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Post by Alan on Feb 4, 2011 16:39:16 GMT -5
Save seeds and send 'em this way? Would gladly reciprocate with anything from the face of the earth seed list. Will take as many as I can get, both for future rootstock and for growing out over time to look at from a breeding perspective.
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Post by ozarklady on Feb 4, 2011 17:40:58 GMT -5
Do you mean, just basic apples from the grocery store too? Or known cultivars of apples?
I started saving seeds from the store apples... even a mediocre apple is better than no apple, and I figured, if it doesn't taste good, might could graft on a better apple to the various limbs.... is that about what you are thinking too?
I did let the seeds dry out, is that a problem? I am already getting reports of pawpaw seeds sprouting... they were kept moist... Should apple seeds be kept moist? If so, it is back to eating apples! Oh so terrible! :-)
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Post by Alan on Feb 4, 2011 17:52:23 GMT -5
Pretty much anything, even those grocery store ones. Drying them out after they are taken from the fruit shouldn't hurt them, it let's you store them for a bit anyhow. Same idea here. I've got quite a few apple seeds, I stratified them in the worm bins with the pulp from an apple pressing operation, so finding them is kind of a pain, a mistake I won't make again.
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Post by rustybucket on Feb 4, 2011 21:09:10 GMT -5
How quickly do you need them? I have an ancient apple tree that I'm trying to restore. It is growing right up against and under the canopy of a fairly old Ash tree. So either this ancient gnarly apple grew next to the Ash or (more likely) this Ash took root next to the apple. It seems to be fairly productive still. If you don't need seeds right away, I can save some for you next year. I have no idea what the variety is, but it's hardy and productive with little to no care on my part other than pruning. I may be able to find a few young apple tree saplings around if you'd be interested. I've seen a few pop up here and there around the property and I'm pretty sure they are offspring from this ancient one. I'd really like to see the genetics saved. This is a Brown County, Indiana apple tree, so should do well for you.
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Post by grunt on Feb 4, 2011 22:24:27 GMT -5
I'll start saving now Alan. I can probably add a fair amount the end of this year, because I will be pressing juice again. Just a thought, but if you are going to be sprouting and planting them anyway, can't you just spread out what's in the worm bin, and pick them out as they sprout? Or do a good rinse and float off?
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Post by robertb on Feb 5, 2011 11:44:47 GMT -5
We've got 70-odd old apples growing on our allotment site. Some have been identified, some haven't. If you remind me around September, I'll scrounge what I can. The seeds will probably be well hybridised, but you obviously realise they won't come true anyway.
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Post by ottawagardener on Feb 5, 2011 14:18:37 GMT -5
Next year, I'll send as many as I can..
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Post by galina on Feb 5, 2011 17:44:04 GMT -5
We are still eating Crispin/Mutsu and Bramley's Seedling. Will save you the pips. PM your addy and I will send them to you.
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Post by wildseed57 on Feb 5, 2011 20:18:26 GMT -5
To Bad there isn't anyone doing research on apple varieties from the USDA as they have a extensive amount of apple varieties that could be tapped into. I did some grafting on two small apple trees I had to give me more varieties, I got some grafting material from a guy that teaches grafting up North. I had sent him some apple tree scions from a old variety that was due to be cut down buy the road crew, I'm watching another one that is near another road, but I don't have any more grafting space on my trees, although I do have a big flowering crab that I could graft onto in case the road crew decide to take it out also. Do you have a tree that you could graft scion wood onto? That would give you a chance to get results quicker than growing from seeds, you could get a set up to get various cuttings and root them. Where I'm at, most of the really good varieties have long been cut down, and the nearest commercial Apple Orchards have replaced their older trees with fancy quick sale, but tasteless apples. If you can do some grating you might want to take a look around to see if there are apple trees that you could get cuttings of. George W.
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Post by garnetmoth on Feb 6, 2011 0:25:36 GMT -5
Im hoping for fruits from our fruiting crabs this year! Will bring you seeds of these, and anything else I get from farmers market.
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Post by robertb on Feb 6, 2011 18:20:42 GMT -5
I'm surprised there's nothing happening in the US, as in general you seem to be more into heirloom varieties than we are. When we started taking an interest in identifying and propagating the old apples on our site, we found quite a lot of support available. We've had training days on identification, pruning and grafting so far, and we've put names to thirty or forty trees.
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Post by Alan on Feb 6, 2011 18:20:53 GMT -5
How quickly do you need them? I have an ancient apple tree that I'm trying to restore. It is growing right up against and under the canopy of a fairly old Ash tree. So either this ancient gnarly apple grew next to the Ash or (more likely) this Ash took root next to the apple. It seems to be fairly productive still. If you don't need seeds right away, I can save some for you next year. I have no idea what the variety is, but it's hardy and productive with little to no care on my part other than pruning. I may be able to find a few young apple tree saplings around if you'd be interested. I've seen a few pop up here and there around the property and I'm pretty sure they are offspring from this ancient one. I'd really like to see the genetics saved. This is a Brown County, Indiana apple tree, so should do well for you. No hurry on seeds, this is an ongoing breeding project essentially, I'd definitely be interested in some, particularly since it too is from Indiana.
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Post by Alan on Feb 6, 2011 18:22:35 GMT -5
I'll start saving now Alan. I can probably add a fair amount the end of this year, because I will be pressing juice again. Just a thought, but if you are going to be sprouting and planting them anyway, can't you just spread out what's in the worm bin, and pick them out as they sprout? Or do a good rinse and float off? Thanks Grunt! I could do that, the problem is a good portion of the castings will be needed for potting mixes.....that's what I get for thinking I had a good idea last fall!
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Post by Alan on Feb 6, 2011 18:26:17 GMT -5
To Bad there isn't anyone doing research on apple varieties from the USDA as they have a extensive amount of apple varieties that could be tapped into. I did some grafting on two small apple trees I had to give me more varieties, I got some grafting material from a guy that teaches grafting up North. I had sent him some apple tree scions from a old variety that was due to be cut down buy the road crew, I'm watching another one that is near another road, but I don't have any more grafting space on my trees, although I do have a big flowering crab that I could graft onto in case the road crew decide to take it out also. Do you have a tree that you could graft scion wood onto? That would give you a chance to get results quicker than growing from seeds, you could get a set up to get various cuttings and root them. Where I'm at, most of the really good varieties have long been cut down, and the nearest commercial Apple Orchards have replaced their older trees with fancy quick sale, but tasteless apples. If you can do some grating you might want to take a look around to see if there are apple trees that you could get cuttings of. George W. Hello George, I am experimenting and examining a ton of USDA material including the Kazak apples and have been grafting for a few years now. The seed growing is more of an experiment in both breeding/filling in gaps in the surrounding forrest as well as for future rootstock. There is a ton of great USDA material and I know there are others here who have pulled some stuff to grow as well.
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Post by flowerpower on Feb 8, 2011 7:10:49 GMT -5
Alan, check with Redbrick. He may be able to send you some grafts. How do I get some of those Kazak? I'll drive to Geneva to pick apples. It's only 3 hrs each way. I'm gonna be in Geneva in mid august anyway. We could easily swing by the orchard.
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