Silver Creek Nursery Ltd.

Spartan Apple Scionwood

Scionwood is not a tree, yet!

Scionwood, or scions (pronounced 'sigh-ons'), are the young, one-year shoots you graft with in order to propagate a variety. If you want to propagate a Gala apple tree, for example, you would graft with Gala scionwood!

We collect these scions from trees in our test orchards and are happy to be able to offer rare/heritage varieties!

For more information on scionwood and grafting, click HERE!

History: Spartan apples are a Canadian variety that was developed at the Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre in Summerland, BC in 1936 by Dr. R.C. Palmer. Of particular interest is the fact that Spartan apples are the first apple variety created by a formal scientific breeding program. They have been popular in North America ever since and are even commonly found in gardens in the UK.

Why We Grow It: This variety is known for its sweet/acid flavour and pleasant crunch, especially when eaten fresh off the tree. They tend to soften rather quickly after they are picked but luckily the fruit hangs on the tree 2-3 weeks after its ripe which helps to extend the optimal time to enjoy this variety. Spartan apples are also known for being relatively easy to grow, having decent disease resistance, heavy crops, and an ability to keep all winter.

      $8.50

      Propagation Material:

      19 in stock

      Fruit Traits:

      Recommended Use: Fresh eating

      Fruit Size: Medium

      Storage: Keeps until February when stored in cold storage, although flavour and crispness is quick to fade

      Harvest: October - Mid

      Plant Traits:

      Canadian Hardiness Zone: 4

      Flowering Time: Middle

      Pollination Requirements: Partially self-pollinating, this variety will produce some fruit without an apple tree of a different variety but will produce more and better fruit if one is present. Good pollinator due to large number of flowers.

      Sun/Shade Requirements: Full sun (approx. 8-10 hours of sun daily)

      General Growth Habit: Moderately vigorous and precocious with an upright and spreading growth pattern, has heavy crops, spur bearing. Very susceptible to canker but resistant to scab, mildew, fireblight, cedar rust, and quince rust.

      Shipping: Scionwood can be shipped anytime in the spring, although we generally recommend that customers receive their scionwood by mid-April at the latest to ensure it arrives dormant. We can hold it longer if customers accept the risk that the scionwood may start breaking dormancy after this time.

      Pickup: We will notify you as soon as your scionwood is ready. We recommend picking it up as soon as you are able and storing it at home.

      Click HERE for tips on storing scionwood!

      CLICK HERE to see our shipping policy.

      Each scion will have at least 2-4 grafts' worth of material and ideally will be approximately 12-18" or 30cm+ long. Since we specialize in so many varieties/species, there will be natural differences in growth habit and vigour so some varieties may be shorter or thinner. We will provide the best quality we can, within natural restraints.

      If a scion is less than 6" or 15cm, it will be discounted accordingly.

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