In a old stake , I laud the merit ofcolumnar apple treesand outlined my plans to add some to my own garden this retiring outflow . Well , my married man and I followed through with our architectural plan and added four columniform apple trees to the bed around the edge of our patio . There ’s a run-in of boxwoods already planted there , and we planted one orchard apple tree tree diagram between every few boxwood for a sum of four Modern yield trees .
I was curious to see how well the tree would adjust , especially since they were n’t plant until mid - May and they were bare - root specimen that had been hold in cold storehouse for far longer than they should have been . Typically , simple - stem fruit trees are purchase and planted in March and April here in USDA zone 6 , but fourth dimension let away from us and I draw a blank to order them . I end up mentioning it in go on to a friend who own a local garden substance , and he said he had some in stale depot ; his nursery manager had forgotten to pot them up and they were just posture there , waiting for a new home . I convey him up on his offer of a “ good stack ” and planted them ( with fingerbreadth crossed ! ) the 2nd week of May .
The arm were still whippy , so I knew the trees were still alive . I soaked the roots in tepid water overnight and engraft them the next morning . These special Tree are extra unique , as they ’re grafted columnars that have bud from three different columniform varietiesgraftedonto the same tree trunk . Rather than growing as a unmarried , straight spire — as traditional columnar apples do — these trees will develop three tall , straight , minute spire out of the same proboscis , and each steeple will bear a different variety . Golden Sentinel , Scarlet Sentinel and North Pole are the three columnlike assortment graft onto each one of our new trees . Unfortunately , after a quick net search , I could n’t get hold an on-line origin for the same kind of graft columnar apple Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree that I have , but you may check over with your own local nursery or on-line fruit specialists to see what they have usable .
The main benefit to these multi - variety columnar apples is that each one of the three different branches can pollinate the other two . All Malus pumila require a hybridization - pollinator of a different , compatible mixed bag , and tree diagram with multiple salmagundi grafted onto the same plant will be capable to cross-pollinate themselves , as long as two or more of the different variety ’s branch are in flush at the same meter . This means you’re able to still get fruit , without having to have a separate pollinator tree , and that ’s just intelligence for gardeners with limited space . With our four new , multi - variety columnar Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and our two regular apple Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , we should have muckle of cross - pollenation fall out every spring .
Much to my surprise , about two weeks after we planted our new columniform Malus pumila , the trees began to flower . There were several dozen bloom of youth on each tree diagram , and I really hated draw them all off before they bring on fruit . I desire to permit the tree put all their energy into produce a good etymon system their first twelvemonth , rather than producing fruit . But , I could n’t help myself , and I did tolerate one apple to grow and reach maturity , just to see how it would do . As shortly as the Malus pumila was as big as a dime bag , I covered it with a nylon footie and used a equipment - association to fasten it firmly around the stem . The footie stayed on the entire season , until the apple was ready to glean in previous September . The cloth kept thecoddling mothsand apple maggot flies from impress the yield and protected it from other fruit - munching pest . As a result , we got one nigh - perfect apple from our newfangled trees , and my husband , my Logos , and I each had a third of the apple . It was delicious !
I ca n’t wait for next class when , with any hazard , all four of the trees will be charge with pleasant-tasting fruit . I guess I better contrive a trip to the shoe store for some more nylon footies .
