Lodi Apple tree sport ripening now!!!

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Imred Anna, IL Oct 14, 2008

I have a 4 yr old Lodi apple tree which bloomed and set fruit for the first time this spring. It only had about 8 or 10 apples on it. I noticed that on 1 limb the fruit was not growing nearly as fast as the rest. In late July when the Lodis matured this limb had 4 small hard apples on it while the Lodis were larger and ripe. As the season progressed I watched this limb knowing I had a "sport" growin g on my tree. I lost 1 of the apples to a deer, 1 to the birds and 1 just disappeared. Sunday I picked the remaining apple. It was a firm fleshed med. sized yellow apple with some russeting. The taste was very very good, kinda like a Grimes Golden, (not at all like a Golden Delicious). The flesh was denser than either of the above. I have read that a sport needs to bear true for 3 years before it is confirmed as a new variety. Does anyone know about this? I am going to try to graft a twig of it onto another tree this winter. It is a very nice apple and I don't want to lose it. I find the fact that a single tree could have 2 apples(it is NOT grafted) that mature 2 1/2 months apart amazing. By the way the tree came from Raintree Nursery.
Does anyone else have a similiar story?
RED

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LTilton Glen Ellyn, IL(Zone 5b) Oct 14, 2008

Ha - usually you have to pay extra for a 2-in-1!

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scottfsmith Baltimore, MD Oct 15, 2008

I have had something like that happen and chalked it up to the limb location, angle and sun, not a sport. I would graft the "sport" on to part of the non-sport tree and see how it works out there before I would be sure it is a sport.

Scott

Post #5674691
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Imred Anna, IL Oct 15, 2008

Agreed. A sport has to bear true for a number of yrs. before it can be certified. They were definitely 2 different apples this yr. though. The limb is a lower limb(4' from the ground) and is less vigorous than the other limbs.
RED

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