Author Topic: Growing apples in warmer climates. Has anyone tried this?  (Read 17919 times)

TonyinCC

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Re: Growing apples in warmer climates. Has anyone tried this?
« Reply #25 on: September 10, 2016, 02:43:16 AM »
I grew apples in a climate just as hot and humid in South Carolina. If I were you, I would try most any russet variety (Hudson's golden gem,
 russet beauty, roxbury russet,and brown russet are very good) and Pristine(small but excellent golden type)  and Ozark Gold (huge awesome golden type). They will take the heat and humidity with minimal spraying. So will the russets. Gala will have major problems with rot unless you spray constantly, If you are on a rigorous spray program Gala will be a healthy tree and make good fruit but is VERY susceptible to fruit rots before it is fully ripe. Tropic snow is the best low chill peach, IMO. Back to apples, Reverend Morgan is very good. Bramley's seedling in a hot humid climate has a near perfect sugar acid balance and is an excellent dessert apple, an Englishman would drop dead from shock with a smile on his face if he tasted a ripe one from a hot climate....A far cry from the very acid cooking apple it is in cool England. I tried growing every apple variety referenced as growing well in a warm or hot or humid environment, these were some of the best of the 25-30 I fruited. If you have questions about a specific variety,
I can tell you what its chances are before you even try planting it. Tolerance to heat and humidity will determine success or failure for a variety. My trees in SC usually held at least half of their leaves year round. Dorsett golden and Anna fruited but were inferior to any of the apples I mentioned above.

cfinley

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Re: Growing apples in warmer climates. Has anyone tried this?
« Reply #26 on: September 10, 2016, 03:41:57 AM »
The guy from Kuffle Creek came to speak at a CRFG meeting last year (or maybe 2014?) about his program setting up Apple Orchards in Uganda. One of the things I remember he said was that you can trick apple trees into hibernation by tearing off all the leaves in Autumn when they might naturally drop in colder climates. They will leaf out and bloom again in spring.

He also said that while many cold climate varieties will grow in warmer climates, they might develop a totally different taste, which isn't always that great.

LaCasaVerde

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Re: Growing apples in warmer climates. Has anyone tried this?
« Reply #27 on: October 24, 2016, 03:52:58 PM »
After reading this post and growing Anna, En Shiemer, and Golden Dorset- two points to add:

Low chill apples can second bloom/crop  in warmer climates. Mine has.

Defoliating low chill apple trees may stimulate a bloom but the more inportant reason it should be done at the onset of winter is that leaves of apple trees regardless of variety are genetically dispositioned to drop in one season when chilling requirements are met. When they are not you should always remove the leaves as these second year leaves are weaker and harbour any pest or disease from the prior summer.

SoCal2warm

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Re: Growing apples in warmer climates. Has anyone tried this?
« Reply #28 on: October 24, 2016, 05:42:57 PM »
The latest reports have shown that apples tend to be more adaptable to lower-chill areas than was previously thought. A field test by Tom Spellman of Dave Wilson Nursery showed that several apple varieties rated for 800 chill hours could grow just fine in Irvine (located in coastal Southern California, which only gets 50-100 real chill hours). The following apple varieties did surprisingly well: King Tompkins, Braeburn, Gravenstein, Cox's Orange Pippin. The trees tended to flower and set fruit throughout the year rather than a specific season.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiEEHRfAEWY


The results might have had something to do with the fact that the coastal influence has a moderating effect on temperature, and in the winter it rarely ever gets above 65 F in this region, higher temperatures being very detrimental to effective chill accumulation. In other words, the same moderating influence that prevents there from ever being any chill hours below 45 F may be, paradoxically, the same influence that allows the trees to grow well even in the absence of chill hours below 45 F.
« Last Edit: October 24, 2016, 05:46:03 PM by SoCal2warm »

Slicko

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Re: Growing apples in warmer climates. Has anyone tried this?
« Reply #29 on: November 10, 2016, 07:31:10 AM »
Hi everyone,

It's been a while since I been able to get back to this forum and I have enjoyed reading all the new responses to it. Thanks everyone for your contribution. We are almost finished spring here and my Anna and Tropical Sweet have responded to the warmer weather with gusto. Both have between 20 and 30 fruit each which I am really pleased about as will all this is only their second spring. The TS dropped quite a bit of fruit early on and the Anna had to be quite heavily thinned. With our warmer weather pests the two trees had to be netted once I got fruit set however some six or eight weeks later the Anna continues to flower and set fruit.

The Granny Smith and the Gala are in their first springtime. Both have branches that are now bent horizontal and both had all the leaves stripped in early August. Both started to bud in late October and at the moment have limited leaves and flowers as they were both slow to break dormancy. I think I may have been a bit late in defoliating and plan to go a month earlier next season. I am curious to know if they will hold fruit this season.

Mick

spaugh

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Re: Growing apples in warmer climates. Has anyone tried this?
« Reply #30 on: December 01, 2016, 04:51:33 PM »
My apple tree is in a very hot inland think dry and hot area of san diego california.  It fruits twice a year and the apples are delicious.  My 2 year old eats them everyday. 
Brad Spaugh

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Re: Growing apples in warmer climates. Has anyone tried this?
« Reply #31 on: December 06, 2016, 08:25:44 AM »
That's really cool!
I am wonderingwhat variety it is. Is it a recognised sub Tropical?
Hope you can let us know

Mick

spaugh

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Re: Growing apples in warmer climates. Has anyone tried this?
« Reply #32 on: December 30, 2016, 01:22:14 AM »
Not sure what variety it is.  I have a Fuji and it doesnt doas well as the other unknown tree.  I will post photos but they just arenflowering now.  Will have apples in a few months again. 

My neighbors all have apples and everyone gets 2 crops a year.  Any low chill type will be fine.  Im in a really hot area of SD county on a south hill fully exposed.  They need mulch and water and fertilizer and they grow easy.
Brad Spaugh

Slicko

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Re: Growing apples in warmer climates. Has anyone tried this?
« Reply #33 on: January 02, 2017, 06:01:30 AM »
I was in the garden this afternoon when I noticed that the royal gala had flushed and that it was starting to blossom. On closer attention it had set 3 small fruit. Nothing else was in flower but I had been away for a couple of weeks and it may be there were flowers on the Granny Smith. Exciting!

I also noticed that the Tropical Sweet and the Anna were setting more.blossom.

Mick

spaugh

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Re: Growing apples in warmer climates. Has anyone tried this?
« Reply #34 on: January 15, 2017, 06:59:37 PM »
My apple trees and peach tree are all blooming.  Looks like its going to be a good year with all this rain.
Brad Spaugh

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Re: Growing apples in warmer climates. Has anyone tried this?
« Reply #35 on: January 17, 2017, 01:52:36 AM »
Good luck with the fruit set, Spaugh.
The photo shows some of the fruit setting on the Gala.. quite a lot of it, actually. I was beginning to think that perhaps the Gala was not going to work. Glad to see that it is happening at last!
Mick


Jct

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Re: Growing apples in warmer climates. Has anyone tried this?
« Reply #36 on: January 22, 2017, 12:03:36 AM »
For those wishing to try apples in warmer climates, Home Depot is selling bare root apple trees for $18 in San Diego. Honeycrisp and Gala are a couple varieties that I remember. They were also selling a few 4 in 1 trees.
LaVerne Manila Mango; Pixie Crunch, Honeycrisp & Gala Apple Trees; Violette De Bordeaux & Black Mission Fig; Santa Rosa Plum & Snow Queen Nectarine; Nagami Kumquat, Pixie Tangerine, Lemon, Australian Finger Lime & Washington Navel Citrus; White & Red Dragon Fruit; Miracle Berry Plant

Jct

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Re: Growing apples in warmer climates. Has anyone tried this?
« Reply #37 on: August 17, 2017, 02:26:52 PM »
Going back to this older thread:

We're well into summer now and I've definitely had some mixed results with my 3 apples trees.  As a note, I stripped all the leaves off of the trees sometime in the winter.  The honeycrisp broke dormancy a little earlier this year, sometime in mid-June I believe.  It's grown a few inches but hasn't done much.  I'm still willing to give it more time.  The Gala tree bloomed profusely this spring, but only one apple set, but I accidentally knocked it off due to inattention.  I wasn't very pleased with myself.  I'm not sure why it didn't set very much fruit this year (same thing with my Santa Rosa plum), but I did notice that I had very few bees in the early spring.  I'm going to get some bee balm flowers or something similar and set them near the apple and plum trees. The Gala and Pixie Crunch did have some overlapping blooms early in the spring.  The Pixie Crunch has been a delight, I have about a dozen apples growing on it and it has put on at least 12-24" on some of its limbs.  I pruned away all but two apples per spur to keep the weight down on each limb as some were rather spindly.  As noted by others, the flowering has occurred throughout the spring and summer, the last two apples having set just a few weeks ago.

How has everyone else faired?
LaVerne Manila Mango; Pixie Crunch, Honeycrisp & Gala Apple Trees; Violette De Bordeaux & Black Mission Fig; Santa Rosa Plum & Snow Queen Nectarine; Nagami Kumquat, Pixie Tangerine, Lemon, Australian Finger Lime & Washington Navel Citrus; White & Red Dragon Fruit; Miracle Berry Plant

spaugh

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Re: Growing apples in warmer climates. Has anyone tried this?
« Reply #38 on: August 17, 2017, 09:30:41 PM »
My fuji apple is loaded and just now getting ripe apples.  The unknown apple tree has already put out a big crop and now starting a 2nd crop. 
Brad Spaugh

CA Hockey

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Re: Growing apples in warmer climates. Has anyone tried this?
« Reply #39 on: August 20, 2017, 07:46:38 PM »
2 fujis so so but with so many other trees needing my attention  they have been kind of neglected. Same with a third kind (not sure which type) that was loaded last year- maybe alternate bearing. I have a 4-1 tree that always does well. This year I have been chopping back the Anna and golden Dorset branches to let the Fuji and Gordon grow some. First time the Gordon put out a flower and actually had something grow - which I picked off yesterday because it was weighing down the branch. Wasn't actually sure if Gordon would grow and bloom down here but it looks like I just had to better balance the tree.

My wife wants a cosmic crisp apple tree from Washington. Took me a while to track it down but I found a grower... who would be willing to sell me one in 2 years. Says the next 2 years are for propagation  only.

2 small grafts which I got from crfg scionwood exchange also took. I still have some budwood for other varieties sitting in the fridge but figure it may be too late to do much with those. Will see.

Jct

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Re: Growing apples in warmer climates. Has anyone tried this?
« Reply #40 on: August 21, 2017, 10:24:59 AM »
Thanks for the updates!

CA Hockey, how is cosmic crisp?  I've heard of it but never had the opportunity to try one.
LaVerne Manila Mango; Pixie Crunch, Honeycrisp & Gala Apple Trees; Violette De Bordeaux & Black Mission Fig; Santa Rosa Plum & Snow Queen Nectarine; Nagami Kumquat, Pixie Tangerine, Lemon, Australian Finger Lime & Washington Navel Citrus; White & Red Dragon Fruit; Miracle Berry Plant

CA Hockey

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Re: Growing apples in warmer climates. Has anyone tried this?
« Reply #41 on: August 22, 2017, 03:57:53 AM »
Jct, I wish I knew. It's one of the rare trees that my wife has asked for so Ive tried my darndest to accommodate her wishes. 😀 Sounds like it'll make its way down to nurseries in a couple of years but hopefully  I can get some budwood sooner.

Below is a link to the article that grabbed her attention:
http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/05/03/525421226/washington-apple-growers-sink-their-teeth-into-the-new-cosmic-crisp

K

Jct

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Re: Growing apples in warmer climates. Has anyone tried this?
« Reply #42 on: August 23, 2017, 11:52:07 PM »
Thanks for the link, it sounds interesting, but I guess we'll have to wait until 2019 to see it in wide release. Can you pass on the grower who is willing to sell the trees?  From the article, I'm a little surprised that they would be willing to sell trees, they would end up losing some control that way.
LaVerne Manila Mango; Pixie Crunch, Honeycrisp & Gala Apple Trees; Violette De Bordeaux & Black Mission Fig; Santa Rosa Plum & Snow Queen Nectarine; Nagami Kumquat, Pixie Tangerine, Lemon, Australian Finger Lime & Washington Navel Citrus; White & Red Dragon Fruit; Miracle Berry Plant

Slicko

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Re: Growing apples in warmer climates. Has anyone tried this?
« Reply #43 on: November 25, 2017, 08:16:01 PM »
G'day all,
I thought I would update you on what's happening in my backyard down under. We had warm winter and I didn't know if there would be much activity in my Gala and Granny Smith. The Anna and the Tropical Sweet failed to drop all their leaves but came alive with the onset of warmer weather and set enough fruit for me to have to thin. Both continue to flower.
The Gala and the Granny Smith slowly dropped most of their leaves over the winter months and had done nothing until late in the second month of spring when they started to push their buds and at this time I grafted on a number of other varieties that took. They have both now bloomed and it seems that the Gala is continuing to flower and set fruit while the GS seems to have finished. I guess that I'll have a rolling harvest. Both have set a heap of fruit and I expect to be thinning out before long.
Looking at what the trees have done in my backyard suggests that a warm climate can support some apple varieties that have a generally accepted higher  chill requirement than the area can provide. Good news for people like me accepting conventional wisdom that you'll never grow apples here because it's just too hot!
Mick


Jct

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Re: Growing apples in warmer climates. Has anyone tried this?
« Reply #44 on: November 28, 2017, 11:45:11 AM »
Thanks for the update!
LaVerne Manila Mango; Pixie Crunch, Honeycrisp & Gala Apple Trees; Violette De Bordeaux & Black Mission Fig; Santa Rosa Plum & Snow Queen Nectarine; Nagami Kumquat, Pixie Tangerine, Lemon, Australian Finger Lime & Washington Navel Citrus; White & Red Dragon Fruit; Miracle Berry Plant

spaugh

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Re: Growing apples in warmer climates. Has anyone tried this?
« Reply #45 on: November 30, 2017, 01:29:38 PM »
We have had several apple crops this year.  Trees are still blooming and producing.  It looks like they are pretty much everbearing here.
Brad Spaugh

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Re: Growing apples in warmer climates. Has anyone tried this?
« Reply #46 on: December 02, 2017, 01:21:26 AM »
That's great news. What's the climate like where you live?

Mick

spaugh

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Re: Growing apples in warmer climates. Has anyone tried this?
« Reply #47 on: December 11, 2017, 04:57:17 PM »
That's great news. What's the climate like where you live?

Mick

The climate is like hot parts of Australia I would guess.  Its hot, and dry and windy.
Brad Spaugh

Slicko

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Re: Growing apples in warmer climates. Has anyone tried this?
« Reply #48 on: February 12, 2018, 01:00:00 AM »
The Gala and the Granny Smith are just starting to ripen. Nice lot of fruit for young trees our of their environment.

Mick

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Re: Growing apples in warmer climates. Has anyone tried this?
« Reply #49 on: February 15, 2018, 04:37:44 PM »
Yes, but they are called sugar apples or sweet sop. Way more valuable, tasty and also more expensive that apples. Grow this tree and you will be happy!!!