A Great Apple Tree – Old Faithful

Old Faithful

Few things in this world can be given the name "Old Faithful". One apple tree, though difficult to maintain, earned that name. For more than a dozen seasons now our Golden Delicious apple tree has leaned decidedly to the south. It happened the same season its orchard mate, a Jonathan, split at the trunk and had to be cut down. That year started out a promising season with no late frosts and plenty of moisture at the right time. Insects and disease were easily kept at bay and there was a heavy fruit set. We were going to have a good crop of apples.

I'm not sure what kind of weather blew in that caused all the damage; probably some Oklahoma thunderstorm with the typical strong winds. It was certainly nothing terribly uncommon. The heavy fruit set didn't help, and the damage was done. It was a hard lesson:

  1. The wind will blow in Oklahoma.
  2. A fruit tree can only hold so much fruit.
  3. Keep your branches as short as possible and above all...
  4. Always keep in mind nothing is permanent.

They were both standard sized trees, a pain to keep pruned properly once they reached bearing age, especially the Golden Delicious. As the apple orchard expanded, we selected semi-dwarf stock, and the Golden Delicious towered above the rest at the north-west corner, anchoring it all down. For more than a dozen years I expected we would have to replace it the next season, as it seemed to lean a bit further to the south each year, but it didn't happen. Pruning each year became increasingly more difficult as it expanded in girth and height.

This Apple Tree Never Missed a Season

Since it began bearing, some two decades ago, our Golden Delicious never missed a season making a crop. We have never been all that good at keeping a precise spray schedule, or providing supplemental moisture during dry spells. Some years were better than others, but we always made a crop. Every year we put up a bounty in the freezer and dehydrator, until we eventually started advertising and families with young children would come out and pick the golden globes from the low-hanging branches. Other apples in the orchard reached bearing age, but our Golden Delicious was always the anchor of the orchard.

Springtime in Eastern Oklahoma is always filled with unsettled weather. One day you think summer is going to bust through and leave winter and spring behind for good, and the next day you are digging out a jacket you prematurely stashed away in your closet. One day a thunderstorm will rip through in the early evening, followed the next day with freezing rain, followed by six inches of snow after midnight. You gotta love Oklahoma.

The Wind Will Blow

A couple of weeks ago, on the 25th of March our Golden Delicious finally came to the ground, but it did not fall to the south. At about 5:30 in the afternoon a tornado passed by just to the north of our orchard and blew down our "Old Faithful" along with four other apple trees, laying them all like dead soldiers to the east. They will all be missed, but none so greatly as the northwest anchor to our orchard. It was another hard lesson. Again, I repeat:

  1. The wind will blow in Oklahoma.
  2. A fruit tree can only hold so much fruit.
  3. Keep your branches as short as possible.
  4. Always keep in mind nothing is permanent, and above all...
  5. God willing, next season will be an opportunity for a fresh beginning.

Pruning our Golden Delicious, March 21, 2015

Golden Delicious

Standard Golden Delicious apple tree, March 25, 2015.

"Old Faithful"