In 2014 I decided to germinate the seeds from the fruit I got from the garden of Edgar Valdivia in Southern California. In 2015 I planted six seedlings by the Western fence in my front yard in Davis, and another five seedlings at the Vacaville farm. While I got the first fruits from my Davis seedlings, these were shy bearers as they only get the sun in the afternoons. In 2020 I didn't get a single fruit from my Davis kei apples.
This year all five Vacaville trees bloomed, and I could easily sex them by looking at the flowers. I got three females (## 1, 2, 4) and two males (## 3 and 5).
The first Vacaville tree to come into fruiting was female #4 in 2019. It could be just a dozen or two of fruits last year. This year, the tree was very fruitful with hundreds of fruits. The fruits of this tree are unusually sweet for a kei apple. They still have acid, but they can be eaten easily in large quantities. We started picking the fruits in September and there are still some on the tree in November. Two pictures below are from female #4 taken in September.
Females #1 and #2 produced just a few fruits this year. #1 has unusually dense flesh and more flattened shape than an average kei apple. Below are the fruits I tasted on November 15, 2020.
Thanks for all the information. I have been thinking of trying to grow this here since I have read it is hardy to 20f. Have you heard whether this has any deer resistance? I have lots of area outside the fence where I could plant these.
ReplyDeleteI don’t know for sure, but these are used to protect the villages from lions. I doubt the deer can eat the leaves, as the thorns are longer than leaves
ReplyDeleteHello. Are you willing to sell scions from your plants?
ReplyDeleteI hope in a couple of years they will become available at reallygoodplants.com I am reestablishing my plants at a new location.
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