Most of this information from Morse is solid, but there are a few things that need to be pointed out:
- Just past the 38 minute mark he states there is "...no downside..." to growing pears from seed. That is not true. You can grow pear trees from the seed of good pears and end up with a very problematic tree that is a fireblight magnet and/or poor fruiter. You could also end up with one that is better than the parent, but that is less likely. He does mention the possibility of "variances" later on but doesn't elaborate on it like he should have - and absolutely no mention of how many people have fireblight problems from seedling pears versus a know DR variety like Moonglow, etc....
- Around the 46 minute mark he talks about the Goldrush apple and says it is highly disease resistant. He fails to mention that it is highly prone to cedar apple rust (CAR) in some areas to the point that it will completely defoliate the tree (it does where I live). Listening to what he said, you would think that Goldrush was a slam dunk choice with no reservations. See my picture at the end of this thread.
- Just before the 32 minute mark he discusses rootstock apple trees versus apples grown on their own roots. He leads you to believe that any apple grafted to a good rootstock is always better than an apple grown on its own roots. He said that the commercial rootstocks he uses were "healthier in general" and "improved" versus natural roots. That is not true at all. If you want to learn why, you can read the following thread. If I took 1.5 hours to listen to your podcast, you can take 1.5 hours and read my thread....
Plus, you seem to be wanting to learn more about fruit trees. This forum is the best place to start learning. Best wishes.
http://deerhunterforum.com/index.php?threads/the-forbidden-apple-tree-knowledge-thread.2478/
Goldrush, where I live with no spraying for CAR:
