Apple varieties that are slow to bear fruit

General Fruit Growing
21

I agree with Keepsake being slow. I’ve got one on b118 that I grafted in 2012 and planted out in 2013. It has bloomed once and produced maybe 5 or 6 apples. I think that was in 2017. It bums me out because those apples were really tasty.

Since Keepsake has Northern Spy as one parent, I suppose it makes sense that it’s slow to bear.

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22

What root stock do you have Honey Crisp on?

23

Honey Crisp is on G.11/M.111 interstem rootstock. We only have two other varieties on that interstem. Macoun and Esopus first fruited after three years.

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Spigold blossoms within three years. On G11, and I followed Alan’s advice to grow limbs close to horizontal or below.

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25

I hope to live long enough to taste the gravenstein I planted. I really do.

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Gravenstein blossoms on a tree that took ten years to first produce apples. It is now 16 years old. It is on M7. It turned out to be a Red Gravenstein, so I acquired another Gravenstein. I thought it would be on B9, but it is on M111. It also turned out to be another Red Gravenstein. It surprised me in yet another way: it produced fruit in its third year.

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27

@resonanteye
I grafted Gravenstein twice. Once on a William’s Pride. The second was on a Fuji. Both time it flowered the year after grafting. To get it to set fruit is another story since it is a triploid.

I removed WP tree so the Gravenstein went with it. The one on Fuji is blooming right now.

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28

I have Akane and Hudson Golden Gem… on M7… year 4 now… not a single blossom yet. I summer pruned them last year… hoping to generate some fruit spurs… but nope… nothing this year.

Gold Rush on M7 right next to them started fruiting in year 2.

My trees that seem most determined to fruit… and early at it… are Novamac and Gold Rush.

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29

@Lodidian

I have gravenstein on antonovka and red gravenstein on b118. Both have been productive from early on. Maybe the more standard type rootstock helps those varieties with that?

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30

Sierra beauty on M111. Though mine doesn’t seem to be making spurs, and that might be why. I did try the notching trick this year.

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31

Which Winesap do you sell at your nursery? (we got some scionwood from you a couple years ago, and it’s been just about the slowest growing tree we have–on B118 and G890).

32

It would be Virginia Winesap unless labeled as Stayman. Winesap is moderate vigor, but not low vigor and it’s usually quick to bear.

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33

Seems like Pixie crunch and Crimson crisp take forever to grow at my place, compared to Liberty, William’s pride, Pristine and Goldrush, that grew quite fast. William’s pride did take a bit longer to bear fruit.

34

It’s no doubt our poor management that’s making it so slow…too much grass and weeds growing around the trees and not enough mulch.

35

My Sierra Beauty on M111 bore fruit it’s third year in ground in California. It is not very vigorous and has very upright growth.

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36

I wonder if there are specific combos of scion and rootstock that trigger earlier fruiting. I have a kidds on m7 that produced prolific flowers this year.

37

I have Northern Spy on antonovka and got apples before year 10, now year 13 and first full set of bloom

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38

Enjoy for 100 years … all the best to longevity.

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39

Good to know. Is it spur or tip bearing?

40

My Westfield Seek no Further grows beautifully but has yet to produce a single blossom. It’s on whatever Stark Bros. use for “semi-dwarf” rootstock, planted in 2017. It will have a very nice framework to support future fruit loads I suppose.

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