Thompson Apple Scionwood

This is a twig for grafting. Summer. Unknown parentage. Massachusetts, mid 18th century.

Early season eating and cooking apple, ripens in August. Round-conic shape reminiscent of Red Delicious, solid red overspread with stripes of darker red. Glistening crystalline firm white flesh with a pink hue just below the skin. Sweet flavor has hints of plum and pear. Does not keep.

For years, great confusion surrounded this apple that was introduced in Maine by John Thompson, one of Mercer’s earliest settlers. Some claimed that the fruit was identical to the Massachusetts apple Williams. Recent DNA profiling proves that they were correct. We still call it by its local name. At least two Thompson trees that we know of are still standing in Mercer.

Rare. Blooms midseason. Z4.

7909 Thompson

Item	Discounted From	Quantity
L 7909 A: 8" scionwood stick, 1 for $6.00
L 7909 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