Hi Group,

I'm a first time poster on here so go easy on me ok.

Approx 30 years ago when I was about 10 years old I planted some apple pips
and the last 3 years there has been apples growing on one of them and are
very tasty, what I want to know is, is this rare to have apples grow on a
tree that was planted from a pip? I was told it is and if you can manage to
do it you can name the apples after yourself.

Am I being led up the garden path or is there some truth in it?

Thank's.

"Bigfoot" wrote:

is this rare to have apples grow on a
tree that was planted from a pip? I was told it is and if you can manage to
do it you can name the apples after yourself.

Sort of: Apple pips will almost surely produce trees that will produce
apples. There is so much genetic variation that most of these will be
(quickly consults American-English dictionary) rubbish, suitable only for
cider. But this is how new varieties are made, either by intentional cross
pollination or by luck. You'll see the history of a lot of older apples
described as "Chance seedling, found in Farmer Brown's orchard." That's
why commercial apple trees are always grafted- known good stock onto
seedling roots (or one of many dwarfing rootstocks).

Am I being led up the garden path or is there some truth in it?

You've got something unique, and if it's good to eat as well, you can name
it as you wish. As for the garden path, I spend so much time being led
there it needs re-paving!

Good luck!


Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at www.albany.net/~gwoods
Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1200' elevation. NY WO G

I'm no expert but I believe that any named variety of apple nowadays is
produced
by grafting an apple stem onto an appropriate rootstock ( plum, is it? ).
The rootstock
determines how big the tree gets, as well as ( oddly in my view ) making it
more
vigorous. I have several apple trees in my garden, and I believe they were
all grown
from pips. Accordingly, my "James Grieve" is not really a "James Grieve" if
I under-
stand things right. Nevertheless it does produce apples aplenty, though poor
pruning,
lack of timely thinning, and pests mean I've not had a quality crop from it
( hoping for
better this year ). I beleive I read somewhere that you ought to be able to
make out
the grafting scar just above the ground on a proper named variety.
As for naming the variety after yourself, I have no idea; doesn't
seem likely, does it?

Andy.

"Bigfoot" wrote in message
...
Hi Group,

I'm a first time poster on here so go easy on me ok.

Approx 30 years ago when I was about 10 years old I planted some apple
pips
and the last 3 years there has been apples growing on one of them and are
very tasty, what I want to know is, is this rare to have apples grow on a
tree that was planted from a pip? I was told it is and if you can manage
to
do it you can name the apples after yourself.

Am I being led up the garden path or is there some truth in it?

Thank's.

In article ,
Gary Woods wrote:
"Bigfoot" wrote:

is this rare to have apples grow on a
tree that was planted from a pip? I was told it is and if you can manage to
do it you can name the apples after yourself.

Sort of: Apple pips will almost surely produce trees that will produce
apples. There is so much genetic variation that most of these will be
(quickly consults American-English dictionary) rubbish, suitable only for
cider. But this is how new varieties are made, either by intentional cross
pollination or by luck. You'll see the history of a lot of older apples
described as "Chance seedling, found in Farmer Brown's orchard." That's
why commercial apple trees are always grafted- known good stock onto
seedling roots (or one of many dwarfing rootstocks).

Not to say the best cooking apple of all time - Bramley's Seedling!

Am I being led up the garden path or is there some truth in it?

You've got something unique, and if it's good to eat as well, you can name
it as you wish. As for the garden path, I spend so much time being led
there it needs re-paving!

Precisely. If the apple really is a good one, then it is worth naming
and propagating. It may even have some marketable value as a new
variety, but that is extremely unlikely.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

(Nick Maclaren) wrote in
:

Not to say the best cooking apple of all time - Bramley's Seedling!

Howgate Wonder.....
YUM!!!

But my problem is that no matter how many pips I save....none ever
germinate....
ARGH!!!!

Bigfoot wrote in message ...
Hi Group,

I'm a first time poster on here so go easy on me ok.

Approx 30 years ago when I was about 10 years old I planted some apple pips
and the last 3 years there has been apples growing on one of them and are
very tasty, what I want to know is, is this rare to have apples grow on a
tree that was planted from a pip? I was told it is and if you can manage
to
do it you can name the apples after yourself.

Am I being led up the garden path or is there some truth in it?


If you've grown it from a pip it may well be unique, though it's
also possible that it's effectively the same as another variety
that's already named. Take a few examples along to a
local 'apple day' this autumn, or pay Brogdale to see if they
can identify it.

www.brogdale.org.uk/

--
Anton

"Gary wrote in message :

is this rare to have apples grow on a
tree that was planted from a pip? I was told it is and if you can manage
to
do it you can name the apples after yourself.

Sort of: Apple pips will almost surely produce trees that will produce
apples. There is so much genetic variation that most of these will be
(quickly consults American-English dictionary) rubbish, suitable only for
cider. But this is how new varieties are made, either by intentional
cross
pollination or by luck. You'll see the history of a lot of older apples
described as "Chance seedling, found in Farmer Brown's orchard." That's
why commercial apple trees are always grafted- known good stock onto
seedling roots (or one of many dwarfing rootstocks).

Gary, while we are talking apples, is it true they don't grow "cooking
apple" trees like Bramley and Arthur Turner in the US? You simply use
ordinary eating apples if you want to cook apples, make a pie, etc.

Next time I'm in Bramley I'll have to look out for that tree, the original
is still alive I understand.

--
Bob

www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an Allotment site in
Runnymede fighting for it's existence.

"Sue & Bob Hobden" wrote:

Gary, while we are talking apples, is it true they don't grow "cooking
apple" trees like Bramley and Arthur Turner in the US?

No.... cooking apples are certainly grown and available: "Granny Smith"
and "Greening" come to mind, but I'm sure there are more.

The bigger problem is that the emphasis is on productivity, storage life,
and above all, appearance at the market. These are NOT the same as good
taste! I don't know if it ever made it across the pond, but I learned last
summer (at the Seed Saver's Exchange annual campout/meeting in Iowa) about
a marvelous book: "Apples and Man," which is about just that, with mention
of old varieties in disfavor for market reasons. A bonus was that I had
met the author some years ago. I found the book at one of the online used
booksellers. I've got some scionwood awaiting the ascent of sap in the old
trees on a boundary wall (The old farmers had to put the stones
_somewhere_!) to have a try. All I know so far is that the new grafting
knife is really, really sharp. And that cuts from it, being very cleanly
made, heal quickly!

Spring has arrived in the colonies, and not a moment too soon!


Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at www.albany.net/~gwoods
Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1200' elevation. NY WO G