Anyone growing the Apple Form Service Tree?

General Fruit Growing
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Anyone growing this one? “This unique variety was selected in Ukraine for its abundant crops of tasty, apple-shaped fruit.”

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Photo & info are one green world’s

"This unique variety was selected in Ukraine for its abundant crops of tasty, apple-shaped fruit.

Latin Name: Sorbus domestica
Site and Soil: Service Tree likes full to 1/2 day sun and well-drained soil.
Pollination Requirements: Service Tree is self-fertile
Hardiness:Service Tree is hardy to minus 30?F.
Bearing Age: 2-3 years after planting
Size at Maturity: 15-20 ft. in height
Bloom Time: April
Ripening Time: Mid to late September
Yield: 30-40 lbs.
Pests & Diseases: Service Tree is not bothered by pests or diseases.
USDA Zone: 3"

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That’s Sorbus, not Amelanchier.

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I’m thinking about buying that. Wanted one for a while now. Sevice Tree is what they are called, you named the scientific name. Both are correct.

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Good looking trees! Interesting history! They come in all sizes and colors.

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Check out these pear shape ones.

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I just planted a Sorbus Domestica a few weeks ago. Little guy was doing perfectly fine until three days ago I had a deer decide she wanted to sample it and defolated the entire tree. To make matters worse she also bit about half of the length of the tree off and spat it out. Ive never had to preotect any whips ive planted here to date until fall. Guess this year is the game changer for me. I hope my tree manages to pull through.

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Sorry to hear that. It can be disheartening. Sounds like you are taking it in stride.

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I’m very interested in tasting reports from any of these. I wonder how they would do grafted to aronia.

The orange ones in the still for one of the videos look like loquats :slight_smile:

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Interesting height differences there between the two forms linked above to OGW. I wish they were identifying cultivars for both, but I don’t imagine they are popular enough here to be doing more than seedlings.

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Yeah, the fact that they didn’t see fit to give them names may speak volumes to how actually exciting or useful the fruit are.

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The guy in the video describes the taste as pear like. I’ve always heard they were medlar like. I have the space and they fruit quick, so maybe worth a try.

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You know what else tastes pear like? Pears. Most of them are not worth growing if you have some good ones.

But maybe they taste great but have texture or keeping issues, or are just really small or something and that’s why they don’t catch on.

Disclosure: I haven’t watched the videos :slight_smile:

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It’s the bletting. If you notice none of the bletting fruit with the exception of pears are popular. I suspect it’s nothing special and comes down to a matter of just wanting it to have it.

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I should have paid better attention. I don’t have the patience or organization to blet fruit. Astringent persimmons and European pears are about all of the delayed gratification I’m willing to put up with.

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S domestica and S torminalis are also often found to be quality wood, which means that they are not kept so long for fruit when a quick profit can be had from the timber.
Sossenheimer reisen is the only named cultivar I’ve seen outside of the festival with pictures circulating. I think it’s a pyriform, but the pics are motly leaning toward round. If I remember correctly, it was the “best tasting out of [only] 750 individual trees available [in the region targeted.]”
I’m willing to let a small few become the overstory in the part of my land I’m reverting to a mixed fruit forest. I have assorted other sorbs in the area, so someone nabbing fruits in a few years might get lucky and find the next best hybrid fad. I don’t intend to be working htat hard once everything is producing, only enjoying most of my produce coming from my yard when I’m relying on only a non-profit social security check.

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Apple serviceberries…nothing better for snacking if you can be lucky rather than the birds getting them.

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yeah, they ARE really good but this thread is actually in reference to Sorbus domestica, also confusingly called Service (or Sarvis) tree. Ive never tried one, only some of Burbanks oddball Sorbus hybrids that taste like chocolate pudding, ish… Sorbus domestica is supposed to be somewhat more apple-like but astringent, yeah? The burbank ones were most reminiscent of medlars.

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