Tomorrow my rootstock delivery arrives from Cummins and I make a trip to one of my local orchards to talk apples and cut scions. If things go well, I should come home with a hair over two dozen varieties. (though not all for me)
I’m hoping for a good year, and more fruit than I can shake a stick at in 3.
Sorry for the lack of content, but I’m just excited to start moving earlier this year.
Have fun. Sounds like a great day ahead. Bill
What do you mean “lack of content”? That post was overflowing with enthusiasm.
Have a great day!
Thanks! So many great contributors here that I would like my own posts to be something more in depth than me jumping up and down, but it’s tonight its Christmas eve and I’m a 5 year old!
I’ve gone almost all-in on G.41 rootstocks. (20 of them) I also snagged (2) G.11 to keep in my own yard in town.
Here are the scions I hope to be purchasing tomorrow:
Golden Delicious
Golden Russet
Gravenstein
Honey Crisp
Jonagold
Keepsake
King David*
Macoun
New Yorker
Red Delicious
Smokehouse
Spartan
Spitzenburg
Early Wisconsin Red
Paula Red
Pink Pearl
St. Edmund’s Pippin
Wealthy
William’s Pride
Wolf River
Ashmead’s Kernel
Ben Davis
Hubardtson Nonsuch
Mutsu
Red Fuji
Rome Beauty
Roxbury Russet
Winter Banana
About half of that is going to a co-worker of mine, and the rest will be new trees and a little bit of top work on and old standard I’ve been playing with over the years.
*They have told me this one is unlikely as they only have one tree and it’s not in a good way at this time.
Yes, tomorrow is holiday special. 
Keep that enthusiasm going throughout your fruit growing journey, and keep sharing it. It’s contagious. Keep us updated on your grafting successes.
So.
Many.
Scions.
Rootstocks arrived as well. It was a great day in the orchard and the sun. My host was very gracious and I look forward to visiting him throughout the year to see how their place operates.
Those look so long! It looks like you have enough there to be able to spend days grafting to your heart’s content.
When I contacted him, he said he could offer 12" scions and I was Very excited about that. Some of these are in excess of two feet and I’ll have PLENTY left over for top work. He really was incredibly gracious, and I hope to be able to pay that forward in a couple years.
Yes! And when you do, remember how you are feeling now about getting these. You’ll be passing that same joy around, and able to enjoy the feeling of reliving a bit of it yourself. 
I get to enjoy a happiness every time I can send someone something I know they’ve been looking for. I hope you can find the same enjoyment.
The scion wood they sold you looks very good. I have 5 of the varieties on your list. Double your plans for Honeycrisp…it’s easily the best on your list. Your right in the zone for it too. I’m anxious to hear how it does on G41.
We enjoy Honeycrisp, but it’s not nearly our favorite. The others aren’t necessarily massive commercial successes anymore, but we love having varieties and complexities.
I only have so much space to graft to and he had a bit over 200 varieties to choose from so I mostly went with things I’ve tasted or he spoke highly of. The original orchard was planted in the 50’s and I believe he said was one of the test plots for a bunch of Cornell varieties. Many remain un-named, just with numbers.
For instance, the New Yorker (Which they call Early New Yorker) is a 4" apple that is ready late July/Early August. It’s not a long keeper (only a few weeks actually) and it’s a more tart apple, which I like. I’m mostly interested in an apple that gets to 4" by July though. I know Wolf River is a big apple too, but I’m not overly fond of it outside of baking. Others are picked for longer keeping or family favorites.
I agree that honeycrisp is no big deal. It’s in the better half, but not the top. It is sweet and crisp, but low on actual flavor. But to many people 2 out 3 is enough. You have several varieties there that are on my list if I can ever get moved to the country.
