chickenlittle
5 year old buck +
This is the first post in a series documenting my project on columnar apple trees. Columnar trees on dwarf rootstocks have been marketed toward the backyard grower as container/patio trees, as ornamentals, and as novelties. Project W will look using columnar apple trees for an archery shot plot. I call this Project W after the man who discovered the columnar apple, Anthony Wijcik.
Columnar apple trees are derived from a Macintosh sport mutation that was found by Wijcik in 1963. The mutation produced a dwarf tree with short spur limbs around the trunk. Breeding programs have created new columnar varieties from the Wijcik Mac. Columnar trees can be planted in rows at 2 to 3 foot spacing with little pruning and potentially no staking support. Breeding programs recognize the potential for high density orchards if suitable columnar varieties are developed. I have found over 80 released varieties but most are only available in Europe. For my interest, a row of columnar trees could be planted at a preferred hunting location. Fencing would protect the trees while allowing access to dropped apples. Several varieties can be planted together to provide apples throughout the hunting seasons and to ensure pollination if there are no nearby apples or crabapples. I started researching and planning Project W in late 2014 and started work in the spring of 2015.
The first phase of Project W will evaluate up to 14 columnar varieties that are or have been available in the U.S. From a commercial nursery (Raintree), I purchased grafted trees of the 7 currently available varieties. 7 other varieties were previously available as grafted trees and will be added as I am able to obtain scionwood or budwood. These plantings will be my source of scionwood and budwood for this evaluation. Columnar varieites will be grafted onto semi-dwarf and full-size rootstocks and field tested for the shot plot application. This evaluation will include bloom time, ripening times, drop times, cold hardiness, disease resistance, etc. One shot plot site has already been populated with rootstock for future grafting. More field trial sites will be added but the number and locations remains undefined.
Since it is likely that few of these 14 columnar varieties will be successful, Project W has a longer term goal of developing new columnar varieties for this application. This will include both uncontrolled, open pollination of columnar trees and controlled crosses of columnar trees with selected non-columnar varieties. Seedlings with columnar growth will be evaluated for disease resistance, flowering time, fruit size, and drop time. Inferior seedlings will be culled as early as possible. Promising seedlings will be grafted and subjected to field trials to further define the cold hardiness and disease resistance.
I expect this to be an interesting journey. I have much to learn and do.
CL
Example of a row of columnar apple trees from a Czech researcherhttp://www.slideshare.net/fruitbree...der-day-meeting-20120207-rbiph-apple-breeding)
My shot plot with P.18 rootstock for future columnar grafts, 48" welded wire fencing placed 6 to 10" off the ground, ground sloped so that falling apples can roll out of the fence. Future box blind not shown.
Raised bed orchard with 7 grafted columnar trees, P.18 rootstock for future columnar grafts, and potted dwarf rootstock for non-columnar breeding selections.
Columnar apple trees are derived from a Macintosh sport mutation that was found by Wijcik in 1963. The mutation produced a dwarf tree with short spur limbs around the trunk. Breeding programs have created new columnar varieties from the Wijcik Mac. Columnar trees can be planted in rows at 2 to 3 foot spacing with little pruning and potentially no staking support. Breeding programs recognize the potential for high density orchards if suitable columnar varieties are developed. I have found over 80 released varieties but most are only available in Europe. For my interest, a row of columnar trees could be planted at a preferred hunting location. Fencing would protect the trees while allowing access to dropped apples. Several varieties can be planted together to provide apples throughout the hunting seasons and to ensure pollination if there are no nearby apples or crabapples. I started researching and planning Project W in late 2014 and started work in the spring of 2015.
The first phase of Project W will evaluate up to 14 columnar varieties that are or have been available in the U.S. From a commercial nursery (Raintree), I purchased grafted trees of the 7 currently available varieties. 7 other varieties were previously available as grafted trees and will be added as I am able to obtain scionwood or budwood. These plantings will be my source of scionwood and budwood for this evaluation. Columnar varieites will be grafted onto semi-dwarf and full-size rootstocks and field tested for the shot plot application. This evaluation will include bloom time, ripening times, drop times, cold hardiness, disease resistance, etc. One shot plot site has already been populated with rootstock for future grafting. More field trial sites will be added but the number and locations remains undefined.
Since it is likely that few of these 14 columnar varieties will be successful, Project W has a longer term goal of developing new columnar varieties for this application. This will include both uncontrolled, open pollination of columnar trees and controlled crosses of columnar trees with selected non-columnar varieties. Seedlings with columnar growth will be evaluated for disease resistance, flowering time, fruit size, and drop time. Inferior seedlings will be culled as early as possible. Promising seedlings will be grafted and subjected to field trials to further define the cold hardiness and disease resistance.
I expect this to be an interesting journey. I have much to learn and do.
CL
Example of a row of columnar apple trees from a Czech researcherhttp://www.slideshare.net/fruitbree...der-day-meeting-20120207-rbiph-apple-breeding)
My shot plot with P.18 rootstock for future columnar grafts, 48" welded wire fencing placed 6 to 10" off the ground, ground sloped so that falling apples can roll out of the fence. Future box blind not shown.
Raised bed orchard with 7 grafted columnar trees, P.18 rootstock for future columnar grafts, and potted dwarf rootstock for non-columnar breeding selections.
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