|
| (Orleans Reinette/G202)
Just out of curiosity, I'm wondering what one of the recommendations for field position of my Orleans Reinette means. I've seen this characteristic more than once in books and on the internet for this variety. Sheltered & Warm Wall?
But why? Is there a certain characteristic about an apple tree that would make it prefer that? What are the effects of longer heat exposure on an apple? Will it ripen faster? I get "upright growing habit", "tendency for early drop" and all of those terms, but "Sheltered & Warm wall" I dont quite understand what it is, but I gave it what it wants, even at a slight sacrifice of about 45 minutes of sun per day. |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
- Posted by harvestman 6 (My Page) on Sat, Apr 28, 12 at 14:40
| I would assume your guess is correct. Sheltered would be from wind, warmth would be from southern exposure. This would be particularly useful for a very late ripening variety in a borderline zone. |
|
| Thanks harvestman, I've gone thru of books on apple varieties, and it seems very few ask for this planting situation specifically, so thats why I was intrigued. Its supposed to be a late September to early October variety, so I guess some extra warmth wont hurt. -Eric |
|
- Posted by harvestman 6 (My Page) on Sun, Apr 29, 12 at 7:17
| That is not late, so maybe it's a variety that needs more intense light than commonly available in many western European sites. It is interesting, but if you only encountered that direction once it may not have much significance. |
|
| Was it a reference from the UK? Slightly tender fruits were traditionally grown on South or West facing brick or stone walls to radiate and retain warmth. Peaches and figs for example were/are frequently grown against walls, but they would have been masonry, not wood. Kitchen gardens were usually surrounded by walls with fruit grown against them. |
|
| It very well may be, I know one reference I have is "The New Book of Apples" and that is published in the UK, mentions "Needs a warm spot for best flavor". An orchard in the Vancouver area says "Best in warm location". Other references have been online, its just a consistent note I've noticed. I would suspect most experience would come from the UK and parts of europe, as this variety isnt all that common here in the states. Thankfully my house isnt brick, because I probably would fry them on the tree, brick houses get VERY hot here. It gets sun from 9AM to 3:30PM, hope thats enough. I sacrificed about 45 minutes of sun in summer mornings so it can retain more heat at night by putting it closer to the house than the camera in that picture. It should get warmth from the house well beyond 6PM. I guess at the very least I'll be thanking my lucky stars if we get an early freeze some years and that spot stays warm overnight. |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Fruit & Orchards Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.