Maybe Bud 9. It’s on the tag if I dig it out of the grass.
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I read somewhere on the forum a while back that there are 2 kinds of Bud 9. I, unfortunately, got the “undesirable” one, meaning the one with a trunk that does not grow straight up. I have 4 apples on B9, all have rather crooked trunks.
My Gold Rush is on M 7. It has been biennial as it requires aggressive thinning of fruitlets. I often too busy to achieve that.
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I’m fairly new to Bud 9 trees. I have three and one is having issues.
I believe the problem tree is simply not compatible with the rootstock. It’s a Swiss Limbertwig. It’s very vigorous like an Aunt Rachel or Mutsu.
Bent lower section
Nasty knot growing at graft union
It’s larger in diameter 3’ above the graft union than at the graft union.
Perhaps the tree is too vigorous. IDK.
I think chefs do explore other apple varieties. Some tradition recipes require certain ingredients to make the " authentic". That’s what they learn in culinary college/school. They don’t get a passing grade in their classes by going rogue with different ingredients. Some of the clientele and especially the food critics look for traditional foods to review UNLESS it s their own take on a dish. All chefs want a signature dish or something they put their own twist to it. It’s okay to do but sometimes sticking with the tried and true is better.
I do not mind colder later on in the year but if we are getting 23 degree nights and snow I would think that would mess up the ripening of the Goldrush apple. Does Franklin County MA get below freezing temps , like the 23 degree nights we will have, this early in November? Just curious.
Does your M7 lean? All my M7’s lean when they get about 5- 7 years old. Frustration to try to keep them more upright, even with wooden props to prop the trunk upright. Great height and fruit production out of each one, just that leaning is horrible to look at.
In MA you get your first frost in September. Franklin county has their cider days October 31st to November 2nd. I visited this event a few years back and bought Goldrush apples and pressed unfermented cider (they fill your 5 gal jug up for a very reasonable price). Both were very good.
Most orchards around here are shut down by the middle to end of October at the latest. The applefests we have are closer to the end of September.
So maybe the weather stays a better there a little longer than here.
A few apple orchards may still be open but what they sell is more in the line of honey and if they have any cider left they have coolers for that. No more apples to sell there.
Yup. I wish I had known about M7 leaning tendency at planting time, not 4-5 years later. Nice branch structure and a productive rootstock. Leaning is real downside of M7.
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yes, I agree. I even had them staked to TRY and keep them upright. Did not work. The one literally fell over on the ground several times before I had to have it staked up with a huge wooden pole. Sideways in the ground. Still leaning , just not as badly. Like I said, great height and great fruit production for them. Nice branching and spread.
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From what you described, the weather in your area gets colder a lot earlier than I am here in central MA. I agree that Gold Rush would not ripen in time in your area.
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That is what I was afraid of. You would not think that considering MA is more North to Ohio. The growing zones and weather patterns are different in your area are a lot different than where I am. My son lived in MD for some years and he had things planted and thrived that I could not grow here.
Rather not plant a Goldrush and be disappointed at not getting any fully ripened fruit off of it.
In orchards, including big commercial ones, I’ve seen them use heavy metal conduit stakes that seem to work well. They just drive them in deep after first planting the trees. I’ve seen them tied with zip ties. I use electric tape in my nursery to tie them to thinner grades of metal conduit, but that’s mostly for 111 when trees start to grow crooked.
M7 anchors just fine, but it may take 7 or 8 years… in my soil.
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That’s why I probably should have done given the fact they ended leaning so much. Other people have not had the leaning issues with M7 rootstocks. Must be the soil differences. None of my other rootstocks I use lean at all. Unless I initially planted them like that by mistake.
Here in east central Alabama my GR look pretty close to ready. Still not yellow fully on the bottom, but i think mostly ripe. They dont get very yellow in this climate. A few have a pink blush on the sunny side, more than ive seen in past years. Thats a good sign. Tues night is forecast to drop to 25 and my house is oftern 2-4 degrees lower. I’m picking mine tues afternoon. Ill leave a few on as a test.
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M 7 is known to lean, this is the info I learned after planting mine.
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Yep, me too. Too little too late for me, uggg.
Oh, mine lean. I didn’t know to stake them young and it’s too late now.
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Yes, I wish I would have know before I planted them. Now I feel like if I keep messing with them trying to straighten them up I will disrupt the roots and possibly kill the tree.
I though of replacing them with same apple variety on a different rootstock but the branching, fruit production and shape of the tree is great. Just a leaning tower of apple.
Thank you everyone for the responses regarding the red spots on the apples. I agree that if this is scale then dormant oil sprays would be best solution. All my Goldrush are in an orchard that gets no sprays except my 5-6 green tea sprays and a dormant oil spray when needed. The “when needed” has always been based on aphid pressure resulting in dormant sprays around every 3-4 years. It may just be that I need to step up my dormant program now that I have a newly recognized antagonist.
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