i grew out a bunch of seed from oikios of plentiful kerr crab from oikios. i realize most apples dont grow true from seed. i was going to use these as rootstock but got thinking why sell these for what they are if they dont grow true to seed? should i try growing one out expecting to get what he advertized the fruit to be? maybe i should contact him to see if the reason is the fruit is actually true to the seed. why go through describing the traits of the fruit if its only meant for rootstock? any insights? i guess i could plant one then graft it over later if i dont like the fruit. but it will be long coming before that happens.
A few of us were commenting on the lack of vigor our Kerr exhibited, so I’m not sure I’d want to use it as a root stock. Perhaps Improved Kerr has more vigor… hard sayin’, not knowin’.
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If you have the space to waste growing out a few is not a bad idea. Never know what you might get and you can always graft it over later. If you have to graft them over later you haven’t really lost any time and you got varieties you want. As for any extra you can give to others to use as rootstock.
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according to Ken they are the best in all aspects of dozens he grew out from seed he got from Fairbanks , AK. what is his ‘’ best ’ is speculative of course.
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thats my mentality also. Don from AK has put this apple on a pedestal so it cant be all that slow to grow. maybe it prefers to grow in colder weather? most dont but i have some here that do. honeycrisp for instance grows best z6 and colder. it struggles in warmer areas. my daughter has one despite me warning her of its growing issues. its growing on par with much more known vigorous apples im growing.
I have been following Ken’s work for a while. He’s essentially landracing tree crops, often starting with seed from improved varieties containing desirable traits. He lets nature select for pest and disease resistance as well as climate compatibility (he’s in zone 6, Michigan), then he makes selections, often for growth form, vigor, and fruit quantity/quality. His crops won’t be true to type. They’re not meant to be. They’re meant to allow you to have a genetic pool to pull your own selections from. His goal is to empower you to restore genetic diversity to food production systems. I don’t know if anybody in here is familiar with Joseph Lofthouse’s project, Going To Seed, but the goals are extremely similar. Ken just focuses on perennials (mostly trees)
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exactly. ive been buying from him going on 8 yrs. now. i commend him for his lifelong work. ive been buying from bule hill lately as well. they have some great selections also.
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With that in mind, I wouldn’t sell these as Kerr rootstock without some kind of disclaimer letting people know what they’re getting. When people hear cultivar names, they have expectations. While these seedlings are more likely to have the traits of a Kerr, they are going to have enough variety that you can’t ensure consistency.
Personally, I would grow them all out and see what you get. The value in Ken’s seed is in the variable genetics, which is not valuable across the board, and one could argue, specifically not valuable as a rootstock to those who are looking for a predictable result.
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Steve, you could always take a cutting of the Kerr seedling and graft it on to a mature apple tree to speed up the trial waiting time.
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I wasn’t familiar with that detail with honeycrisp, what happens when it’s grown above zone 6? I’m not personally in that group but I was about to gift my friend one in zone 7b.
i was thinking of doing that as well. one of my most vigorous seedlings has a dark red stem with reddish purple leaves. think im going to give that one a premium spot then when big enough, graft a scion onto my mature trees.
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from my research, they grow slowly and take awhile to fruit. when they do fruit it isnt on par with the northern grown honeycrisps and the taste isnt there either. if i were you id ask the southern guys on here what their faves are and send your friend one of those instead..
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Good idea, appreciate the response! I’m planning on playing around more with another round of seedlings this winter. I go to a few local apple harvest festivals and I’m going to grow as many seeds as I can because I’m curious to see how they all compare. Even within seeds from the same apple, the different attributes I notice is quite interesting. I’m eager to plant another 20-25 in tight spacing and see what the top 2 look like. Apples are fun because you can go down the rabbit hole deeper with apples than any other fruit I’d say.
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