My son planted the seeds of a Gala apple about six or seven ago, and wonder
of wonders- the things actually grew! (In a corner where I can barely keep
other things alive!) The tree is about 9 feet tall at it's highest tip,
and there are actually about three small saplings, woven together.
While it is a lovely thing now, and I know he is a VERY proud gardener, :-)
I wondered if he would ever truly see the 'FRUITS' of his labour, in having
the darn thing grow apples!? I heard that you need two fruit trees to get
them to bear fruit... but is that still true, if two or three are actually
intertwined? Does our zone (5 or 6)prohibit the chance of fruit, or is it
just a 'plant another apple/fruit' tree rule?
Is there anything I can do, to help the process?
Thanks...
Janine
(With pastry and cinnamon standing by for the apples.....lol)
Hi Janine,
It's getting near the age when you might see signs of blossoms. Do you see
any blossoms yet? The reason it may take another tree is for a polinator,
and if you don't have any blossoms to polinate it won't help. If you don't
see any blossoms it may be that the tree is a little too young. I've
never grown one from seed; the ones you buy as whips sometimes produce
their first signs of being apple trees in a few years. But I don't know
how long it takes to grow those whips. I think that I got two apples from
mine in its third or fourth year.
You say other things don't grow well in that spot. Is it shady? Most
fruit bearing trees need full sun; 6 or more hours a day. In serious shade
they might not produce.
Hope this helps,
Esther
Janine Calvelli
AM
Please respond to Gardens & Gardening
Sent by: Gardens & Gardening
To: GARDENS@LSV.UKY.EDU
cc:
Subject: Gala Apple tree.
My son planted the seeds of a Gala apple about six or seven ago, and wonder
of wonders- the things actually grew! (In a corner where I can barely keep
other things alive!) The tree is about 9 feet tall at it's highest tip,
and there are actually about three small saplings, woven together.
While it is a lovely thing now, and I know he is a VERY proud gardener, :-)
I wondered if he would ever truly see the 'FRUITS' of his labour, in having
the darn thing grow apples!? I heard that you need two fruit trees to get
them to bear fruit... but is that still true, if two or three are actually
intertwined? Does our zone (5 or 6)prohibit the chance of fruit, or is it
just a 'plant another apple/fruit' tree rule?
Is there anything I can do, to help the process?
Thanks...
Janine
(With pastry and cinnamon standing by for the apples.....lol)
I've always understood that when you plant an apple seed and it grows to =
bearing size, the apples may be good or they may be bad, but they won't be =
like the apples from the original tree.
Gerry Strey
Madison, Wisconsin
That would be Rambo, the variety Johnny Appleseed flang to the winds during
his perambulating journeys. An heirloom tree company sells Rambo trees,
grown from scions or from scions of scions removed, I think, from the last
surviving Johnny Appleseed tree. We bought a couple of them and donated
them to the Idaho Botanical Garden. It's perilously close to mule deer
wintering range, so they might not have made it. I hope so,
though. Margaret L
> Have you ever tasted these Rambo apples, Margaret? If so, how do they
> compare to the hybrids?
No, I have not tasted them, but I doubt if he would have put that much
effort into distributing the seeds of an inferior apple....
1996. Somewhere in Ohio. Ashland County. Run a search under "Famous and
historic trees". Margaret
Haven't you heard "I'm a rambo wreck from Georgia Tech..." ;-))) Margaret
L (who needs brute force when they've got a Trojan horce?)
Good point, I shoulda thought of that after my visit to the antique apple
orchards at Tower Hill here in MA. They use the scion wood (upward 1 or 2
year old shoots from the branches for the non-technical) to graft to root
stock. Duh...
There are probably heirloom apples somewhere that could be grown from seed
but I don't have a clue as to what they would be.
Esther
Gerry Strey
02:20:52 PM
Please respond to Gardens & Gardening
Sent by: Gardens & Gardening
To: GARDENS@LSV.UKY.EDU
cc:
Subject: Re: Gala Apple tree.
I've always understood that when you plant an apple seed and it grows to
bearing size, the apples may be good or they may be bad, but they won't be
like the apples from the original tree.
Gerry Strey
Madison, Wisconsin
Have you ever tasted these Rambo apples, Margaret? If so, how do they
compare to the hybrids? We used to have an ancient apple behind the house
in the cow pasture woods. It had the sweetest, juiciest apples I ever
tasted. It died before I learned about grafting, so it's lost to me
forever, unless it could have been a Rambo. I always called it my Johnny
Appleseed tree because I figured it was old enough to be one! When did the
last Johnny Appleseed tree die?
Lee Ann, who spent many days as a child roaming the woods trying to find a
Johnny Appleseed tree, and thinking every wild one was one....
That would be Rambo, the variety Johnny Appleseed flang to the winds during
his perambulating journeys. An heirloom tree company sells Rambo trees,
grown from scions or from scions of scions removed, I think, from the last
surviving Johnny Appleseed tree. We bought a couple of them and donated
them to the Idaho Botanical Garden. It's perilously close to mule deer
wintering range, so they might not have made it. I hope so,
though. Margaret L
Rambo? Really? I wonder where that name came from? Did I miss a greek
hero or something
Esther
who thought that name was invented for Arnold
> I wondered if he would ever truly see the 'FRUITS' of his labour, in having
> the darn thing grow apples!?
- > you have a Gala seedling tree and not a Gala tree
- > we do not know how offspring will look like, taste etc .. only time
will show what was in the genes.
- > time ... there is something we call 'juvenil periode' - that means the
periode from it germinated til it will blossom and bear fruit standing on
it own root - for apples that can be up to 20 years! !!!
- > pollination - yes correct - it normally need two in appples two - and
it has to be two different ones - very few are self fertil - but this we do
not kow about your seedling variety.
- > if there are other apples trees in neighbourhood that might very often
be good enough in fact.
- > you may try to force it over to bearing by grafting shoot from the tree
over to a rootstock suitable for your area - I would contact a nursey about
this and got advise and help from them in this.
--- would be very fun if they really were something much worth - good
tasting and looking etc - there are no reason why it should not - but it is
a lottery ..
Arnhild - Hardanger in Norway
> Apples don't produce true to type from seed, and need to be 'vegetatively'
> propagated. You may get some fruit but they will small and rock hard,
> certainly inedible. It may end up a good blossom tree for a few years
> though.
-> no John .. and Janine et all .. it is not for sure they will be small
and rock hard! This is in fact how we make new varietie - crosses, and see
what the seeds give - most are useless - but that may come something worht
take care of - 1 of 1000 or 10000 ... but there is a hope ...
... it is like with hosta .. you may plant 1000 seeds and one will be a new
exciting varigated - the rest are green.
Arnhild - Hardanger in Norway
Hi Esther,
Mercy! Rambo was played by Sly Stone. I don't know if he
wrote the script or not, but he did write the one for Rocky.
My, my. Was he ever handsome in those flicks. :)
Best,
June
Janine Calvelli
Sent by: Gardens & Gardening
05/03/01 01:57 AM
Please respond to Gardens & Gardening
To: GARDENS@LSV.UKY.EDU
cc:
Subject: Gala Apple tree.
My son planted the seeds of a Gala apple about six or seven ago, and
wonder
of wonders- the things actually grew! (In a corner where I can barely keep
other things alive!) The tree is about 9 feet tall at it's highest tip,
and there are actually about three small saplings, woven together.
While it is a lovely thing now, and I know he is a VERY proud gardener,
:-)
I wondered if he would ever truly see the 'FRUITS' of his labour, in
having
the darn thing grow apples!? I heard that you need two fruit trees to get
them to bear fruit... but is that still true, if two or three are actually
intertwined? Does our zone (5 or 6)prohibit the chance of fruit, or is it
just a 'plant another apple/fruit' tree rule?
Is there anything I can do, to help the process
Thanks...
Janine
(With pastry and cinnamon standing by for the apples.....lol)
Apples don't produce true to type from seed, and need to be 'vegetatively'
propagated. You may get some fruit but they will small and rock hard,
certainly inedible. It may end up a good blossom tree for a few years
though.
John
Arnhild Bleie
Sent by: Gardens & Gardening
05/03/01 02:46 PM
Please respond to Gardens & Gardening
To: GARDENS@LSV.UKY.EDU
cc:
Subject: Re: Gala Apple tree.
> Apples don't produce true to type from seed, and need to be
'vegetatively'
> propagated. You may get some fruit but they will small and rock hard,
> certainly inedible. It may end up a good blossom tree for a few years
> though.
-> no John .. and Janine et all .. it is not for sure they will be
small
and rock hard! This is in fact how we make new varietie - crosses, and see
what the seeds give - most are useless - but that may come something worht
take care of - 1 of 1000 or 10000 ... but there is a hope ...
... it is like with hosta .. you may plant 1000 seeds and one will be a new
exciting varigated - the rest are green.
Arnhild - Hardanger in Norway
I wouldn't take those odds on a horse race Arnhild. :)
John
Well now... you people don't exactly agree all the time, do you?
I never held out much faith that this feat of childhood hope... WOULD bear
fruit... but it's nice to have a 'glimmer' of hope now, that we could see
lovely apple blossoms, someday at least!
If there's fruit, all the better... but I won't hold my breath!
Thanks for the info... it's very interesting, especially, to hear how long
fruit trees can be 'juviniles'... kinda like some MEN I know, LOL...
maybe there's hope for them too?
Again... no breath holding in the general vicinity...
;-)
You're all invited in twenty years, for the first apple pie...
though it sounds like it will need a LOT of ice cream to make it palatable!
Thanks again...
Janine
Janine Calvelli
Sent by: Gardens & Gardening
05/04/01 01:27 PM
Please respond to Gardens & Gardening
To: GARDENS@LSV.UKY.EDU
cc:
Subject: Re: Gala Apple tree.
Well now... you people don't exactly agree all the time, do you?
I never held out much faith that this feat of childhood hope... WOULD bear
fruit... but it's nice to have a 'glimmer' of hope now, that we could see
lovely apple blossoms, someday at least!
If there's fruit, all the better... but I won't hold my breath!
Thanks for the info... it's very interesting, especially, to hear how long
fruit trees can be 'juviniles'... kinda like some MEN I know, LOL...
maybe there's hope for them too?
Again... no breath holding in the general vicinity...
;-)
You're all invited in twenty years, for the first apple pie...
though it sounds like it will need a LOT of ice cream to make it
palatable!
Thanks again...
Janine
Might have given you a bum steer on the blossoms Janine. You need blossoms
to make fruit. So if it hasn't blossomed it won't fruit. What Arnhild said
about natural hybridisation can happen, but you need a flower.
John
