Compspur Apples

Does anyone have any experience with these trees? I'm planning on buying 4 apple trees this spring and am considering Compspur trees. Any advice, tips, etc.? Thanks in advance.

Red

I guess it's another spur type. I remember when the first Starkspurs came out and they all carried the same traits as their normal counter part except for maturity and growth habit. Here's a quote from http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC1350.htm.


"The most common strain difference that the backyard grower needs to be concerned with is spur versus non-spur strains. A spur-type apple is a strain that has fruit spurs and leaf buds that are more closely spaced than on non-spur or standard types. Spur-types have a stiff, upright growth habit that minimizes limb breakage and enables the trees to hold heavy crop loads without having their limbs propped up or tied. Spur-types offer a size and space advantage to the home garden because they are naturally dwarfing trees. Spur strains of a cultivar may grow 60 to 70 percent as large as the non-spur strains of that cultivar. Spur-type strains produce fruit at an earlier age than standard strains.

Spur-types, because of their compact form of growth, are ideally suited for home gardeners with limited space. Growth on spur-types is more compact because fruit spurs and leaf buds are spaced closer together than on non-spur trees. Also, 2-year-old wood on spur-type trees will usually form fruit buds rather than develop side shoots.

Several varieties are available in spur and non-spur strains. As a general rule of thumb, spur strains of the same variety on the same kind of rootstock as non-spur strains will result in trees only 70 percent as large as the non-spurs. Thus, a spur-type strain grown on a seedling rootstock will result in a semidwarf tree and a spur-type grown on a semidwarf rootstock will result in a dwarf tree."

Thanks for the info! Although I have plenty of space I'm thinking of growing these because of their early fruiting habits. At my age 5 years for standard trees to bear seems a long time!

Thanks again for your help, I'm off to check out "Starkspur" trees. ☺

Big_Red Good luck with getting some apple trees and I hope you get some neat ones! I have a home orchard of standard trees(you name it and I probably have one planted!) and truly enjoy the fruit we get off of them now. Home grown fruit is pretty hard to beat .

cuckoo

Thanks cuckoo! Don't be too surprised if I keep pestering you for advice! ☺

Big _Red I think you will have apples sooner than you might think because many fruit trees you can find now can take off and really grow in a few seasons. Look thru your catalogs this winter or go on line or simply look at your area nurseries for some potential trees you might like to try and grow. I have tried several species and for the most part have had good luck. Plant your tree, keep it watered that first season, then stand back and watch the little tree grow and branch out each year. I do prune, spray, and try to keep an eye on them but I don't get carried away if I can't do everything all the time. If the apples have a bad spot we cut it out and use it!

cuckoo