I'm starting this thread because I'm so impressed by the hop thread, shows that people on this forum do like to grow stuff.
It's now the time of year when you need to plan new cider apple trees. If you want to raise your own trees it is a good time to sow apple seeds for rootstocks. You can use seeds from any apple core, the seeds need to be dark brown. If you live in an area that gets frosts just sow them 5-10 mm deep in potting mix in a 20cm pot, leave out in the frost in a shady place and keep moist. In a couple of months the seedlings come up, pot them into individual pots with a little osmocote and keep watered in a sunny place - easy. By next winter the should be big enough to graft onto.
Grafting with a cleft graft is pretty easy, choose some scion wood the same size as the base of the rootstock. With a stanley knife, chop the rootstock off square a few cm above the soil, then cut a slice vertical about 1.5cm down the middle. Trim the scion cutting into a deep v shape, also about 1.5cm deep, and slide the scion wedge into the slice in the rootstock, try to line the bark up. Now wrap it up tight with some plumbers thread tape and bury the whole graft with potting mix. Keep watered in a humid place with a few hours sun per day until the scion shoots off, then move to a more sunny place. After you have done the graft avoid bumping or disturbing the plant. You collect the scion cuttings in july/august and do the grafting in late august/early september. Cider scion wood is available from the Orange agricultural institute or any cider orchard.
If you want to buy cider trees you should be enquiring now. There are a few heritage apple nurseries that sell cider trees. I bought some 2 years ago from strezlecki heritage apples but wasn't impressed. A couple died and others didn't grow well. I used to buy trees from "badger's keep" and never lost one but they are closed now. It is best to buy high tannin varieties, bittersweet or bittersharp. The best varieties are the late ripening ones like dabinett, yarlington mill, somerset redstreak or kingston black. I prefer to grow the early harvest ones because I have problems with birds and fruit fly, and the earlier I can harvest the better. Varieties are Improved foxwhelp, tremlett's bitter and breakwell's seedling. For blending with high tannin varieties you can use high acid cookers like grannysmith.
I don't know of any suppliers for perry pears, but you can get scion wood from Orange. Raising rootstock and grafting is the same as for apples.
Growing cider trees is a lot easier than winegrapes. You don't have all the pruning and spraying, especially if you live in a dry inland location. You have to watch out for vertebrate pests - rabbits, hares, wallabies, possums, birds, fruitbats etc, but I never spray or prune my trees and they are always really healthy. Just occasional fertilising and weedspray is all that is required, until you get to harvest time when the work starts. I would like to encourage people to get into growing cider apples, any questions or comments welcome.
Greg
It's now the time of year when you need to plan new cider apple trees. If you want to raise your own trees it is a good time to sow apple seeds for rootstocks. You can use seeds from any apple core, the seeds need to be dark brown. If you live in an area that gets frosts just sow them 5-10 mm deep in potting mix in a 20cm pot, leave out in the frost in a shady place and keep moist. In a couple of months the seedlings come up, pot them into individual pots with a little osmocote and keep watered in a sunny place - easy. By next winter the should be big enough to graft onto.
Grafting with a cleft graft is pretty easy, choose some scion wood the same size as the base of the rootstock. With a stanley knife, chop the rootstock off square a few cm above the soil, then cut a slice vertical about 1.5cm down the middle. Trim the scion cutting into a deep v shape, also about 1.5cm deep, and slide the scion wedge into the slice in the rootstock, try to line the bark up. Now wrap it up tight with some plumbers thread tape and bury the whole graft with potting mix. Keep watered in a humid place with a few hours sun per day until the scion shoots off, then move to a more sunny place. After you have done the graft avoid bumping or disturbing the plant. You collect the scion cuttings in july/august and do the grafting in late august/early september. Cider scion wood is available from the Orange agricultural institute or any cider orchard.
If you want to buy cider trees you should be enquiring now. There are a few heritage apple nurseries that sell cider trees. I bought some 2 years ago from strezlecki heritage apples but wasn't impressed. A couple died and others didn't grow well. I used to buy trees from "badger's keep" and never lost one but they are closed now. It is best to buy high tannin varieties, bittersweet or bittersharp. The best varieties are the late ripening ones like dabinett, yarlington mill, somerset redstreak or kingston black. I prefer to grow the early harvest ones because I have problems with birds and fruit fly, and the earlier I can harvest the better. Varieties are Improved foxwhelp, tremlett's bitter and breakwell's seedling. For blending with high tannin varieties you can use high acid cookers like grannysmith.
I don't know of any suppliers for perry pears, but you can get scion wood from Orange. Raising rootstock and grafting is the same as for apples.
Growing cider trees is a lot easier than winegrapes. You don't have all the pruning and spraying, especially if you live in a dry inland location. You have to watch out for vertebrate pests - rabbits, hares, wallabies, possums, birds, fruitbats etc, but I never spray or prune my trees and they are always really healthy. Just occasional fertilising and weedspray is all that is required, until you get to harvest time when the work starts. I would like to encourage people to get into growing cider apples, any questions or comments welcome.
Greg
