How tall do your B118 and G890 get when they are fully grown out?
I’ll have to let you know in some number of years when they stop!
My 890s are vigorous growers in first few years, def establishing faster than MM111. They should also be more precocious, but I got zero fruit last year after terrible spring weather.
2 Likes
We got the same horrible spring weather here. I am trying to keep my fruit trees on the smaller size. I have mostly M111 in my orchard. I need a few more trees ( not really) so I am looking for a smaller rootstock to use that does not need staking. I read a lot about the different rootstocks but want someone that actually is using that rootstock to give me feedback. The catalogs are always telling you the upsides but usually never the downsides.
Mike, I have quite a few B118 and G890 now.
The jury is out…but you can ask in a year or two how they’re doing.
I can say this, I’ll have a few second-year apples on B118 with a bloom bud or two this year I think…and I don’t know that I have any G890 that will. It’s taking the third year for any blooms on G30 or G202…and evidently on G890.
B9 and G41 seem able to more consistently bloom that second and third season.
M111…forget anything the first 3 years. And it might take 6 in some instances.
How large will B118 get…for now I have to assume the books are reasonably correct that it equals M111 or a little bigger. And B-118 definitely sets fruit spurs sooner than M111.
(The idea of putting vigorous scions on G890 and less vigorous ones on B118 and planting them in the same row makes good sense.) (And M7 and M106 are in the same league as G890).
3 Likes
Great information. Thank you so very much!!
Looks like some rootstocks I need to take a look at. My 202’s are not very good. Only one of my 202’s is worth keeping.
1 Like
I have a couple of my red fleshed apples grafted to G202, and I’m happy enough with their growth rate. But, I think I had more ‘fails’ with grafts on 202 than most others. I don’t mean half failed or anything…just a few %.
I suspect the G202 works fine with the supported tall spindle planting methods and a less vigorous variety grafted to it. Remains to be seen if it will make a nice free standing tree somewhat smaller than M7.
1 Like
The key for you in raising red-fleshed apples will be to find those that can manage low chill hours. I cannot advise you on that score except to say some apples are quite hardy and also low chill. A very white fleshed apple I am growing - Maiden Blush - is of that type; zone 3 & low chill.
My guess is Etter apples will all be low chill. My experience is limited to Winekist, Redfield & just got Otterson started last year, growing in zone 6. I can attest to their hardiness (which kept 'em in fine fettle when we had 16°F On October 26) but don’t know if they are also low chill.
2 Likes
I have some etter apples and Red Love apples. I don’t think chill hours will be too limiting as we get 800-1000 a year. Certainly does stop me from growing some, but still a wide range will grow. I would love to get my hands on a scion of Black Strawberry from SkillCult when he makes them available.
2 Likes
His sale is on now, beginning March first. I already ordered Mere Pippin (not a red flesh).
1 Like
I placed my order day 1, but he isn’t offering that particular variety for sale. He mentioned doing an auction or something for some of his newer varieties, so that could have been a patreon only thing.
1 Like
This Skillcult video discusses his red flesh seedling hybrids and compares the tastes and quality of each. I happened on it by chance.
4 Likes
If self-supporting is a must-have, G890 is a great stock. It’s supposed to be less vigorous than MM111, but none of mine are old enough to independently verify. The best thing you can do to control vigor is allow early fruiting. G.210 is smaller and I know some people grow them without support, although I give mine a stake. G.16 is quite small (should hardly need a step stool) and also supposed to be able to self-support, but again I stake mine anyhow.
2 Likes
I have at least a couple B118 that are 2 years old and will have a flower or two this spring…which I plan to allow to fruit. (Probably hand pollinate, even.) So B118 seems as precocious as G890 …is so far for me anyhow. Be interesting to find out if apples on a whip will stunt the B118 into being a smaller tree.
1 Like
This is essentially what I’ve done, along with limiting summer water and fertilizer. It seems to be working pretty well with most of my MM111 trees, though I have a few triploids that require additional summer pruning to keep their size under control.
2 Likes
So far I have Pink Pearl, Baya Marisa, Era and Calipso.
Only Calypso gave first fruit last year from a 3 y.o. graft.
This spring I’ll graft Baya Franconia Apple ‘Baya® Franconia’
and Lucy Rose.
Next year hoping to get grafts of Kissable KISSABEL®
5 Likes
Your Calypso is pretty…you like the taste?
Kissabel is a trademark name just like Redlove is a trademark.
So, unless you call Calypso “Redlove”
you probably don’t want to be calling the red one belonging to I FOR RED “Kissabel”.
Both these programs are of interest for they are bringing red fleshed apples to where millions of people will see them in supermarkets. Whether the apples themselves are up to the advertising is another story.
I feel like I’ll get to try “Odysso” which is a Redlove…finally after having bought it from 3 different vendors in the past six years and no fruits yet. Ones on M111 died. Scionwood I grafted has not yet bloomed. And trees bought as two year feathered the fruits were stolen by birds or squirrels at cherry size first crop, and all blooms froze out in 2020. My estimation is probably Odysso is the one for commercialization, but I’ve been wrong before. We’ll see…someday there will be red fleshed apples not just in European and Japanese markets, but in USA too.
4 Likes
Regarding Odysso is a really good apple! Crunchy, sweet with just a bit of acid and good size! It’s my best red flesh apple untill now… 
6 Likes
Based on my research, Luis, I expect it to be the best. But I’ve yet to get a taste.
It is the only one of the Redloves I’ve opted to try as a parent in intentional crossings
in my experiments. I forget what was crossed to obtain it in Switzerland…probably Fuji or Gala as one parent.
2 Likes
Yes it’s really good! The just down point is this is not very red flesh. Baya marisa is more red flesh.
The only thing i found regarding redlove crossings is:
“To produce the Redlove varieties, Mr Kobelt cross-pollinated Royal Gala, Braeburn and others with a red-fleshed type having poor taste.”
1 Like
Yes, it is pretty cool, nothing like any other apples. Unfortunately I haven’t tried any other red flesh apple for comparison.
I am considering to add Odysso to my collection in the near future.
1 Like