Native Hunter Fruit Tree List

Native Hunter-

Earlier this summer, I took some cutting from a really good Red Delicious tree outside of Nashville and started the who process to establish a root system and then transplant onto my farm. I have a good friend taking care of my cuttings while I am gone this fall/winter and I am hoping that by the time I get back, I will be able to transplant in the Fall of 2020.
Do you have any advice for these apple trees, and how they should grow in Central KY? I also looking at buy 3-5 good crab apples to plant close to these trees to help with pollination and also to help make sure that not everything drops at the same time. If I could get them to start dropping around mid October and carry through to the first of December, that would be great.

I am eventually going to grown 3-4 Peach and Pear trees to provide some variety and keep the deer on my property all fall long.

I appreciate your advice.

Getting apple tree cuttings to take root is difficult, but it does work sometime. If you get them to take, just let them grow until they can establish a decent root system and then dig a big rootball and transplant them. If your cuttings don't work out, just get some rootstock and graft next year.

Dozier, Dolgo, Hewe's, Transcendent, Callaway and Eliza's Choice are all good crabapples to plant near them for pollination. Plant all of those and you will have a wide drop window, taking you into late fall.
 
A challenge; can you identify these 3 trees?
4693a760691088c574e8627476fd622b.jpg
626b80ea20741e29132130194037c0cd.jpg
3d821dcd650d4515ffe3527c9cf63add.jpg


Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 
I’m really not into hippie fruit, but I would say:

1. Pomengranite
2. Olive
3. Date Palm
Hippie fruit! Ha ha ha. I'm traveling in Israel this week and over here hippy fruit is a staple of existence that everyone eats, just like Daniel Boone ate Kentucky apples. Or was that before Johnny Appleseed? But great job figuring it out.
 
Hippie fruit! Ha ha ha. I'm traveling in Israel this week and over here hippy fruit is a staple of existence that everyone eats, just like Daniel Boone ate Kentucky apples. Or was that before Johnny Appleseed? But great job figuring it out.

I knew by those fruits that you must be on vacation somewhere, but I didn't think about Israel. I hope you have a good trip!
 
Native..Any updates on the pears this growing season?

Yes, see below:

Galloway: Young tree had a nice crop this year and they hung late. I looked at the tree sometime around November 9 and it was still dropping pears. The pears are ugly but actually have a good taste. I've seen no disease, and it looks like a winner to me.

Gate: My oldest tree was planted in 2014 and is really big now. It has been slow fruiting but I expect it to just suddenly take off big time perhaps next year. It only had like 3 pears this year and they were still hanging sometime around November 8.

Ms. Lanene: Same as Gate.

Moonglow: I watched Moonglow a little closer this year, and it dropped much later than I thought. It was really close to Kieffer. Both will keep dropping a few in my area into early November. Also, both are highly DR.

Hunter's Choice: A tree I topworked to this variety had about 10 pears this year. I know they hung late but they were in an area I stayed out of near gun season so not sure when they eventually fell. I tasted one in early November and it was good.

Becton: Small first crop looked good. Same area as Hunter's Choice mentioned above.
 
I've never planted any fruit trees due to bears and cedar trees (mainly bears) but I wanting to get some pears planted ahead of retirement in ten years, so with all that said what would you recommend and how many of each planted in the same area?

My thoughts were Kieffer, Galloway and Ms Lanene planted in 3 different areas.
 
I've never planted any fruit trees due to bears and cedar trees (mainly bears) but I wanting to get some pears planted ahead of retirement in ten years, so with all that said what would you recommend and how many of each planted in the same area?

My thoughts were Kieffer, Galloway and Ms Lanene planted in 3 different areas.

Those three should be good, but if you have room I would add some of the others too.
 
I will say that to date I have not found a better Gun Season apple than Yates. This year my biggest one slowly dropped apples all though early, mid and into late November. This week it still had around 50 apples and most of them were still solid, tasted good and were still slowly dropping.

I have some other apple varieties planted that might eventually be as good or better, but as of right now, nothing I've seen will beat Yates. Finding the perfect November apple has been an elusive task. Most varieties just won't make it to November, and some that do just hang on the tree and rot, which is useless for deer hunting.

There you have it - I wish someone could have told me this 10 years ago and saved me some time and effort. The world is full of free information - but 90% of it is useless and the rest just usually isn't the specific information that you really need. Best Wishes.

tLqbWtz.jpg
 
Last edited:
Im with you guys on Yates . Definitely my go to apple tree.
Ive had several in the ground for 10 years or so. Theyre hardy tough apple trees that drop mostly in October here in central Virginia. The deer are always around them when the apples are falling .
 
Jack’s reference above is where I usually look for pollination info. Some mixed crabapples should take care of it.
Right, crab's pollinate everything. But I was looking for a regular apple that pollinates Yate's and they are not listed on any of the charts with any other apples.
 
Back
Top