Low spray apples-Have you tried them?

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There are several varieties of low spray apples available that have natural resistance to different diseases. We have planted Liberty, Pristine, Macfree, Williams Pride and Shay(an heirloom) and Golden Russet,I think(another heirloom).

We have problems with fire blight and fungal diseases here,so I wanted to look for something that would be better able to handle these conditions. This is their second year only so we won't know the taste or results for a time,but it's something to think about if you are starting an orchard.

Has anyone else tried these newer apples? Some I got as minidwarfs,as well, to fit more varieties in for the trial.I am going to espalier them. I have some conventional varieties as well,mostly heirloom,on dwarf rootstock. Hope to get some apples off them this year,if it rains more,that is.

-- Anonymous, May 08, 2001

Answers

Hi Sharon. I haven't planted those varieties, and have only had one incidence of fireblight (on an unknown cultivar at the last house), which I just cut the affected branch off the tree, burned it, and that was the end of it. If it is more than that, obviously you can't go snipping your trees to bare trunks. Do you get Gardens Alive!'s catalogue? They have a number of more environmentally friendly products for garden, yard, and orchard. As a matter of fact, here's their catalogue right on my desk (now how did that get there?). They don't seem to be on-line, however, their phone number to request a copy is (812)537-8650. I have generally been pleased with the products I've used, with the exception of the pet supplements that I couldn't tell were making any difference, at least in my situation.

-- Anonymous, May 08, 2001

Au contraire, ma soeur! Here you go: http://www.gardensalive.com/index.asp?, or if you want a link:

Gardens Alive

-- Anonymous, May 08, 2001


Our orchard is 2-3 years old. We're probably going with a no-spray philosophy. The disease resistant varieties recommended for our area are Williams Pride, Liberty and Arkansas Black. Our chickens spend a huge amount of their time in the orchard, so we hope they will help with some of the insect pests. We also planted some of our favorite apples, just hoping that they may do well here - Bramley, Braeburn, Cox's Orange Pippin, Golden delicious (other grow it here) and Fuji. Also planted Seckel and Potomac Pears, Stanley and Greengage plums, Stella and Bing cherries. Plan to add Winesap apples and some kind of peach.

A good source for information on apples is ATTRA (appropriate technology transfer for rural areas). It's a free service.. The orchard expert is Guy Ames (we bought about half our trees from his nursery) Phone (800) 346-9140. It's well worth the call.

Some one recently told us that the dwarf stocked varieties are more prone to diseas than semi or full size. Haven't asked around on that one yet! Ours are mostly dwarf or semi.

Our goal is not to have perfect disease-free apples, but to get enough for apple sauce, wine and scrumpy. We'll host the BTS get together the first year we manage the latter!

-- Anonymous, May 08, 2001


Hi Sharon! You may want to check out "The Apple Grower" by Michael Phillips. It was available at www.discountnewagebooks.com for a whole lot cheaper (less than half) than I've seen it anywhere else. It's very detailed about a working organic orchard and what is involved. I bought it last year and frankly, it's more info than I'm up for right now. Having only done a haphazard dormant oil sprays and not much else before, it's really gotten me thinking about where, what, and how I should plan this new place out.

-- Anonymous, May 09, 2001

Scrumpy! Do you make the kind that takes the top of your skull off? We tried a TINY amount on a trip to England, but I confess, I am afraid of it! I do like hard cider though . . . .

-- Anonymous, May 09, 2001


OK-for us less cosmopolitan types,what is scrumpy? Boy,I'm certainly expanding my vocabulary here.

Well... you people really seem to just puuulll those confessions out of someone! Been to the site,bought the book(among others).Let's just say I've got alot of great reading material for this winter.Nick just shook his head and shrugged when he saw the box size. Come to think of it,he's been doing that alot lately. Hmmmm....

Yeah,we have to watch out for fireblight a lot bc of our HHH&H climate.(H**LISH,hot,hazy and humid). Sooty mold was bad last year.Wait and see what transpires this season. Had a little fire blight,already,but Nick pruned them off.

If I remember what I was told on dwarf rootstock,the two problems that were mentioned for our area were not good fireblight resistance and not good anchoring roots resulting in windthrow. However a newer root stock was addressing this problem.

I had researched it out before buying and had gone with the newer one,but now don't remember which it is.Anyone else know what I'm talking about? I'll try to remember to look it up.

The minis HAVE to be staked,but I was planning to espalier them anyway.Wanted to fit in a number to trial to see if I'd want the bigger version or not.

Julie,we do order from gardens alive but only when they have a $20 off coupon.(big grin!) Joy-quit cussin' at julie-using that s***r word!:o)

Thanks David for that name and number.Sounds like a great reference.Glad to hear Ark black is considered low spray.We had to have that as well, after tasting it at Shaker Village's orchard. Good drying apple, too.

Nick loves Fugi,so we have that,also.I love Winesap,and we had an old pitiful one on the property,but it died last year from the drought before I could get a sion to graft.That was a big huge Rats!

Grimes Golden rounds it out,as a good heirloom pollinator and cider apple as well.We have some varieties for eating and some for cider.We do it completely organic and Nick is the orchardist.I research out the varieties,but he gets growly if I get too close to the actual trees.But I sneak in and prune them when he's not looking bc he doesn't prune them hard enough.

It's funny,we know and old couple in the area who have an orchard They work toghther on things like us,and she ends up doing alot of the same things!.And they laugh about it,too. He's retired Ag extension agent in his 70's.Wonderful wealth of knowledge,and lovely people,too

Nick has his great uncle's wine press.He's pressed some mighty good cider out of that machine in the past.Can't wait,can't wait,can't wait! Grow trees,grow.

-- Anonymous, May 09, 2001


We have both Liberty and Williams Pride in our cool, wet Pacific Northwest mountain climate. Along with Chehalis, they are our best producers. Williams Pride are virtually disease free, look great, have a nice taste, and are first to ripen. Great! Liberty comes on in early October for us, also is disease free, but is afflicted with apple maggot, as are a few Chehalis. The taste is not as good, and apple size is rather small. Chehalis is rather bland, in between the two, and has just minor maggot problems even though we use traps on all varieties. We do have apple anthracnose, endemic in our environment, and that affects every variety of apple and pear. The above varieties all set fruit nicely too and are heavy bearers.

-- Anonymous, May 16, 2001

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