Ben Davis Apple Scionwood

This is a twig for grafting. Winter. Unknown parentage. Maine, about 1840.

The most important commercial apple in Maine during the late19th century. Many thousands of bushels were shipped around the world and a great many Mainers made their modest fortunes from this apple. There has been ongoing confusion around its origin, but it seems the apple originated on the farm of Benjamin Davis of Minot, Maine, 180 years ago. If this is correct, it would be Maine’s most famous apple.

An orchardist’s dream tree: annually bearing, easy to grow, perfectly shaped. Large roundish-conic unbelievably beautiful red striped and blushed fruit. It may be the most beautiful apple that ever was.

If only beauty weren’t skin deep. The fruit is generally dry and tasteless. The flavor has been compared to cork and cardboard and is the butt of many jokes.

We offer it as a service to the Ben Davis die-hards of the world. Keeps all winter. Enjoy! Z4.

7809 Ben Davis

Item	Discounted From	Quantity
L 7809 A: 8" scionwood stick, 1 for $6.00
L 7809 B: scionwood by the foot (10' minimum), 1 ft for $5.50

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Additional Information

Scionwood

Scions are twigs, not trees. They have no roots and will not grow if you plant them. They are cuttings from dormant branch tips, intended for spring grafting.

We do our best to provide ¼" caliper stock. Because of factors beyond our control (such as weather!) stock may be ³⁄₁₆–³⁄₈".

We sell scionwood in two ways:

By the stick: One 8" stick will graft 3-4 trees.
By the foot: Minimum order of 10 feet per variety. For orchardists grafting large numbers of trees of a particular variety. In our own nursery work, we are usually able to graft 6-8 trees from one foot of scionwood.

You can graft right away or store scionwood for later use. It will keep quite well for several weeks stored in sealed ziplock bags in the refrigerator.

The deadline for ordering scionwood is February 21, 2025, for shipment around March 10. (Please note: we ship scionwood only in mid-March. If you would like to order rootstock to arrive in the same shipment, select mid-March shipping when adding the rootstock to your cart.)

For more info:
About Scionwood