I have a clump of EMLA26 rootstocks that has a shoot that is currently several years old, and this year it bloomed. The blossom time overlapped with my Ellison’s Orange and Arkansas Black trees bloom time. Does anyone know if the EMLA26 will act as a pollinator for other apple varieties?
I have read that the Arkansas Black is a tetraploid and will not act as a pollinator for other varieties. My Liberty tree is young and did not bloom this year. I am hoping that the EMLA26 will help pollinate the Ellison’s Orange. The Ellison’s Orange should pollinate the Arkansas Black.
Not to my knowledge. I planted a grafted Evereste (sp?) crab years ago, but the top graft died. My place is mostly surrounded by federal forested land. The closest wild apple I know of is along the road about half a mile away.
If I were you, I would cut a few flowering branches off EMLA 26, put them in a few containers with water and hang those containes on Ellison and Arkansas Black trees.
Let bees and other insects go to work. You have nothing to lose.
Looks like the flowers on the EMLA26 did the trick, or the insects were very ambitious in finding the flowers from the wild apple trees… I am seeing the early stages of good fruit set on my Ellison’s Orange and Arkansas Black trees. There looks to be fruit setting on the EMLA26, as well. Very short stems, so the fruit will be held close to the branch. Is EMLA26 a crab variety?