We are very lucky with Honeycrisp…they are very productive for us. Not sure exactly why but I assume that our climate + soil is exactly what they are looking for.
3 Likes
There are fruit spurs on the tree. I get blooms in the spring time. Just not very much fruit production at all. Very disappointing.
1 Like
Once my HC settled down and produced, it was covered with flowers. It also set heavily. I have so many other varieties to cross pollinated with. I grafted 30+ varieties on a few apple trees around it.
2 Likes
@ MikeC Honeycrisp is definitely one you have to wait for. Mine is now in its 9th year, rootstock unknown. This is the first year it has apples spread over most of the tree. In prior years there was apples on one to three branches. This year the bottom 2/3rds of the tree are loaded after significant thinning. So far no sign of bitter pit which was present in prior years. With a full load this year the apples are smaller - which is good - in low production years the apples were huge. The apples are currently crisp and juicy, but still a little bland. The weather forecast says I have time for the taste to improve.
1 Like
Thank you for this information. Sounds like I should give it a few more years before deciding to change it to something else.
1 Like
Thing I’m removing this fall:
Pawpaws: I’ve got 4 trees with a couple different grafts on each. They’ve grown like crazy, at least 15’ tall now and make hundreds of fruit every year with no effort at all from me. Problem is I just don’t care for them. This year I ate 1 and no desire for another. I’ll probably keep 1 around as a specimen just because I love interesting trees, and pawpaws are nothing if not interesting.
Peaches / nectarines: I’ve got a bit of PTSD about peaches, I’ve worked so hard on them the last 5 years and gotten either none or very modest harvests. It’s just too much effort. In the last 5 years I’ve defeated peach borers, plum curculio, leaf curl, deer, and varmits of all types, but I’m still struggling against birds, japanese beetles, and worst of all brown rot. Even with all the controls I have in place, brown rot took half my harvest and birds damaged the rest. There’s a small time orchard about 10 miles away, I’m just going to buy from them from now on.
Natchez blackberry: The berries were huge and incredible production but they never tasted great. I always thought they needed to hang longer, but birds would take them if they hung too long. This year I covered the whole thing in bird netting on a PVC scaffold and they were much improved, but even the best of them wasn’t as good as an average Triple Crown. Letting them hang so long also led to a huge SWD outbreak. I’m going to replace with either Ponco or Prime Ark Freedom in hopes of an earlier, better flavored berry.
Gurney’s Whopper Strawberries: Far and away the biggest and prettiest strawberries I’ve ever grown. However, they taste like water and get the worst rot I’ve ever seen. I think the berries are so heavy it crushes the flesh when it touches the ground, almost every berry in contact with the ground will develop rot. Going to replace with another June bearing type, open to suggestions on that…
3 Likes
Paging @TrilobaTracker ring ring ring.
It’s a pity they are mature now. It’s probably late too move them with that long taproot. Otherwise I’m sure others nearby would love to put them in the ground. Where about in IL are you? Are you close to @Barkslip?
Mara de bois.
2 Likes
Deja vu!
2 Likes
I completely agree. I had about 40 stone fruit trees and I am ripping out all but my favorites. It’s just not worth it. For me everything is minor compared to brown rot.
2 Likes
After reading many of these problems and diseases, I would be scared to grow fruit east of the Mississippi River.
3 Likes
When they are bad, they are very very bad, but when they are good, they are splendid, delightful, marvelous, just wonderful.
3 Likes
As a 12 year novice grower in the Utah, I’m just used to really good to amazing all the time without a lot of effort…
1 Like
Removed all pluots in streetside strip (windy and hot area). Lots of canker and leaf damage like bact spot. Replacing them with jujubes. How wind tolerant are pears or persimmons?
2 Likes
My persimmon stand up well to the wind. Young trees need a good stake to help but I get coastal winds from east and west and our summer storms can produce 40- 50 mile and hour wind on a regular basis and I have 8 3-4 year Olds that are well and mostly producing. Now pear I’m not sure. I only have one left and it’s well protected on a hill from wind. And pear doesn’t do real well here anyway.
2 Likes
Here are some photos of my Honeycrisp apple tree. This tree has this type of leaves is what this tree produces every year I have had it. It looks sickly every year. This and the poor apple production makes me feel like removing this apple tree.
1 Like
Mine look worse than that. That seems to be one of it’s traits.
2 Likes
25 years ago I experimented with a few kiwi varieties. I found those of kolomiikta genetics to leaf out too early to be safe here. Of the argutas I tried, Rossana was the standout. Lots of red in the skin and very good size- as sweet as any, but they all seemed to reach similar sweetness and texture to me.
I don’t love them enough to endure the necessary pruning to keep args under control- strictly what I call forage fruit- bring a bowl in the house and a few get eaten. The only uncommon fruit I love are my grafted native persimmons- my wife is turned off by the slight astringency even in dead ripe fruit. Paw paws don’t excite either of us- those I grow to give away.
3 Likes
As you might expect, Jumbo is bigger. But Rossana tastes much better. I’ll be interested to see how Ken’s Red is, now that it is finally ripening some fruit, more than a decade after I planted it.
I’ve found that the trellis system makes a big difference in the amount of effort needed. I may decide to get rid of the ones I have in an area without a good trellis and really without enough space to properly move around them (retaining wall on one side and other stuff planted in front of them). That makes the pruning much harder. The ones on the trellis are quite a bit of pruning, but more manageable.
I don’t consider them good forage, as the window they taste good is too small. At least to my palate, I need to wait until mid-late October before they start to taste good. When unripe, their brix is <10 and they have a harsh, nasty taste. I end up with a big harvest, right at the end of the season.
Jujubes make good forage, as they grow without much care and the fruit hangs on the tree quite a while, waiting for you to come by and snack. For the last few weeks I’ve been eating jujubes and figs each time I stop by rentals. At least some of the jujubes should continue (knock on wood) for the rest of the month and I may get a few more weeks of figs.
So far, my wife seems to like Paw Paw. I can have a few bites and that is enough for me. I’ve got 2 trees in somewhat shaded conditions at a rental and don’t think I need anymore than that.
I agree with your wife. But, my wife likes them, so I’m growing several kinds. I’m also still trying to grow non-astringents (which I like). In addition to putting them in spots I think might be warm enough, I grafted Chinebuli this spring, which is reputed to survive less than -10F without injury.
1 Like
I believe the one I like best is Sunflower and Overlease is the other of my named varieties.
1 Like