Old Fashioned Limbertwig Apple

General Fruit Growing
#41

Thank you so very much.

#42

Any info on this one years later? Is it called “very late” for late flowering, or late ripening?

I’ve been trying to track down late flowering and leafing french cultivars like this. I have Reinette D’Amboulne, Reinette Du Mans, and Belle Fille des Salins.

My white whale just based on names is one called Feuille Morte (dead leaves) because it leafs out so late.

#43

I have Bedan des Parts and it leafs out so late each year I worry it’s died over the winter! Flowered (late ) for the first time this past spring, on B118, 3rd year in the ground here. Bought as a whip from Cummins.

On the subject of limbertwigs I remember reading somewhere that black limbertwig and old fashioned lt are the same variety. Can anyone confirm or disprove?

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#44

One of the advantages to growing apple trees in good soil on vigorous rootstocks like 111 is that grafts off of watersprouts will often bear a heavy crop the second year on grafts that have become branches.

Black Limbertwig proved itself not to be a worthwhile apple for growing in my region the second year after I grafted it. This year I harvested Boskoop from grafts made 2 years ago, and it is my kind of apple- dense fleshed, high acid, high brix but a little early ripening to become a staple. I don’t start storing apples until almost Nov.

Some here say that apples change a great deal as the tree ages, but I don’t think that’s really true of grafts on an established tree, although quality does vary on any tree from season to season. BL was just too far below the bar for me to deem it worth its space to give it one my year. Caville Blanc now occupies its space and I should get samples of that variety the first time next season. I planted a weak tree in a too-wet spot years ago and it lingered a long time without producing fruit until we had a wet enough season to kill it off.

#45

Reinette Tres Tardive was one of the apples we tasted on the walking tour of the orchard in Geneva back in September of 2018. It was ripe enough that early to taste good enough for us to note it and acquire scionwood, so it wasn’t “very late” in ripening. A bit tart, it tasted spicy and complex. It hasn’t blossomed yet for us, but it is described as late flowering.

Based on multiple sources, including Nomenclator Pomologicus (1889), Dictionnaire de pomologie (1873), & Cours d’arboriculturei (1876), it appears that Reinette Tres Tardive is an alternative name for the French apple Reinette Verte (Grüne Reinette in German). That would make it one of the earliest known Reinettes in France.

Several British sources, including the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale, list Reinette Tres Tardive as a synonyn for Winter Pearmain. It resembles the Old Winter Pearmain as described by A.F. Barron in the 1887 British Apples as “reddish russet,” but not the Winter Pearmain as pictured in modern sources. If Reinette Tres Tardive is the same apple as OWP, it could be one of the oldest known named British apples.

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#46

Can anyone who grows multiple varieties of Limbertwigs post an approximate ripening order for them. I haven’t found one here.

I have seen David Vernon’s ripening order list, but it only includes three Limbertwigs. The inclusion of other varieties does provide a good reference, though.

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#47

@thepodpiper and @greyphase will know ripening order. I grew a few here- black, royal, red royal, caneys fork, myers royal, swiss. All were late, late, late.

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#48

I grew over 50 French apples and Reinette d’Armorique was by far the latest leafing out… several weeks later. Reinette du Mans I grew and don’t recall it being much later. Some cider apples were also very late.

I had a problem with fireblight on late bloomers, in my climate it is ideal conditions a bit after normal apple bloom and so late-blooming apples were massive fireblight spreaders and I removed them all.

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#49

Thanks so much for this tip Scott! I can still order the Amorique this year and have had my eye on it. It’s from Bretagne region, by far the closest french climate to Ireland. If it’s later than all the rest, I think my Crawley Beauty will still catch it. I’ve heard fireblight is very uncommon here.

Sorry for derailing the LT thread!

#50

Thanks, for your candid assessment.