checking to see if these apples which are late breaking

checking to see if these apples which are late breaking dormancy are in good health, a quick check that's useful is to make a small scratch just through the bark into the cambium, the actively growing part of the tree between the wood (xylem) and the bark. If it's bright vivid green, that's a good sign. Some tree species are slow to wake up, our walnuts for example are all fully dormant, and a percentage of our apples. The way we store our stock in a root cellar, and then covered up through the spring to keep it cool can extend dormancy, in the ground well watered and in full sun with warming temperatures will make up trees and perennials faster. Other ways /reasons a tree can be late to break dormancy, damage to the roots or other stress like drying out and set them back, usually not lethal but it can give them a delayed start on the season. If you have plants you received by mail order from us, or any other mail order nursery - just note, when you go to the garden center and the trees are a full month of growth ahead it's because they've been shipped in from warmer regions are they were in a greenhouse.