A question or maybe a series of questions.
I’ve started to remove trees that haven’t been productive or are in poor locations, 2 are on G30 and one is G41. All are stubbed to about 3’ with 3-4 stout branch stubs for regrowth and rebudding in the spring/summer '19.
Should I remove the rootstocks and interstem pieces completely or allow them to sprout and be grafted? The three varieties are Egremont Russet, Summerset Redstreak and Kingston Black. None are diseased, just under performing
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I can send you some wolf river scions which are a big tree and that would make a great rootstock. Those slow growing apples would jump! Kingston black is a smaller crab apple for cider and does not get large at all in my location. The other types you mentioned I do not grow. Let me know what you need and I will be glad to help.
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(" Should I remove the rootstocks and interstem pieces completely or allow them to sprout and be grafted?")
Assuming that you have good angles on the scaffolds and they are in good health, I would think top working what you have would be good. And may be best,
I personally don’t like grafting onto Stubbs bigger than 2" or so, as they often don’t heal well…but others have good luck.
Show us some pictures of what you have, and iam sure you will get many opinions
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Look out for ambrosia beetles! I bark grafted about 100 trees 5 and 6 year old trees last year with two grafts per tree. Just about all the grafts took but the ambrosia beetles moved in and killed all the trees.
The grafts were made about 3 feet high and many of the trees had nurse branches. I don’t know what happened to draw the Ambrosia beetles. I never had problems with them before. Don’t believe any spray prevents the infestation.
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@blueberrythrill do you think there’s a connection between ambrosia beetle attacks and grafting? I lost my peach tree this spring to ambrosia beetle and it had grafts on it. But only on couple of branches. Never really thought two could be connected. I want to be on high alert and do things right this year if I can.
Egremont was on g30 and grew very well, the fruit turned black and split and never got beyond golf ball size. For me, Kingston Black was a nice sized (3") apple that tasted good, have to have more than 2-3 a year to press cider though. Somerset, not summerset dumb Iowan, was ripe and rotted by mid August. Fermented on the tree. All of these trees grew well, they didn’t produce usable fruit for me.
I appreciate your offer of wolf river. I have a friend who has them, a huge apple.
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Hillbilly, Thanks, my camera and computer don’t play well together so I usually can’t post pics. Also see the quote on being a dumb Iowan.
I am reworking an espalier system. Trees on wires after I saw Mike’s @MES111. The angles are nice and I will bud new selected breaks from the stub ends like Steven Hayes did on one of his vids.
You’re full of good news! I might be fortunate, never have seen them here.
@Susu I was told that when the trees are under stress they produce a chemical that attracts the beetles.
I had beetles on all 100 top worked trees but no beetles on any of the trees that were not grafted.
It may not be a normal problem most years, but it was a big problem for me last year.
Edit: Here is the research from NC about the problem:
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