Growing Apple Trees From Seed
Dear Michael,
I really appreciate the resource you provide. I’m a novice gardener and would like to learn more about growing an apple tree from seeds. There’s a tree here that produces the ugliest, tastiest apples I’ve ever come across. The trees are about 40 years old, I think, and no one in this area (Provo, UT) seems to know what they are. They’re firm, about half green and half red, and taste like a crisper Granny Smith. I’m relocating to Idaho, and would like to take them with me. I have seeds, but how do you start a tree? Is it like growing anything else? How would I go about this? I would really appreciate any information you could give me.
Sincerely,
Shaun Dustin
Firth, ID

Dear Shaun,
Without a picture, its hard to tell, but the variety you describe sounds much like Wolf River. To quote Creighton Lee Calhoun, Jr.’s wonderful Old Southern Apples: “Wolf River originated with William A Springer, a Quebec lumberman. About 1856, Mr. Springer moved his family by wagon from Canada to Wisconsin. On the way, on the shore of Lake Erie, he bought a bushel of large apples, probably Alexander. Mr. Springer saved some seeds and planted them when he reached his farm, which was located on a little stream called Wolf River near Fremont Wisconsin. Wolf River originated from one of these seeds... the fruits are large to very large...often irregular...angular and ribbed; the skin is pale yellow or greenish...with splashes of red.” Not only does this description fit the apple in question pretty well, but the story of how the variety came about illustrates the difficulty in growing apples from seeds. As each apple is a product of a random cross-pollination, the only way to assure getting the same variety is to take a slip of your tree and start a new one from the graft. While this sounds complicated, it really isn’t, and there are dozens of good guides out there that can take you step by step through this process.

Pruning Apricots
Dear Michael,
I purchased six fruit trees when I moved to Sun City. The yard is small so I received assurances that the trees were all dwarfs. Well, my apricot tree is nearly 12 feet tall now and much too big for the yard. If I cut it back all the way to the main trunk will it still live, and can I keep cutting to make it even smaller?
Evelyn
Sun City, CA

Dear Evelyn,
You certainly can’t prune the tree to a single trunk (or worse yet, cut it to the ground) without irrevocably damaging its shape. What you can do however is prune back the lateral braches severely. Remove all braches that grow through the tree, and not directly outward, as well as cutting back the tip growth substantially. This is not the recommended of pruning apricots, as the harvest will be considerably reduced, but it is better than cutting down the tree entirely.

Spraying With Dormant Oil
Dear Michael,
Can you tell me when it’s too late to spray fruit trees (apple, pear, plum, peach) with dormant oil and lime sulfur? Can they be sprayed together?
Rob Jepp
Georgetown, CA

Dear Rob,
True to its name, dormant oil should be applied when the trees are dormant, that is, when they haven’t yet produced leaves. The process works by actually suffocating any pests with oil, but the oil will also choke the leaves if they are present at spraying. Hence, spraying should typically be done in the very early spring. Sulfur, or lime sulfur, is used to control certain types of diseases, such as scab and leaf curl; it, too, should be applied when the trees are dormant. Neither product should be used above 85?F. Although sulfur and dormant oil are typically applied in the same season, I have never combined the two substances, and I would check with your local agricultural extension office or the product manufacturers before doing so, as interactions between chemicals can potentially negate the benefits of either element or, worse — prove harmful to yourself or the trees.

Growing Fruit Trees From Seed
Dear Michael,
Is it possible to grow cuttings from a fruit tree, and do I have to have two of them to cross pollinate to get fruit? Thank you for your time
Mike
San Diego, CA

Dear Mike,
In general, fruit trees like apples; peaches and pears are grown through a process of grafting specially selected stems on specific rootstock. Though not difficult, it’s a bit of a fine art and not usually something for the beginner. There are some exceptions to this rule though; citrus is one family that roots readily from cuttings.
As for having to have more than one tree to cross-pollinate, again the answer varies. Certain species require two or more trees, others don’t, though in general, the more trees available to supply pollen, the better your chances of a good harvest. My best advice would be to contact your local agricultural extension office and inquire about the specific varieties you’re thinking about growing.

Moving Grape Vines
Dear Michael,
This past autumn I purchased several varietal grape vines from an upstate mail-order supplier. I planted them in a garden I have access to here in the Bronx. Unfortunately for me, the house and garden are being sold in the next few weeks and I'm wondering what to do with the vines. I'd like to try and dig one of them up and plant it in the container garden on my patio. I have a large 24-inch pot I'm hoping will do the trick. Do you have any suggestions that might make this go as smoothly as possible? Is it foolish to even try? I hope not!
Louis Hamilton
Bronx, New York

Dear Louis,
My first suggestion is to do the transplanting as quickly as possible. Vines must be moved while they are still dormant. But since the plants are so young, you shouldn’t have any problem getting them out of the ground. Try at all cost to avoid cutting any roots or breaking the stems: grapes have a tendency to “bleed” once the weather has warmed sufficiently to make the sap flow. A single 24-inch pot will not be sufficient for several vines. Ideally, each vine should be placed in its own container. Keep the plants well-watered but hold off fertilizing them until early summer, when the vines have had a chance to become well-established and the leaves have come out. Be sure also to provide some means of climbing support.
Best, Michael

Raspberry Woes
Dear Michael,
My wife and I used to have great success with raspberries (as well as strawberries and blueberries) at our old home 90 miles north of where we currently live. Our fortunes have changed. We planted nice starts last spring in well-amended soil and they did fine until mid-April of this year. Several plants withered and died and nearly all of the other new growth was covered with closely-spaced circular orange spots. As the orange spots grew worse, the leaves began to fall apart. The books I’ve consulted say that this is orange rust, probably endemic to the neighboring blackberries which grow wild in nearly unassailable profusion. The books also say, rather gloomily, that this is a terminal disease and that all roots and shoots need to be rooted out and burned (which would involve destroying several square miles of wild blackberries in the neighboring area). The sources recommend planting strains of berries resistant to the disease.
1) Does the diagnosis seem correct?
2) Is there anything to be done to save our current well-established plants (new growth looks good and is flowering abundantly)?
3) If we need to raze the bed, can you recommend strains that are resistant to orange blight?
Sincerely,
Kurt Knutson
Vancouver, WA

Dear Kurt,
From your description, the diagnosis does seem to be correct, and I am afraid that there is not much to be done except remove the afflicted plants completely at the first sign of the disease. Although the plant may produce new growth later in the season, the disease is progressive and will eventually weaken the plant to the point of death. While the black and purple raspberries are often affected, interestingly the red variety is usually not, so I would concentrate on this type. Among the many varieties available, I would recommend the following, which are vigorous, productive and have shown good disease resistance: 'Algonquin', 'Anelma', 'Amber', 'Boyne', 'Festival', 'Taylor', 'Titan' and 'Tulameen'.

Pruning Raspberries
Dear Michael,
I need some pruning wisdom for a leisure-time gardener. I have a small garden. I also do some volunteer work with a group called Earthworks, which is a nonprofit in the Boston area that plants fruit in urban public places. My question is about raspberries. I need more information about how and when to prune them. How far down do I go? And I’m confused about when selecting between the different “bearing” varieties. It seems like some are bearing, ever-bearing, never-bearing—maybe they’re overbearing raspberries. I don’t know if there are different rules of green thumb to prune them by.
Lynn
Somerville, MA

Dear Lynn
For starters, you want to pick up a copy of Stella Otto’s wonderful book The Backyard Berry Book. It’s one of the best on the subject, with detailed instructions and illustrations on exactly how to prune raspberries and other fruits. In general though, the key to good berry production is yearly removal of older, non-bearing canes. While quite simple to do, choosing when to do this can be a little confusing as the timing depends on the varieties you grow. According to Wyman’s Gardening Encyclopedia, “Pruning is done after fruiting in the late summer for the one-crop varieties, or in the fall, winter, or early spring for the two-crop or ever-bearing varieties. But they bear best on 1-year-old growth.”

Transplanting Raspberries
Dear Michael,
We moved into our property last December. We’ve since discovered that the previous owner planted red raspberries, and they bore fruit this past June. We want to build a good trellis system for the berries, which means moving them. The canes that bore this year will be cut. The new cane growth this year has been cut back once. When can we transplant the raspberries?
Claire Amick
Boalsburg, PA

Dear Claire,
Early spring, before the plants leaf out, is generally the best time to plant or transplant raspberries, though you can do it in the fall too, just after the leaves drop, as long as your winters are fairly mild. Since the berries will remain in that bed for many years, make sure you prepare the soil especially well before you plant, cultivating deeply and adding a good amount of organic material.