On my grandfather's farm in upstate NY there are several apple trees of different varieties that 100+ years old. And some of these trees are starting to die; some of age, others of disease, and even lightening strikes. I believe these are heirloom apples, maybe even species that are essentially extinct because of the commercialization of apple cultivation. What are the best ways to preserve these tree's heritage? I've read that just planting an apple's seeds won't yield good fruit. Is the same true for heirloom apples?
Heirloom Apples
It's true of all apples. None of them come true to variety from seeds. The way varieties are propagated is by taking scions, basically cuttings and graphing them onto root stock or another tree. Depending on where they are in upstate NY there is a man listed in the SSE that does custom grafting. He's located in Ogdensburg.
Many thanks Doug!
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