Apple/Pear Trees

[Sligh1]

Do both.
Overall…. Pears will do better in iowa on average. They can tolerate humidity & our clay type soils better than apples.
I’ll always do both but I’d give a preference to pear. Also give them an edge on the disease front.
Full size apple seedlings have done really well for me in tubes as well. Done some grafted in tubes if they are smaller.
Experiment. Try plenty of varieties & don’t give up if u lose some along the way.

 

[letemgrow]

The Lost Apple project has been re-discovering apple trees that date back to the 17-1800’s.

They sell scions off the trees each spring.


This link has a master list of descriptions.

These 5 have caught my attention thus far and are grafted and waiting to produce fruit.

Ewalt
Gold Ridge
Shackleford
Kittageskee
Dickinson

https://thefruithouse.weebly.com/uploads/4/6/2/3/46237531/scion__sale_2022_master_list_re-discovered_apples.docx

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[seven twenty]

Needing some advice here. My Apple tree split in the winds this past weekend. Half is laying on the ground. Do I need to coat the exposed trunk after cutting the fallen part away or will it be ok? If it needs coated, what should I use? Thx

 

[cybball]

Question for the apple tree experts. I have a spot where another (#3) bareroot apple tree died after winter. This spot just seems bad. Have another tree that was going on year 4 that didn't make it out of winter (thought it would as it is my tallest). My question is, should I move replacements to a new spot? The one spot has been horrible for some reason. I even dug out a bunch of dirt last year and put in new topsoil. Still no luck. Thanks
(They are Enterprise, Liberty and Ark Black that have died if that matters).

 

[Daver]

Question for the apple tree experts. I have a spot where another (#3) bareroot apple tree died after winter. This spot just seems bad. Have another tree that was going on year 4 that didn't make it out of winter (thought it would as it is my tallest). My question is, should I move replacements to a new spot? The one spot has been horrible for some reason. I even dug out a bunch of dirt last year and put in new topsoil. Still no luck. Thanks
(They are Enterprise, Liberty and Ark Black that have died if that matters).

Hmmm...I thought I was bad at growing apple trees, but you may be worse yet than me Cyb. Have you been able to get enough water on them? Are they dying from drought, or other unknown factors?

 

[cybball]

Hmmm...I thought I was bad at growing apple trees, but you may be worse yet than me Cyb. Have you been able to get enough water on them? Are they dying from drought, or other unknown factors?

Very funny, but probably true. LOL I don't think it is a water issue. I kind of baby these things. I even made a rainwater collection tank and give them a drink during dry times. The spot that 3 trees have died, I even bought bags of topsoil for the hole. Gave fertilizer and watered. Just not sure.

 

[cybball]

I think I'll move the location some. Could be contaminent in the soil that I'm not aware of. I looked and there is a walnut tree maybe 60 feet from this. It is about 8 inch in diameter, so didn't think that would have killed 3 trees, but maybe?

 

[Sligh1]

I think I'll move the location some. Could be contaminent in the soil that I'm not aware of. I looked and there is a walnut tree maybe 60 feet from this. It is about 8 inch in diameter, so didn't think that would have killed 3 trees, but maybe?

Doubt it. Apples are fussier on soils. You can move OR…. Put in pear trees. In spots I’ve had apple growing issues, I’ve put pears & they do great. Kieffer be fav.

Apples like well drained rich soil…. Avoid soil that’s been beat to death with corn & beans. High ground with black soil. I’d prefer not to have them on south facing area- gets too hot. I personally like wood chips as mulch & I protect trunk & mow around so it’s hard for voles, etc.

Last- apples still do attract bugs that eat them & fungal issues. I’d still spray a few times a year. There’s more “organic” type sprays & conventional. Clearly we want to avoid doing anything while in bloom, while bees active or have flowering plants close to trees if any kind of spray. Monitor trees for pests & disease though. First few years is hardest. Monitor & spray doesn’t take much time so lil attention is great.

 

[cybball]

Doubt it. Apples are fussier on soils. You can move OR…. Put in pear trees. In spots I’ve had apple growing issues, I’ve put pears & they do great. Kieffer be fav.

Apples like well drained rich soil…. Avoid soil that’s been beat to death with corn & beans. High ground with black soil. I’d prefer not to have them on south facing area- gets too hot. I personally like wood chips as mulch & I protect trunk & mow around so it’s hard for voles, etc.

Last- apples still do attract bugs that eat them & fungal issues. I’d still spray a few times a year. There’s more “organic” type sprays & conventional. Clearly we want to avoid doing anything while in bloom, while bees active or have flowering plants close to trees if any kind of spray. Monitor trees for pests & disease though. First few years is hardest. Monitor & spray doesn’t take much time so lil attention is great.

Thanks Skip. This is on the far north end of a 1 acre foodplot I cleared in the middle of timber. Lots of clay. Maybe that isn't helping. I added topsoil, but who knows.
I only have 5 trees, so I baby them. Spray for fungus and bugs. I have wood mulch on all of them. Painted trunks. Plastic trunk wraps too. Since I already have replacement trees ready to go for tomorrow, I'll put them in. But, pears may be what is on deck. My other apples seem ok. Cherries are gangbusters. All learning for me as fruit trees is something I haven't ever done.

 

[Sligh1]

Thanks Skip. This is on the far north end of a 1 acre foodplot I cleared in the middle of timber. Lots of clay. Maybe that isn't helping. I added topsoil, but who knows.
I only have 5 trees, so I baby them. Spray for fungus and bugs. I have wood mulch on all of them. Painted trunks. Plastic trunk wraps too. Since I already have replacement trees ready to go for tomorrow, I'll put them in. But, pears may be what is on deck. My other apples seem ok. Cherries are gangbusters. All learning for me as fruit trees is something I haven't ever done.

Man all that sounds ideal. Take some pics of site & soil - as many as possible. Certain spots are just fussy for apples. I’ve dealt with same thing. They just struggled in many spots. When I switched THOSE SPOTS to pears - that was usually a bullet proof solution.
You know what rootstock the apples are? That also plays a big role here. Want: standard full size trees, EMLA-111 or Bud-118.

 

[cybball]

Man all that sounds ideal. Take some pics of site & soil - as many as possible. Certain spots are just fussy for apples. I’ve dealt with same thing. They just struggled in many spots. When I switched THOSE SPOTS to pears - that was usually a bullet proof solution.
You know what rootstock the apples are? That also plays a big role here. Want: standard full size trees, EMLA-111 or Bud-118.

Not sure on rootstock. I ordered both enterprise and liberty from Jung seed in Wis. Doesn't list that on the website. I'm a rookie, so I didn't look into which before hand. The ones that died were semi-dwarf.

 

[Sligh1]

Not sure on rootstock. I ordered both enterprise and liberty from Jung seed in Wis. Doesn't list that on the website. I'm a rookie, so I didn't look into which before hand. The ones that died were semi-dwarf.

Got it. Order the standard next time around. Emla-111 & bud-118 are semi dwarf but on the large end of semi dwarf. They tolerate clay the best. Emla-111 or standard will handle clay the best. Most other semi dwarfs won’t tolerate clay well.
You doing the exact right thing though…. NOT GIVING UP!!! Keep posted on how they do. If issues- pear can be a great solution later. You will get mature trees, keep at it!

 

[cybball]

Got it. Order the standard next time around. Emla-111 & bud-118 are semi dwarf but on the large end of semi dwarf. They tolerate clay the best. Emla-111 or standard will handle clay the best. Most other semi dwarfs won’t tolerate clay well.
You doing the exact right thing though…. NOT GIVING UP!!! Keep posted on how they do. If issues- pear can be a great solution later. You will get mature trees, keep at it!

Really appreciate the advice. Got twp in the ground today. Moved to a different spot that had good black timber type soil. Hoping those take off. May stick a couple pears in to see how those work.
We love eating apples as much as they are for deer so I am all over them.

 

[Hardwood11]

I’ve planted quite a few apple trees, but I am a novice overall. I stick to just buying from a nursery a few online from Turkey Creek Trees in Nebraska, and common wild apple from Univ of Idaho Nursery .

I don’t play attention to Rootstock, numbers, etc.. The zone obviously I do!

Dig hole, plant tree, protect tree, baby as much as I can . So far so good .

Best varieties so far … Chestnut Crab, Fireside/Connell Red, Kerr, & Wild Apple.

 

[SB3]

Planted in 2016 from Stark brothers nursery. Best growth on 1. Enterprise Pic 1 2. Arkansas Black 3. Jonafree 4. Goldrush Pic 4 . 6ft diameter fence 5ft tall


View attachment 119537



View attachment 119538

6 years later Enterprise and Arkansas Black doing great, Jonafree and Goldrush doing ok, I have two of each in this location. Up till now I've plucked most of the apples off during the summer to get more growth. The enterprise has 75+ so I'm letting her bare fruit this year. I've added two more patches in other parts of the farm, one group of 6 (2020) and another group of 4 (2021). This winter these will get pruned and propagated. Other than the initial investment these are pretty much self-sufficient $-wise. With all the high prices in fertilizer/chemical, apple trees are the gift that keeps on giving with a little labor.

 

[northcedar]

Thanks for those charts! Helpful info. SB3, I did mine very similar to yours. I'm planting pears the past couple yrs, and this yr I put in some Goldrush, Enterprise and Querina. I really want to stick with the more disease resistant trees going forward. I feel like Enterprise might be the best fit for a Nov dropping tree with good qualities.

View attachment 113979

SB3 I posted just after you did back in '17. My trees are producing well now, too. I still do them the same way, except for using concrete remesh now instead of the welded wire. Those were my 1st apples, but now I'm up to around 80 pears, apples, and crabs. Here's one from '17 (maybe an Enterprise?) along with a Korean Giant pear that's loaded pretty well. It made a few last year and they tasted awesome.

 

[SB3]

SB3 I posted just after you did back in '17. My trees are producing well now, too. I still do them the same way, except for using concrete remesh now instead of the welded wire. Those were my 1st apples, but now I'm up to around 80 pears, apples, and crabs. Here's one from '17 (maybe an Enterprise?) along with a Korean Giant pear that's loaded pretty well. It made a few last year and they tasted awesome.

View attachment 122666View attachment 122667

Looking good, I'm real happy and I'm sure you are too that we planted these years ago. Never to late to plant a tree, its addicting.

 

[IowaBowHunter1983]

Got swarmed with Japanese beetles. Sudden onset. Ok with spray. They sure arrive in a hurry!

 

[Sligh1]

IMO- when blooms are off, no flowers under & fruit for deer …. Imidacloprid is one of the best insecticides to add as it helps kill things as they eat the leaves (systemic). Studies show it doesn’t get into fruit but I’d pry only do that for deer trees vs personal consumption. For some odd reason I don’t have Japanese beetles?!?! Maybe cause I’m far from city but I still can’t quite explain it.

We still have lots of bugs that are leaf eaters - i hate insecticide but so far- I usually have to do 2 insecticides & 2 fungicides together & spray 2-3 times a year.

 

[JNRBRONC]

Got swarmed with Japanese beetles. Sudden onset. Ok with spray. They sure arrive in a hurry!

Brushed some trees with the canopy of the tractor while mowing weeds last weekend and got explosions of Japanese beetles. What do you spray? They denuded a couple of wildlife apple trees 2 years ago and I would like to avoid a repeat.


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