Apple Grafting 2016

[THE LLC]

I guess QDMA killed all my picture threads so will start a new one here. These grafts are from apple trees in the Nebraska Pine Ridge near Crawford that have been there nearly 100 years. A friend of mine, now in his 80's, remembers picking them as a child. Two devastating wildfires have hit the area in the passed 20 years. So last November on our annual deer hunt we rode up there to see if they were still alive and if we could find some scions. Luckily they were barely hanging on and we got a few. He is super excited about me bringing these with me this November to put some new ones back in the old spot. This picture was taken about two weeks ago I think.

 

[wbpdeer]

The seedlings in the photo above look extremely healthy. I hope this works according to plan and things get reestablished.

Good luck - it appears things going according to plan.

 

[THE LLC]

So far, so good.

 

[letemgrow]

You have pics of what the apples on the trees looked like? Be neat if they are just a wild type and not some named variety.

 

[THE LLC]

No. They say that one is a reddish green and the other a yellowish green, whatever that means. They apparently were planted by homesteaders in the late 1800's or early 1900's. Don't know if they were seeds or grafts--did they do grafts back then??

 

[letemgrow]

No. They say that one is a reddish green and the other a yellowish green, whatever that means. They apparently were planted by homesteaders in the late 1800's or early 1900's. Don't know if they were seeds or grafts--did they do grafts back then??

I figure they have to since there are varieties that date back that far and farther...only way to keep a known variety is grafting right?

Never hurts to get the grafts going to for keeps sake for those people and hopefully they are just wild apples so you get to name a new variety or two

 

[THE LLC]

Have no clue.

 

[Native Hunter]

I figure they have to since there are varieties that date back that far and farther...only way to keep a known variety is grafting right?

Never hurts to get the grafts going to for keeps sake for those people and hopefully they are just wild apples so you get to name a new variety or two

Some homesteaders did know about grafting back in those days, but most apples at that time were spread between common folks using root suckers rather than grafting.

I ate an apple yesterday off a tree started from a root sucker 12 years ago by my FIL. This was the first year the tree had fruit since he set it out.

 

[THE LLC]

I've never had any luck with root suckers. Have you?

 

[Native Hunter]

I've never had any luck with root suckers. Have you?

I started 4 this spring and they are all looking great so far. I put them in my yard and plan on transplanting them to the farm at some point. I just don't have room for full sized trees in my yard. My FIL has several trees that he started from root suckers quite some time ago, and some of them are really big now and bearing.

There is another tree in a neighbors yard that was started that way probably 30 years ago. That tree is just incredible now. It is one of the ones I started this spring.

 

[THE LLC]

How did they do it?

 

[Native Hunter]

How did they do it?

You find a nice sprout coming up and cut off a good sized chunk of root on both sides of the sprout. If you can keep a dirt ball that helps too.

My problem this spring was finding a sprout that hadn't been mauled by the deer. Mine haven't grown much this year but leaves are health and green. I set them in a semi shady spot, because I waited really late to do it. They were already leaved out and it was beginning to get hot.

Next spring I'm going to try air layering some old trees. I have already got some pots to do it with. I thought about going ahead and trying it now but decided it would be better to wait.

On my other computer I have a thing that was written in the late 1800s by a guy who said that whole orchards had been started by root suckers.

BTW - forgot to mention that your grafts look great.

 

[THE LLC]

I noticed my apple seedlings are starting to bud out. Some are already leafing out. Started on this years round of grafts this week. Six more to go.

 

[THE LLC]

Finished my 2017 grafting today. All in pots. Some are already starting to bud out. Various limbertwigs from Merle, horse, lodi, and other varieties.

 

[Weasel]

Good stuff LLC. The seedlings look great.