I strip the leaves in December. Dorsett Golden is a spur type apple which, as compared to your Fuji, grows slower. Apples need cross pollination so make sure you have more than one variety.

Tropical India has a thriving commerical industry. When they are done harvesting they strip the leaves and get two harvests a year from each tree. Stripping the leaves now should cause your trees to go into dormancy and fruit if they are large enough. Your harvest time will just be much later had you stripped the leaves earlier.

jb

so....does one really have to strip the leaves to make them flower and fruit? This is my first winter with my multi-grafted low-chill apple and there are still a number of leaves on each grafted section....

mangodog

Thanks, JB. Leaf stripping this weekend. Mangodog, what varieties do you have on your multi-graft? Mine is Fuji, Anna, Dorsett Golden and Gordon

....pepperseed.....isn't it funny - I have 4 of the 5 u mention!

.......Leaf stripping - where's your compassion? LOL

But seriously, what happens if you don't denude?

mangoperro

I have a fuji that i've stripped back in dec.. but isnt Fuji self polinating? I wish I woulda gotten a multi grafted apple tree but its too late for that.. im stuck with the pure fuji tree for now =)

ah....mulls.....but Fuji is quite excellent and i think stays crisp and sweet longer than some other unnamed "delicious" varieties.....

oh....guys.....I recently planted the new emerging apple star - Honey Crisp (you guys have tasted that, yes? Man it's amazing!) with way more cooling hours requirement than I currently have (maybe 300?)here in Palm Springs...but....the guy I bought it from lives near L.A. and he said his tree fruits plenty every year and that the chill hours thing is a bit overblown in importance...and I had read that on a blog too....anyway I'll have to report back how it does over the years (sure, with your memory, Gary !?X?X?!)......

...and now I better scidaddle before I get kicked out of the "Tropical Fruits" forum by my peers....yeah, why did you put it in this forum, PepperSeed? Isn't there like a regular fruits forum or something....

oh....i know why....because we are growing them in a "tropical" environment, right? lol

JohnnyMangoDog

Hi, Johnny Mangoseed. I confess I only post on this forum because I really like the people on this forum. Even if my posts may be inappropriate to the topic. lol.
Well, I did it. Stripped my apple tree bare. It was terrifying. Even more so because I saw what might have been blossoms forming on a couple of the grafts. As my Dad used to say as he got ready to mete out the discipline, it hurt me more than it hurt her. Hopefully she will reward me with fruit and flowers in the spring.

LOL, Pepperseed......I confess.....I stripped my small 1 1/2 year old multi-graft yesterday and also saw some flower buds....and yes, it does hurt (seems so unholy towards nature actually!)

It's all about dark excitement right now - what will emerge from the branches' abyss........

mango

This post about apple trees got me interested in trying to grow apples again and I ended up ordering two trees from Just Fruits and Exotics last week. I ordered a Tropic Sweet and an Anna. Should be getting them by Wednesday. Anyone growing the Tropic Sweet? How is the fruit?

Sheehan:

I had both at one time. They are gone now. I did get small fruits on both a couple of years. As far as quality of fruit....not bad.....but not as good as you can buy in the store....sorry to say.

Harry