterday. I am going to do a truck load next weekend. Great find! Can’t beat free
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Post by Sandbur on Apr 19, 2022 13:25:26 GMT -6
I planted two potted crab apples I had wintered in the garden and also a Kinderkrisp seedling. I have 4 more red stemmed dolgos to move and I am done with the fruit trees for this spring,
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Post by smsmith on Apr 19, 2022 14:10:59 GMT -6
Planted an Ely pear and a Redstone Canyon Gold apple from SLN today. I'm unimpressed with the size, caliper, and root structure of their trees. The pear was maybe 30" tall counting the roots and 3/8" caliper. The apple was a bit better caliper and probably 36-38" tall counting the roots. Both the pear and apple had a number of roots that were circling and would have ultimately "strangled" the trees eventually. I removed them far enough back to eliminate the circling issues. I don't know what kind of medium SLN is using to grow out their stock, but I'd guess it's a bunch of gravel and rocks with a little bit of dirt mixed in. I don't know why else young trees would be developing circling roots.
I got 3 common pear rootstocks from SLN too. I put those in a pot and will likely graft them tomorrow if it's rainy. Those 3 had very nice roots. No circling. I'm guessing SLN is buying those in bulk from another grower.
I wish Connor and SLN well, but I won't be buying from them again anytime soon.
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Post by daydreamer on Apr 19, 2022 21:39:16 GMT -6
Planted an Ely pear and a Redstone Canyon Gold apple from SLN today. I'm unimpressed with the size, caliper, and root structure of their trees. The pear was maybe 30" tall counting the roots and 3/8" caliper. The apple was a bit better caliper and probably 36-38" tall counting the roots. Both the pear and apple had a number of roots that were circling and would have ultimately "strangled" the trees eventually. I removed them far enough back to eliminate the circling issues. I don't know what kind of medium SLN is using to grow out their stock, but I'd guess it's a bunch of gravel and rocks with a little bit of dirt mixed in. I don't know why else young trees would be developing circling roots. I got 3 common pear rootstocks from SLN too. I put those in a pot and will likely graft them tomorrow if it's rainy. Those 3 had very nice roots. No circling. I'm guessing SLN is buying those in bulk from another grower. I wish Connor and SLN well, but I won't be buying from them again anytime soon. Bummer on SLN and Connor. Was hoping it was a blip on the radar last year but doesn’t sound like it unfortunately.
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Post by smsmith on Apr 20, 2022 6:07:10 GMT -6
Planted an Ely pear and a Redstone Canyon Gold apple from SLN today. I'm unimpressed with the size, caliper, and root structure of their trees. The pear was maybe 30" tall counting the roots and 3/8" caliper. The apple was a bit better caliper and probably 36-38" tall counting the roots. Both the pear and apple had a number of roots that were circling and would have ultimately "strangled" the trees eventually. I removed them far enough back to eliminate the circling issues. I don't know what kind of medium SLN is using to grow out their stock, but I'd guess it's a bunch of gravel and rocks with a little bit of dirt mixed in. I don't know why else young trees would be developing circling roots. I got 3 common pear rootstocks from SLN too. I put those in a pot and will likely graft them tomorrow if it's rainy. Those 3 had very nice roots. No circling. I'm guessing SLN is buying those in bulk from another grower. I wish Connor and SLN well, but I won't be buying from them again anytime soon. Bummer on SLN and Connor. Was hoping it was a blip on the radar last year but doesn’t sound like it unfortunately. Ya, I've read the negative reviews about SLN since Connor took over. Since SLN is the only place in the U.S. that I'm aware of to get an Ely pear and a Redstone Canyon Gold apple I figured I'd give it a shot. He's had enough time to get things figured out and IMO he has not done so. I'll be a really old man by the time either of the trees produce any fruit. I did head back the apple and I kept the leader as scions. I'll topwork a wild crab or two with the scions. Maybe that way I'll be able to taste the variety while my taste buds still work.
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Post by Sandbur on Apr 20, 2022 6:19:49 GMT -6
Bummer on SLN and Connor. Was hoping it was a blip on the radar last year but doesn’t sound like it unfortunately. Ya, I've read the negative reviews about SLN since Connor took over. Since SLN is the only place in the U.S. that I'm aware of to get an Ely pear and a Redstone Canyon Gold apple I figured I'd give it a shot. He's had enough time to get things figured out and IMO he has not done so. I'll be a really old man by the time either of the trees produce any fruit. I did head back the apple and I kept the leader as scions. I'll topwork a wild crab or two with the scions. Maybe that way I'll be able to taste the variety while my taste buds still work. . I wonder if I will live long enough or own the property to taste the apples I am grafting and planting. I have pretty much stopped bench grafting and just doing top works. But I planted a whole bunch of seeds in the garden last fall.
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Post by badgerfowl on Apr 20, 2022 6:22:36 GMT -6
The thing with SLN is you’re knowingly buying antonovka rootstock. Whether the tree you get is 2’ or 4’, it’s going to be awhile for fruit on that rootstock. I planted 4 or 5 from them in 2016. I don’t recall them being anything special when delivered. They are decent sized trees now. All have produced fruit at least once. Planted from them in 2020 and 2022. 2022 trees were slightly better. In 6 years I won’t remember or care what they looked like when planted.
I order from them for their winter wildlife, all-winter hangover, etc crabs I can’t get anywhere else. I don’t do any grafting and don’t ever plan too.
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Post by smsmith on Apr 20, 2022 6:23:54 GMT -6
Ya, I've read the negative reviews about SLN since Connor took over. Since SLN is the only place in the U.S. that I'm aware of to get an Ely pear and a Redstone Canyon Gold apple I figured I'd give it a shot. He's had enough time to get things figured out and IMO he has not done so. I'll be a really old man by the time either of the trees produce any fruit. I did head back the apple and I kept the leader as scions. I'll topwork a wild crab or two with the scions. Maybe that way I'll be able to taste the variety while my taste buds still work. . I wonder if I will live long enough or own the property to taste the apples I am grafting and planting. I have pretty much stopped bench grafting and just doing top works. But I planted a whole bunch of seeds in the garden last fall. I wonder the same things. I had an idea to set up a stooling bed on a wild crab's suckers. That crab produces fruit slightly bigger than a golf ball and holds into November. I was going to stool a bunch of them and then transplant them all over the property. I may still do it, but the odds of seeing those trees become mature and bearing fruit aren't great I imagine.
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Post by smsmith on Apr 20, 2022 6:36:46 GMT -6
The thing with SLN is you’re knowingly buying antonovka rootstock. Whether the tree you get is 2’ or 4’, it’s going to be awhile for fruit on that rootstock. I planted 4 or 5 from them in 2016. I don’t recall them being anything special when delivered. They are decent sized trees now. All have produced fruit at least once. Planted from them in 2020 and 2022. 2022 trees were slightly better. In 6 years I won’t remember or care what they looked like when planted. I order from them for their winter wildlife, all-winter hangover, etc crabs I can’t get anywhere else. I don’t do any grafting and don’t ever plan too. True. However, I've received trees from other nurseries on Antonovka that had much nicer calipers and root systems without circling roots. One year I ordered some Ant. rootstocks from Burnt Ridge, those rootstocks had better caliper than the tree I received yesterday. In fact, the three common pear rootstocks I received from SLN yesterday have better calipers than the Ely pear. SLN does have some unique varieties. In the future, I'll find scions from someone else who has already ordered the variety and graft them myself (that's what I did with Taylor Apple Pear this year).
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Post by smsmith on Apr 20, 2022 11:49:40 GMT -6
Grafted one each to common pear rootstocks a bit ago: Waterville Larinskaya Taylor Apple Pear
I have some ussurian pear rootstocks in the ground from last year that had failed grafts or that I planted out directly. I don't know if any of those are big enough caliper to graft this spring or not. If they are, I've got left over scions from today.
Forgot to mention that I took the cuttings from the pear rootstocks and shoved them in the ground. I left a bud or two above ground and buried the rest. This was in some low, heavy ground so it'll be interesting to see if any survive. I did the same with some ussurian cuttings last year. Maybe someday I'll notice a pear growing where I "planted" the cuttings.
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Post by smsmith on Apr 22, 2022 10:24:29 GMT -6
Went out to dig up a wild crab/apple seedling that is growing on the edge of a marsh and in the way of a box blind. Trying pushing the shovel in and it was like concrete. Tried again, same result. Spring is a long ways off in the marsh.
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Post by Sandbur on Apr 23, 2022 4:21:43 GMT -6
Went out to dig up a wild crab/apple seedling that is growing on the edge of a marsh and in the way of a box blind. Trying pushing the shovel in and it was like concrete. Tried again, same result. Spring is a long ways off in the marsh. That ground stays frozen under reed canary for a long time.
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Post by smsmith on Apr 23, 2022 7:19:00 GMT -6
Went out to dig up a wild crab/apple seedling that is growing on the edge of a marsh and in the way of a box blind. Trying pushing the shovel in and it was like concrete. Tried again, same result. Spring is a long ways off in the marsh. That ground stays frozen under reed canary for a long time. Yep. This tree is in sedge, but the RCG is not far away. I'm guessing out in the middle of the RCG swamp it'll be Memorial Day before you can get a shovel in the ground.
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