I might be removing a couple of McIntosh apple trees on Antonovka rootstock next spring due to severe scale that has stunted their growth now for numerous years. They would be replaced with McIntosh on semi-dwarf M111.
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Over the years I have bought seven fruit trees from Raintree, along with four blueberries and a few black currants. All have been correctly labeled.
Bardsey was the best choice Iāve made with them so far. Westwick, Ben More and a nameless bonus black currant have done well, also.
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I have a moderate sized mulberry tree that produces a lot of large black mulberries twice a year. First year we made sauce sweetened with sugar to put on top of ice cream etc. but I think everybody got tired of the taste. It also started to attract lots of little bugs on the berries which is kind of gross. I moved it to an abandoned overgrown part of the yard, birds seem to love the fruit, not sure if itās acting as a magnet or a decoy?
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Pulling a Santa Rosa plum today. It is in the middle of the apple orchard and I do not want to spray it early enough to stop Curculio because the apple are still in bloom. I always lose them all.
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Iāve only just started with fruit trees. I will say I am about to move some pines and cut down some old scrub oaks to provide better sunshine in the morning and afternoon to my fruit trees. I only have a half a million trees on the property so I think it will be fineā¦Wellā¦maybe a few less than that 
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How does the Bardsey taste? What uses does it have? I saw it advertised in the Raintree catalog. What I like to hear is from people that actually have grown and tasted the fruit.
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This came up on another thread, but since I cannot remember which, will say to you:
Bardsey is ripe the end of September here in Spokane. It has juicy sweet/tart flesh, a bit less tart than sweet, in my estimate, and expect that is a function of high heat units and cool evenings. It has a light lemon scent. I havenāt yet had enough to cook, but understand it will make a smooth light flavored sauce. It does not brown quickly, so may be nice in salad or as one of several cider apples.The flesh is juicy, but not heavy in any way. The single fruit picked last year was over 3 inches tall and wide (and brick red in this climate,) yet weighed just over 9 ounces.
The tree came into bearing this year and has 18 apples covered against coddling moth damage. I should have more to say about it come October after trying it in sauce, baked whole and maybe dried.
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TY, I had looked at this apple tree to buy but was not sure how it would actually taste. If you can think to do an update on this apple when they are ripe in October that would be great. Again, thank you.
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Bardsey has a modest debut crop this year. I thinned it to singles per spur, due to short stems, while wrapping them against coddling moth with footies bought from the Home Orchard Society. This is July 12, and none of the fruits have dropped.
Another debut crop - on a large vigor tree of same age since grafting, Rambour Franc - I thinned from over 300 set to less than 90. That has dropped another 25 fruits or so in the past two weeks. The calcium requirement is much higher for Rambour Franc than for Bardsey. I spread crushed egg shells around each apple tree twice a year. RF has also received six cups Dolomite and four cups Super Sweet (faster acting calcium source) spread around in its drip line. Might not be enough in time for this season to benefit its fruit.
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I am having a horrible time with my Honeycrisp apple tree. It looks so puny and ill. All my other apple trees look fine except for my Stark Golden Delicious apple trees looking crummy too but I expected that. I am just using those GD as pollinators until my other apple trees get bigger. I will probably take out the Honeycrisp next year. It was such a disappointment tree wise.
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Sorry to hear that about your HC. Must have been a rootstock issue. My HC has no issue growing. The only issue is the biennial tendency. The leaf yellowing is a given. It does not bother me. The apple tastes great ( for me who like more sweet than sour apple with lot of crunch.
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I know that is the issue with mine. The leaves look horrible. It looks like the tree had varigated leaves. Maybe I will leave it in one more year. Mine is a 2013 planting. I have one apple on it this year. Tree really looks sick, just like yours does.
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Horrible looking HC if you compare it to other apples. Donāt. Its HC genetic disorder. Just ignore it.
Like I said before, not knowing a rootstock makes it tougher to guess when it will be productive. Mine took 7 years in ground (the tree was at least two years old when planted.). So, if your tree is stunted, you may want to pull it. But if itis only ugly leaves, Iād wait.
I like mine very much. It will stay even with a biennial issue.
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The rootstock I have the HC on is an interstem, EMLA 9/ EMLA 111. Thanks you for the information of knowing these trees looks ugly. I bought it just by just the apple taste alone. If I had known the trees look this ugly I may have not planted it. This apple was one my family liked when we went to an orchard and tasted apples during the 2012 season. So it was based on that decision alone. Like you mentioned, ugly leaves. I would like to see what their tree leaves look like. Maybe I can ask them about looking at their trees. Some orchards are funny about those things.
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If you want to see what HC leaves or a whole HC tree look like this time of the yesr, those of us who have the trees could post pics for you to see.
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Hey everyone, would love an opinion,
I have an Elberta peach tree, three years old. This is the first year it has fruited. The tree grew very rapidly, but the peaches all seem very small for this time of year, really not much bigger than golf balls. They also have a lot of scabbing, which I believe the tree is susceptible to.
Should I pull the tree and plant a peach that wonāt be as prone to scab or should I give it a second chance next year. Is it possible the fruit is so small because the tree is too young?
If replacing, any suggestions of a late season peach that is scab resistant?
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Fruit from young fruit trees is not really a good representation of the quality that tree can ultimately produce as it matures. I would give it more time but if scab turns out to be a constant, recurring problem and the fruit quality doesnāt justify keeping the tree, then you can make the informed decision to get rid of it. Just my opinion
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Thanks for you input. Beyond just the financial part of it, I feel bad not letting a baby tree at least try to grow for a few years to see what happens.
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Elberta is a good peach. Peaches sometimes stall for a while before starting to size up again. How well do you thin your peaches. If the tree carries many, those peaches may not size up at all.
Also, after 3-4 years, if you live in the East Coast, you will learn more about peach pests and other diseases including brown rot which take a few years to show up.
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They are thinned. I would say there are twenty small peaches on the tree, none of which are within 6 inches of each other. I have another peach tree (unsure name of it, bought it for $1 at the Depot years ago) which produced good peaches. Havenāt had the dreaded brown rot yet.
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