hi: we have an apple tree that was here when we moved, and it produces beautiful apples that are fairly sweet and juicy, with a little hint of tart. is there a way to find out what the variety of apple is? thanks from Fort St John
Ideally 6 sample fruits would be shown to an expert who could smell and taste them. I think there are fruit shows held up there once per year, that is the kind of event where you could try finding out what you have. There may be information elsewhere on this or a linked site. Otherwise you would have to try a nursery or orchard.
Well, in Fort St. John, B.C., the choices of hardy apples would be somewhat limited (being in zone 2B, or possibly 3, depending where exactly you are), similar to or slightly more limited than here. Based on the apple shape, colour and season... and the relatively limited possibilities... it looks a lot like 'Norland' to me (which is one of the apples in our yard). You can read about other possibilities at the catalogue sites for nurseries that deal in prairie-hardy fruit trees, such as these: one:http://www.boughennurseries.com/catalogue.htm http://www.mordennurseries.ca/ (By the way, there's no need to stake a relatively mature tree... some would argue whether it's even advisable to stake a newly planted one.)
thanks the stake is there to straighten the tree a bit, it was leaning towards the fence and I use old fire hoses which are great because they are very strong and don't damage the tree
Many propagations planted today are grafted onto dwarfing rootstocks often unable to hold up the scion as it grows larger and heavier. Permanent support may be required to prevent such specimens leaning over in time.
