NY35 looks like it would be nice for wildlife settings. I bet it would get huge on a dolgo seedling. High vigor it says.
In my location Grimes Golden has been susceptible to very susceptible when it comes to CAR.
You are correct. My experience is all in Michigan. From what I have read fire blight is a threat wherever apple trees are grown. From what I have gathered from folks like you the disease is far more problematic in warmer climates.
At your suggestion I did add a column and edited the original post spreadsheet.
I added the limited information I received from an earlier post on this site on rots but much information on this aspect is elusive.
Disease Resistant Apple Trees Ranked - Google Sheets.pdf (39.6 KB)
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Scott, could you provide any brief criteria you use for fireblight spray timing with varying bloom times?
I gather that there are two types of rust disease. For the sake of simplicity I combined them. No, I am not at all certain that shortcut is appropriate.
In my location Grimes Golden has been susceptible to very susceptible when it comes to CAR.
Thanks, I revised as you suggested
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I donāt spray for fireblight. The main thing I do is to prune my trees very open.
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My understanding suggests: Disease resistance does not typically mean total immunity from disease or insect damage. Disease resistance means a lower susceptibility and a reduced risk of serious damage. That distinction I gather is not all that meaningful down south. In my region many simply wild apple trees never suffer much from fire blight. Though my experience is very limited (Iāve only begun to plant grafted trees the last three years) I suppose those trees noted by growers and researchers to be more resistant, are in fact as described. Maybe my efforts to describe disease resistance are more applicable in zones 4 through 6.
I second what @scottfsmith said about rots and what @TNHunter said about fireblight. Rots are a big problem for me in the deep south and some of the apples that are bulletproof in other areas seems to rot like crazy here. For example, goldrush is reportedly decently rot resistant up north but down here just about every single goldrush apple with rot for me if I donāt spray for rots. Its a great apple, so I spray once a month in summer. Yates and winesap seem to rot less here than others. On fireblight, pressure here is extreme - probably similar to what @TNHunter is experiencing, maybe worse. I cannot keep it under control without spraying antibiotic. Even then, I have to prune out a lot of twigs after inspecting for it every couple of days through mid-summer. Most of the varieties I have grown seem to get it about the same amount although I will say that my 12 year old goldrush tree seems to handle it a little better, but i have to spray, inspect and do some pruning to keep it down. It may be just the age of the tree and not the variety thatās helping in that regard. It is fruiting heavy so does not have a lot of juicy one year old growth that FB likes so much.
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Thanks for your input. I edited spreadsheet as you indicated with respect to rots.
Disease Resistant Apple Trees Ranked - Google Sheets.pdf (39.7 KB)
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If its been over 65-70 F for a few days and rain is expected and you have not sprayed in 4 days, then spray antibiotic with 24 hrs ahead of the rain. If its been 80 F then the spray will be even more important because the FB really takes off in warm weather. This is only if you have serious FN pressure like I do in AL. I usually have to spray 4-5 times each spring. I donāt think spraying the new growth makes much difference. It mostly comes in through the flowers but you wonāt see it in the new growth for a few weeks because it takes a while for the bacteria to migrate within the tree from the flowers to the new growth. @Auburn seems to be doing apples without antibiotic and he is also in the deep south with high FB pressure, so he may have some good suggestions for other options. Staying away from late blooming trees also helps because FB really ramps up the later it gets into the year. Goldrush blooms earlyish for me.
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If you are in an area where late frosts are not a problem.. and you can plant FG1 and FG2 apples (earliest bloomers)ā¦ and they donāt get wiped by frostā¦
That is one way to beat fire blight.
If your tree can bloom and finish blooming before you start getting FB temps (65+ or so).. you may beat it most of the time.
I have a FG2 apple.. Early Mcintosh.. that is my longest surviver hereā¦ it blooms and finishes blooming most years before we warm up enough for FB to start up.
TNHunter
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Good question. Impossible to guarantee for certain without testing I suppose, but the infections we see closely resemble CAR and it is similar on both varieties. Even the galls I see on our cedar trees are the large round galls that you would expect with CAR. I see no lesions on the trees that are described with quince rust. And CAR can damage fruit as well on very susceptible varieties like Goldrush. It also sounds like quince rust is far less common and widespread.
Sorry you have both! Do you notice them infecting the same varieties or do they differ somewhat?
Impressive that youāve tried every single apple variety.
Just worth mentioning the varieties youāve tried (which isnāt a ton) and not making a post that makes it seem like youāve tried hundreds of them
We will find out. Apples are just getting planted this year. I find it on my service berries for now and other rose family fruits
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What did you get that you can spray after rainstorms?!?!
I have to watch the weather like a crazy person and get up at 3am and spray in the dark before work if Iāve got the heat + open blossoms and itās going to rain.
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Great information. Thank you for posting this as reference.
I use Fertiloam Fireblight mix. One tablespoon goes in 2.5 gallons of water. Then fill a small 1 quart pump sprayer with it.
If something is blooming or I have new grafts aI give them a decent mist after heavy rains.
One little tub of fertiloam will last a couple of seasons. That is mostly seeing 150 to 200 new grafts through the first year.
hmm. That is just Streptomycin. I definitely have to spray before rain - otherwise the bacteria just washes down into the blossoms and the streptomycin doesnāt really help.