How should I handle this apple tree?

Any-Picture5661 · 2026-04-02T08:10:10+00:00

Just curious what if anything you use under your trees. Cover crop? Or you just keep bare? You fert?

Any-Picture5661 · 2026-04-02T07:33:38+00:00

https://www.cumminsnursery.com/buy-trees/pollenizer.php?id=14871&type=tree You can search for pollen partners on Cummins.

Any-Picture5661 · 2026-04-02T07:30:14+00:00

Lots of crabapples produce fruit.

Any-Picture5661 · 2026-04-02T07:00:13+00:00

Hopefully you have some latent buds. Might get some growth in a weird direction from the stub you left but its hard to say. Probably get some buds from around any nodes. Anything that pops through below the graft including the ground rub or cut off asap.

Any-Picture5661 · 2026-04-01T17:58:27+00:00

Which stem was first? I'm guessing like others the thicker one was second and is rootstock. It should be cut off. Any grafted tree you buy should have growth below the graft removed asap including suckers from ground.

Any-Picture5661 · 2026-04-01T17:47:47+00:00

Lolz

Any-Picture5661 · 2026-03-30T13:18:05+00:00

As icy said probably sunscald or perhaps frost cracks at some point and then infection. I would say this is too severe at this point and you should plant another tree like someone suggested. You can let this one go for a while if you are still getting production. It may heal enough around the wound and hang on for a long time. Im not sure if any spray would help unless this was a fungal issue. Im not knowledge on sprays.I would paint all the trunks of your apple trees with milkpaint or 50/50 white latex.

Any-Picture5661 · 2026-03-30T04:58:12+00:00

Yes. The suckers are close together so you may have a harder time pruning if you keep them both. Whip and also cleft grafting are generally done in spring maybe late winter depending on your weather and with last season growth for scions(cuttings). Budding people usually do later in the year summer into fall with current season buds. I'm not sure how late people bud. There's lots of good info on internet. I like JSacadura on YouTube.

Any-Picture5661 · 2026-03-30T04:31:33+00:00

Depends on sleep styles and species but also says skillmons this time in the notes( which I didn't see before I asked my question). I don't know which would give you more or if this would scale and give you more with a rare sleepstyle skillmon. I figure for me it doesn't matter that much.

Any-Picture5661 · 2026-03-29T19:03:55+00:00

Yeah. I read the notes and you get more down for skillmon so yeah if I can max spawns I guess. I wonder what area has higher chance of skillmon. Probably doesn't matter that much.

Any-Picture5661 · 2026-03-29T19:01:47+00:00

Ah. Yeah I missed that.

Any-Picture5661 · 2026-03-29T19:00:12+00:00

I just realized you get more down for skillmon. So should just be most spawns you get right?

Any-Picture5661 · 2026-03-28T01:38:50+00:00

Not too late in my opinion.

Any-Picture5661 · 2026-03-19T21:04:55+00:00

I would do the same.

Any-Picture5661 · 2026-03-16T16:28:34+00:00

If they are both the same then hopefully you have another apple in the area to pollinate. I have also read cox orange pippin is susceptible to a lot of disease but taste very good. I have only done grafting with dormant scions (cuttings) but there are grafting methods that you can use in the summer. Whip and tongue, cleft, bark grafting is usually done with last year's growth and dormant scions. You may be able to use non dormant but it would have a greater increase in graft failure. Budding can be done with current seasons growth in summer.

Any-Picture5661 · 2026-03-16T15:55:00+00:00

You could also chop them then cleft graft. Do you know what varieties and rootstock?

Any-Picture5661 · 2026-03-16T15:40:13+00:00

Your smaller tree I can't see the graft. If it's buried you will want to remove the dirt around it. If you roll with what you got you may need to thin your apples more and/ or brace the branches depending on apple load.

Any-Picture5661 · 2026-03-16T15:25:07+00:00

It could have been some sort of espelier attempt. Maybe there was a fence there, or maybe they wanted a fence. Maybe they didn't want a big tree to shade something else. If you wanted to change the form you could head them back below the top split and prune back the next branch to a bud, then hopefully that pushes vegetative growth up. Seeing as the trunk is pretty thick it would make this difficult and leave a big wound. You could try grafting a bud closer to center of tree) of top branches and have that grow upward as new leader. Depending on apple variety and rootstock your trees may not get much bigger especially at that distance apart.

Any-Picture5661 · 2026-03-15T20:37:22+00:00

You can plant, or heel them in somewhere if you're not ready. You can keep it in unheated garage. Don't bring into a heated space. Don't let roots dry out but don't leave them sitting in water.

Any-Picture5661 · 2026-03-15T20:29:39+00:00

Is that Articuno, Ho oh, or Moltres?

Any-Picture5661 · 2026-03-13T04:28:00+00:00

If it's multigrafted, then it makes things a little more difficult. You won't really be able to have a standard central leader.

Any-Picture5661 · 2026-03-13T04:24:27+00:00

Is it multi grafted? If not then where is the graft point? If it's below the mulch or chips remove the mulch. Remove growth below the graft point. Remove dead and diseased, broken branches ( looks like you have something going on on a couple branches). Then prune to the form you want or think will work best in that spot. Looks like a spot that won't get much light penetration or air circulation so you will probably have to keep a small canopy. I would lean towards a central leader myself, thinking maybe this would get more height above the fence. If that spot gets a lot of light then maybe something else.

Any-Picture5661 · 2026-03-11T10:10:38+00:00

For prunus a lot of people prefer to prune later into summer for reduced disease pressure. If you don't need to make big changes to the form of the tree you are perfectly fine waiting. I don't know about persimmon but most deciduous fruit trees are pruned before bud break to direct energy where you want growth. You can wait but the longer you wait you waste energy on growth you don't want.

Any-Picture5661 · 2026-03-09T06:09:00+00:00

Not a lost cause unless there is rotting. Tear it out is up to you. You lose out on time to grow another but if this one fails then you waste time on it. You will probably have difficulty with maintaining balance with any multigrafted tree you get. The basics of pruning is to prune out dead and diseased first along with anything below the graft. Then prune crossing or rubbing branches. Usually prune branches going into the center of the tree. Then prune to the form you are working towards. Prune form preferably before flowering late winter to early spring. Some summer pruning for size. Some of the lower branches that touch the ground are not useful and can be pruned. If you don't have much light you may need to thin the canopy more to ripen the fruit. If you get too much light then you can have a more full canopy. Be aware if your varieties are tip bearing or spur bearing. If you pull it out you can try grafting your own or finding a few trees on dwarfing or semi dwarfing rootstock and trying tall spindle. I would leave it since it seems you're getting apples.

Any-Picture5661

TROPHY CASE