Old Fashioned Limbertwig Apple

General Fruit Growing
#21

FigGrower,

I salute your good taste in apples! A hearty welcome to the group.

#22

Thank you!

#23

I did not realize that there are so many Limbertwig apple varieties. After reading all the good things about this variety I feel good about my recent purchased of the last Limbertwig apple an old friend had yesterday. It is a Smokey Mnt. Limbertwig. Has anyone fruited it and what was your opinion of it? Thanks, Bill

#24

Ron Joyner of Big Horse Creek Farm (sells heirloom apple trees/scions):

“Limbertwigs we have grown over the years, show excellent resistance to fire blight and most other common apple diseases. Equally impressive about Limbertwigs are their adaptability to almost all climates and soil conditions. They can be grown very successfully in cold mountain climates as well as hot, humid areas in the Coastal Plains. We are very partial to Limbertwig apples and can highly recommend them for your region in MD.”

#25

My limited experience with the Limbertwig family is with 8 Swiss Limbertwig as part of a Belgian fence. I purchased them from Century Farms Orchard they have been in the ground since 2012. In the fall of '15 these were the best apples I ate. E. Spitz fruited well as part of the same planting as did Calville Blanc. Both good but not quite as good. Limited fruit set on Hudson’s Golden, Stayman, and Cripps Pink all ok but not really close. Bought several bushels of local Jonathan’s for cider and some of those were pretty tasty but the Swiss was the season’s champ. In a good year the local Fujis are honeyed and delightful but weren’t spectacular in '14 or '15. Picked the Swiss the 3rd week of October here in the heart of Salt Lake City. The only caution I would mention is that I did lose 3 of them that first year to fireblight while the Calvilles and Spitz in the same fence were unscathed. No outbreaks since. At least here they ripen late enough and are hard enough that they may be winter keepers but I used all we harvested rather quickly, so I can’t offer anything about that. As to flavor, very much like E. Spitz just better (at least this year).

2 Likes
#26

I planted 7 varieties of Limbertwigs on G202 & M7 rootstock in the fall of 2014. Hopefully in a couple more years I’ll be able to report on my experiences with them.

1 Like
#27

Vine- Thanks for your report. Did the Swiss LT survivors also get blight, just to lesser extent? Does Belgian fence reduce air circulation? I looked at a photo and it did not appear to do so.

My limbertwigs are starting their third year, no signs of blight but they haven’t bloomed yet so will see.

1 Like
#28

Hambone, we’re in a mature old neighborhood and airflow is perhaps less than ideal but I don’t think that was the biggest part of the problem. I think it was just vigorous growth combined with perfect blight weather and yes a couple of the others got hit and made it through. I did use a copper spray in the aftermath but they have not been sprayed since except with foliar fish and kelp emulsion so I don’t think it’s a weak variety. I should say also that when I plant apples I put 4 or 5 pounds of bonemeal in the bottom of the hole so that first year there may have been a fair bit of nitrogen available. Even though we are in a semi desert climate our springs tend to be wet with '15 being no exception and it hasn’t happened again. It has grown well with lots of spurs and seems pretty happy. Very nice trees with medium size tasty apples. To sum it up, if it is an apple you’re considering I wouldn’t shy away because of tree health concerns.

1 Like
#29

If you get a copy of that catalog PLEASE let me know. I would gladly pay for a copy as well.

1 Like
#30

@figgrower Fig- did you eat any Dula Beauty this year? Love to hear your description of taste, texture, disease tendencies. Thanks. Steve

1 Like
#31

Limbertwig Collectors: Virginia Limbertwig. My master list of Available Limbertwig Varieties and Sources unintentionally left out Virginia Limbertwig, scions available from Steve Kelly and trees from Foggy Hollow Orchards (Oregon): Virginia Limbertwig Apple

3 Likes
#32

Steve has a lot of great apple choices.

#33

Does anyone have steves list from last year, I can not seem to locate it in my emails.

#34

I am sure if you contact him he could give you and updated list.

#35

Sent my third request to Steve for a listing last week. Still waiting for a reply, but not giving up. :grin:
Sent an email to David Vernon at Century Farms inquiring if he sold scion. He answered the next day that he did indeed sell scion and I ordered Brogan and Rusty Coat Limbertwig scion from him. :grinning:

3 Likes
#36

Interesting. I had the idea that in the past Century Farms did not sell scions, only trees. That’s another good source of old varieties. Ron Joyner at Big Horse Creek Farm stopped selling trees but continues to sell scions.

3 Likes
#37

Ive alredy sent request to steve but no reply yet. Its been awhile.

#38

I got three Limbertwig varieties from Steve last year. Yeah he can be a bit difficult to establish communications with. Be persistent…

I have a 1yr “Rusty Coat” (Keener Seedling) but had not previously heard of “Rusty Coat Limbertwig”. I’ve also yet to taste any Limbertwig variety, but want more :slight_smile: If nothing else it interests me how most all of them originate from my neck of the woods.

Here is what he sent me last year. Filename showed 2015, body showed 2016. He stated in the email that some he no longer had thanks to deer. Indeed a few things I asked him for I did not get.

2 Likes
#39

That is the latest list I had from Steve as well. I just pulled up my last years email from him. TY for posting it.

#40

Don’t know if you ever found a copy of Henry Morton’s catalog. Here’s a link to it.