Scions for 2019/20 ?

[Lardman]

Summer pruning. Anyone want anything saving this year apple or pear wise for scions in the winter?

Usual suspects:
Pears: Beth, Onward, Winter Nellis.
Apples : Pitmaston Pineapple, Gala, Orleans Rinette, Egremont Russet, Tupstones, Doddin, Gladstone, Bramley, Kidds Orange Red, Winston , Xmas Pippin, James Grieves, Rubinette Rosa, Queen Cox, King of the pippins, Spartan & Suntan.

Small amount on the cordons: Sweet 16, Frost Bite, Winter Greening, Gold Rush, Katy, Bakers Delicious, Claygate Pearmain, St Edmunds Pippin, Golden Russet.

If not I'm pruning hard as my fury friends have already taken all but a handful of the fruit there may be nothing left for winter pruning.

[Hereford fruit grower]

Do you rate Baker's Delicious highly and if so when do you find it's most edible?

I'm wondering if to add something that ripens between James Grieve and Sunset. Worcester Pearmain, possibly (a friend nr Tenbury has a tree). Not usually worth eating until early October but once it's red all over and soft it can be delicious.

James Grieve is ripening indoors. The wasps showed too much interest in it while it was on the tree. These days it doesn't keep much beyond mid September. (M9 rootstock does affect ripening time.)

I'm gratified that we seem to agree so much on 'good apple varieties' and we both already have James Grieve, St. Edmunds Russet, Winston, KOR, Queen Cox, Suntan, Golden Russet, etc, etc ...

If I could collect budwood/summer prunings of Baker's Delicious & Gladstone or pay to have it posted from WR to HR5 I'd rather bud onto spare M9 rootstocks (IMO T budding should be easier or rather less difficult than grafting and I think commercial growers do a lot of it).

[Lardman]

DB is the best I have at the time it's ripe, doesn't appear to have any significant decease problems - just squirrels. I find it much better eating than JG. Ideally I look to pick and eat around now and the second week in September the fruit started going missing at the weekend which is a sign it's almost ready, I acquired it to follow on from Gladstone. It's a really wimpy tree here. I have it on MM106 and it puts on around 6 inches a year of thin twiggy stuff, so you'll need to be good with the knife to t bud it.

Plenty of Gladstone left I've not got round to pruning it yet. It fruits very early here although it does lack the depth of later apples but the best "off the tree" apple I have available at the time it's ripe.

PM me your details and I'll drop them in a jiffy bag and put them in the post.

[Hereford fruit grower]

Thanks. I find James Grieve delicious, i.e. as a dessert apple but when ripe it does bruise easily, so picking it and ripening it indoors for 10 days might be the best way to get it perfect and free of wasp holes.

What is your soil type that makes Baker's Delicious such a small tree? I only have this problem with Golden Russet. Another time I'd plant it on a less dwarfing rootstock than M9.

From my reading, Gladstone seems to be the best apple at the time, if eaten from the tree ... and it's a decent size. I find Beauty of Bath and George Cave uninspiring, same with Tydeman's Early Worc. which is later. I'm trying Irish Peach but I'm prepared to be disappointed.

[nickdub]

Interesting thread - I grow JG and GC - the GC is definitely a productive type for a small garden as I have only one tree and it usually has loads of fruit on it - not the most exciting of flavors but not bad if eaten as soon as picked.

Not tried Gladstone, but I'd be interested to hear further details from those who have grown it.

[Lardman]

What is your soil type that makes Baker's Delicious such a small tree? I only have this problem with Golden Russet. Another time I'd plant it on a less dwarfing rootstock than M9.

Horrible soft red sand, soil is a misnomer. MM106 appears to struggle here anyway but BD on it is really bad. It could be a poor graft, rootstock incompatibility or it's just a wimp of a tree, I'm not sure. You'll see how bad from the budwood. I'm going to try putting it onto M26 in spring which appears to be the most happy in my soil and see if I can get better performance from it.