Apple Trees in West Texas?

[npaden]

I saw an add in the local paper that looks just too good to pass up.

PRODUCING APPLE trees, 6 to 8 feet tall, 7 years old. Dig your own. $5 each. A bargain. Several kinds.

We are in a pretty dry area so I would have to have something setup to keep them watered but this seems like a steal of a deal. I talked to him on the phone and he said he has about 125 trees left, he bought the property with an orchard on it and has been selling the trees off because he wants to build some storage units on the property! :confused:

July seems to be about the worst time of the year to be transplanting trees, and I talked to the guy and he said he doesn't expect to sell them all in the next few weeks or anything but he didn't seem to excited when I offered to buy all the trees now but not pick them up until sometime this winter. ;)

What do you guys think? Is this something I need to jump on or should I piddle around and wait and see if he still has some trees left this winter? Any tips or tricks that would help me out?

Thanks, Nathan

[dprogers]

I think its a pretty tough chance transplanting this time of year. Also if you were buying that size tree in a nursery it would probably be in a 3 to 4 gallon container which means your looking at a pretty good amount of labor on both ends.

I would be more inclined to make the offer to buy now and transplant in the winter and hope he has no other takers.

[TrademarkTexan]

If you HAD to buy them now, you could transplant them into 5 or 7 gallon Rootmaker pots, and keep them somewhere that you could water them daily for the first few weeks, then plant them in the winter.

Digging trees from the field at this time of year would be really hard to get any of them to survive. You would have to get the rootballs into a container of some kind immediately (within 5 minutes or so).

I'm experimenting with crabapples north of Abilene...you might be able to grow apples in your area...not sure.

[npaden]

After talking with a few other people I think the only way to do this would be to wait until they go dormant in the winter. I'll go by and look at the trees now and if there are any left this winter I will probably buy a bunch of them then.

[THE, LLC]

I didn't think west Texas grew anything but rocks. ;)

THE

[npaden]

I looked at the trees today and they look REALLY good! I'm sure hoping that he doesn't sell them all, I think they would be a STEAL at $5!

[texasoutdoorsman]

where is this guy located? Not to intrude or anything, but i'm wondering if i could buy a few from the man. I have always wanted to get fruit trees growing, but i never can succeed. My ranch is in Cisco off of 20