Apples??

[rprimbs]

I'm a member of the California Rare Fruit Growers and I have a small collection of apples that I am espaliering on a fence. I was told that I could grow just about any apple here -- if I picked all of the leaves off in the Fall.

I only plant apples on M111 root stock. It is a semi-dwarf rootstock. Axel Kratel, who lives up in Santa Cruz and is something of an expert on apples, argues that it is the only apple root stock that does really well here in Southern California. And I have to agree. I bought a Fuji from Home Depot, that is on some sort of dwarf root stock, and the tree has barely grown in the last two years, let alone gotten any fruit.

Anyway anyway, I was going to say that Esopus Spitzenberg -- Thomas Jefferson's favorite apple -- does really well here in Southern California. It appears to be quite adaptable to this low-chill climate, and it is an amazingly flavorful apple. Anna is ok.. but I would much rather grow Esopus Spitzenberg, Gala, Fuji, Gravenstein, Cinnamon Spice, and Sundowner.

Anybody else experimenting with apples here?

By the way, a trick to get more apples seems to be to cut the branches back periodically -- to encourage more side growth along the branch. And to repeatedly cut the side growth back to only about 3 to 4 inches -- to stress and encourage the side growth to get blossoms -- to make "spurs". You basically prune each branch on a tree the same as you would prune the "arms" on an espaliered tree. Then you get a big "spur" production, and fruit all along the branches. This method is especially important for varieties like Fuji, and Gravenstein which will bear only at the tips of the branches if unpruned.

Edited February 10, 2013 by rprimbs

[Palm crazy]

Hi Richard, you should PM member Worldsight, he has a huge apple farm and other goodies that do good in Cali.

My favorite apple is Honey-crisp, very sweet and juicy but kinda expensive in the stores at 3.00Lb. I'm planting one this spring.

[daxin]

Worldsight is Mr. Kratel. His garden in Santa Cruz is a fruit lover's paradise

  On 2/15/2013 at 4:17 PM, Palm crazy said:

Hi Richard, you should PM member Worldsight, he has a huge apple farm and other goodies that do good in Cali.

My favorite apple is Honey-crisp, very sweet and juicy but kinda expensive in the stores at 3.00Lb. I'm planting one this spring.

[rprimbs]

  On 2/15/2013 at 4:17 PM, Palm crazy said:

Hi Richard, you should PM member Worldsight, he has a huge apple farm and other goodies that do good in Cali.

My favorite apple is Honey-crisp, very sweet and juicy but kinda expensive in the stores at 3.00Lb. I'm planting one this spring.

I have ten different apples now, but Honey-crisp is one that I really want to get. It's interesting that you can grow apples -- even in the tropics -- if you strip the leaves in the fall to put them into a sort of 'dormancy' period.

I heard Axel Kratel ("Worldsight") talk at the California Rare Fruit Growers, Festival of Fruit, a couple of years ago. And I tried samples of all sorts of different apples that he grows He has his own website -- cloudforest.com . His cloudforest cafe forum is great.

Edited February 18, 2013 by rprimbs