I agree with you. I am not interested in apple trees that do not give me fruit or enough fruit to justify keeping them in the ground. Taking space from another apple tree that would/could/should give me more fruit. I have at least 5 apple trees that I have give plenty of time to that has not produced enough apples per year to keep them. So out they go next spring. Time for a few changes.
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Iâm actually looking at it like a feature, rather than than issue. For summer apples, they generally need to get eaten up quick. No point in having 500 Zestars. I probably got 15-20 (edit: oops, not 15-20 dozen, meant to write 2 dozen, then corrected downwards to 15-20 and forgot to take out âdozenâ) over a few weeks from half of a dwarf tree (a few other varieties grafted on). Maybe I could have used 30-40, but anything more than that is just work for me to figure out what to do with it. Much better that it produce a few good ones than a ton of iffy apples. Late season apples like Goldrush can store for winter, so getting a few more is good.
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For me it is a story of 2 apples. On my property they used to be a fine early apple but as the vigorous tree became established they became increasingly watery. I tasted a couple yesterday in an orchard I manage that were excellent sweet-type apples with 15 brix and great texture. My own apples fall off the tree before they get that good. Hopefully, this one wonât change when it it older, but maybe some apples produce better quality fruit on less vigorous root stocks. That is what the literature says, but it certainly isnât always true. Perhaps the more vigorous rootstocks eventually calm down, or other unresearched conditions come into play, but I usually get excellent quality on the 111 trees that are the main product of my nursery. Zestar may be an exception.
If I live to be 200, I will get all of this stuff sorted out.
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I agree with you about the early apples like Zestar. Good points.
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I just measured another Zestar from that other orchard and it came in at 17, which is high for a non-complex, very juicy apple.
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I picked my Gravensteins too early, on Aug. 18. Sour! I froze them for apple crisp with lots of sugary topping.
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I picked the rest of my Zestar today. The biggest and smallest fruit, most tend towards the larger size. The variety is about âfool proofâ here. It cranks out fruit every year, even with 3 consecutive drought years. I donât water or fertilize any of my trees. My hands arenât âShaqâ sized, but from pinky tip to thumb tip theyâre 9" when fully extended.
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What rootstock?
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put one in last spring from fedco. had 3 flowers on it that i pinched off. hoping they produce next summer. ive tried this one from a local u pick. a definite keeper.
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Whatever Bailey Nursery uses as their standard rootstock. I believe they used to use a lot of Columbia crabapple, but I donât know if thatâs what they still use or not. Iâd guess Dolgo or Baccata would be more likely, but thatâs just a guess.
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Iâd say itâs earned itâs keep
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The tree is a real beast. It has to be over 20â tall. I planted it as a large (7â or so) potted tree in the fall of 2014. It got a bit of sunscald itâs first winter, but has since shaken that off and just grows like a weed. The top is already out of the reach of my sprayer, but the fruit grows pretty clean without much spray. I froze a bunch to use later with some fall varieties to make cider
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A couple ripe ones picked today. Iâve picked my Zestar too early every year so far (little starchy tasting). I think I may have gotten it right this year. These fell into my hand with the slightest liftâmost likely would have been on the ground tomorrow Iâm thinking.
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I picked about half a bushel today. Sent them with my wife to give to some of her girlfriends on a girls weekend.
Everybody loved them. I donât think a better August ripening apple for northern locations exists.
I have probably another bushel to pick yet.
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How long Gravenstein last you before they get soft? I had looked at getting a Gravenstein apple tree on my orchard but reading the nursery reviews they say it is not a long lasting apple. Plus I had read it gets greasy.
I agree. i got some from a local orchard a few years ago and loved them so much i bought and planted one from fedco the next spring. it set a few blooms this spring that i pinched off.
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Zestar grows like a weed here. My oldest tree is over 25â and it was planted in '13 or '14. Great natural crotch angles and strong wood to hold up to big fruit loads. I would say it is a âmust haveâ for northern apple growers
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mines about 7ft. got it at 6ft. its on b118 so should stay a little smaller. looking forward to regular fruit.
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I grafted one on antonovka 5 years ago. It had 4 or 5 apples this year.
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