This is a variety that was supplied to me labelled as Tydeman's Late Orange, but which when it eventually produced fruit over 5 years after planting proved to be an early, red-skinned variety that I've cautiously identified as Devonshire Quarrenden based on the season, appearance and flavour of the fruit. Whatever the actual variety, it is strongly biennial and this year every single flowerering cluster is on a tip, with no sign of any spurs. I've checked the literature on DQ and nowhere does anyone suggest it is a tip-bearer, so I'm back to square one. I have headed it back to about half it's original length. Although it's not a great idea to try to grow tip bearers as cordons (for the obvious reason that it is difficult to keep the growth compact without pruning the fruiting tips away) it is possible, particularly with biennial bearers, which can be pruned back hard in barren years, then the tips headed back in early summer to make a more compact set of tip growth for the following fruiting year. I follow the same routine with St Edmund's which, although it is only supposed to be a tip and spur bearer, has only produced tips for me.
Showing posts with label St Edmund's Pippin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label St Edmund's Pippin. Show all posts
Saturday, 1 May 2010
Unknown - Devonshire Quarrenden?
This is a variety that was supplied to me labelled as Tydeman's Late Orange, but which when it eventually produced fruit over 5 years after planting proved to be an early, red-skinned variety that I've cautiously identified as Devonshire Quarrenden based on the season, appearance and flavour of the fruit. Whatever the actual variety, it is strongly biennial and this year every single flowerering cluster is on a tip, with no sign of any spurs. I've checked the literature on DQ and nowhere does anyone suggest it is a tip-bearer, so I'm back to square one. I have headed it back to about half it's original length. Although it's not a great idea to try to grow tip bearers as cordons (for the obvious reason that it is difficult to keep the growth compact without pruning the fruiting tips away) it is possible, particularly with biennial bearers, which can be pruned back hard in barren years, then the tips headed back in early summer to make a more compact set of tip growth for the following fruiting year. I follow the same routine with St Edmund's which, although it is only supposed to be a tip and spur bearer, has only produced tips for me.
Friday, 4 September 2009
Crop: St Edmund's Pippin
My small crop of St Edmund's started to fall earlier than I'd expected last week, so with non-stop gales in the offing I decided to pick them. Ideally I would have left them a little longer, in the vain hope of a bit more sun to help ripen them. Crop about 2lbs, all sound and no pest damage.
Thursday, 28 May 2009
St Edmund's pippin: set
A good set on St Edmund's, several spurs with nice healthy fruitlets. Having read up on this variety and found it described as a 'tip and spur bearer' in a number of sources, I decided to grow it as a cordon. My experience has been that it's entirely a tip bearer so far. However, as it's fairly biennial, I think I might get away with pruning hard every other year, then leaving the fruit to develop on the tips of the previous year's growth.
Friday, 17 April 2009
St Edmund's Pippin: Blossom
Lovely large blossom, sadly mostly on tips. I'm endeavoring to grow it as a cordon, we shall see how it goes.
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