During Spring 2020, I applied pollen from the columnar apple, Golden Sentinel, to isolated flowers of the red flesh apple, Redlove Calypso. An apple developed. I stratified the seeds, and three germinated - a red leafed seedling, a seedling whose leaves were green / red combined, and a green leaf seedling. (Blog Post)
The leaf color is from Redlove Calypso. The red color even shows in the roots. Here.
After growing for some time, the green leaf seedling was obviously not columnar. I planted it put in the garden. The red and red-green leaf seedlings clearly have columnar trait - thicker, mostly vertical stem.
Today I noted the red/green leaf tree has two clusters of flower buds.
They look quite red. Here is the form of the tree, with no pruning.
Developers of new apple varieties, evaluate thousands of seedlings to find something special. I have no expectations for that. If this tree's flowers develop into apples, and if they are "good enough" apples, that will be good enough for me. From the flower color and the coloration of the leaves, I'm already certain the apples will have red flesh, From the tree structure, I already feel certain it will be columnar.
Daniel ...thanks so much for the update have been following this thread since your 'General Fruit Growing " blog post days. I keep about 50 different apples in containers in my back garden. I am not able to grow apples in the ground around here because of Black Walnut trees on the property. ( they release a poison called Juglone in the ground that affects certain fruit) Because of this I have been trying to hone my skills grown dwarfed apple trees in large containers the past few years. I am most interested in old English and French heritage varieties also redfleshed and columnar types ...but I have not had any redfleshed or columnars old enough to flower and cross together yet, until this coming spring. I do have some redfleshed crosses growing as seedlings like Pendragon, Pixirosso , Grenadine and Lucy glo and Lucy Rose all open pollination. I think Lucy Glo would make an interesting cross with Golden Sentinal.
ReplyDeleteSomeone traded me a scion of Maxexcell that is growing very well and has a fruit Bud on it but I think it was mislabeled ...it has very dark red pigmentation ..??? definatly a columnar. Would like to cross it in the spring with an old french type called Reinette Rouge which is a Large culinary apple with a raspberry taste and has a tiny red streak in the flesh .. thanks for you post and send an update soon ..regards Brian
Having said all of that ....is why I'm so interested in your crosses and can I ask ....how did the fruit taste?
Deletealso the colour of the flowers in bulb state very beautiful!!
REINETTE ROUGE
ReplyDeleteOrigin: Belgium, Netherlands 1830’s
Type: medium, dessert
Picking season: Late
• Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
POLLINATION : Flowering group: 4, F14
NOTES: Reinette Rouge Etoilee is a very pretty traditional apple, still grown widely across the Low Countries and northern France. It was first described in 1830 and is probably much older., and is known by many different names.
OUTSIDE: Etoile, which means "starry" may refer to flecks or lenticels which cover the red skin like little stars.
HARVEST: The apples are ripe towards the end of September and can be kept for a couple of months.
INSIDE: The white flesh is sometimes tinged with pink. It is firm and slightly dry, with a mild apple flavour (sometimes intense)
NOTES: breed with red fleshed to take advantage of red flush inside and raspberry taste
Partial tip bearing scab and mildew resistant cultivation heavy
KEEPING: with keeping flavour intensifies drier and sweeter and raspberry flavour distilled into essence !!