Saturday March 30, 2019

10am-12pm, $65

Leader - Stephen Kapusta

Catch the 9:30am ferry at Millhaven (please arrive early, the boat can be busy). The cost is $9 CASH round trip/car. Meet at Topsy Farms,14775 Front Rd.

Stephen Kapusta will teach each student how to graft their own apple tree by demonstrating the process, then supervising the hands-on practice.  Each student will learn to graft their chosen apple species onto their chosen root stock, taking that tree home. The skill learned will be of value for anyone wanting to save a heritage species or to create future fruit trees to their specifications.

 “Lost Lanark Legacy Fruit Trees” founder Jennifer Ferris will be an additional resource for the hands-on skill learning, and to answer questions about her heritage apples research.

When registering, each student must choose one of 3 different rootstocks (a small, medium or larger tree results) and one of 8 different scions (varieties) from which to create their own single apple tree.

Each participant is expected to bring their own protective work gloves, a sharp utility knife, a bag to keep their tree roots moist or if preferred, a 1 or 2 gallon pot and soil to plant their tree.  The workshop will be limited to 50 participants, so please register soon to secure your place.

Rootstocks:

B118: Very cold hardy rootstock that will grow an apple tree between 16 and 20 feet in height and does not require to be staked for support.

Geneva 210: Very cold hardy rootstock that will grow an apple tree between 9 and 12 feet in height. The trees do require the support of staking.

Geneva 985*: Similar to Geneva 210 in every aspect but will grow a slightly smaller tree than 210. The trees do require the support of staking. *cannot be paired with Royal Gala.

Apple varieties available:

Northern Spy

Wealthy

Wolf River

Cortland Nova Red

Royal Gala

Empire

Cox's Orange Pippin

Mutsu

Information on each of the varieties can be found at www.orangepippin.com