Re: [nafex] Advice on disease resistant apples for Charlotte NC

Fluff,
Been growing the apples on your list since 1992. In Bristol, TN, about 150
miles NW of Charlotte.

Williams Pride---Definite. Very cold hardy bloom, great limb angles, but a
tree with upright habit so can get very large. Apples good size and flavor
for being so early. This and Liberty the most reliable year after year,
despite variable spring freezes.

Dayton---Have topworked most of that tree, because flavor was so poor. I
recall Ed Fackler wondering aloud if this one should have been named and
released, at least for him in IN.

Liberty---Along with Williams Pride, never misses. If you pick them on the
green side, will keep for months and flavor up nicely. Barbara, have you
tried this with Liberty? Also, the natural form of the tree, more
spreading, makes it a great climbing tree; one that can easily be pruned,
thinned and picked from the tree instead of a ladder, if rootstock robust
enough. Stem is so short it often pushes fruit off when ripening, so a lot
of drop on this one if left too long.

Goldrush---Jules Janick recommended it as his favorite. Routinely keeps
until Apr. or May for us, flavor and texture my wife's favorite. Least
vigorous tree on the list. Very susceptible to Cedar Apple Rust so will
need to commit to spraying for that, to prevent early defoliation and
subsequent loss of flavor.

Two others that have done well for us are:
---Pristine, ripens with Williams Pride. Canary yellow with good tart
flavor, firm. Apple maggot preferred this one over all others, but were
able to control with sticky traps.

---Kidd's Orange is same season as Liberty. Very dense flesh, great
flavor, excellent keeper for a summer apple, we've eaten it into January.
Have heard it's the best of the Cox's Orange Pippen family for Carolinas
and Georgia; scionwood gifted to me when moving to TN, with the insistence
that it deserves to be more widely grown, at least in our region. I could
make the case for growing this in place of Liberty or Goldrush, though it's
an August apple instead of October as for Goldrush. Have also grafted
Kidd's Orange trees for my farm. One of the few that made the move with us.

All the above save Goldrush with CAR, have been quite resistant to
fireblight, summer rots, CAR, scab, etc.

I have a MonArk tree that keeps getting nailed by spring freezes. Maybe
will get to taste some this year? On the testimony of Lucky and others, am
topworking some seedling trees on my farm with MonArk.

Richard Moyer
SW VA
Thankful here for inches and days of rain breaking our spring drought.
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