Which apples to plant- blossom groups and biennial cropping

Apples don't all blossom at the same time, and many need pollen from another variety to set well. When planning your orchard it's worth thinking about this. One of the most useful apple books (published in conjunction with Brogdale horticultural trust, which housed the English national apple collection) , 'Apples, a Field Guide' by Michael Clark ISBN 1-873580-57-6 which I have beside me as I type, has a numbered 'flowering group' 1-5 with each apple description, which is a great help.

If you have 5 or more different apple varieties, have e very fertile tree like Sunset, or live in a city and your neighbours have apple trees, you are unlikely to have any difficulty with pollination. But if you plant just 2 apples, and they are in flowering groups 1 and 5, chances are their blossom will not be out together so they may fail to cross-pollinate. It is better to choose apples which will flower at the same time-they need not be in the same groups, adjacent groups (e.g. 2 snd 3) is fine. Also remember some aples, Bramley for example, are triploids and do not pollinate other varieties. I can' put up a full list of apples which are self fertile or completely sterile without a pollinator, look it up or ask your supplier. Michael Clark''s book mentioned above is excellent.

Some trees are biennial, flowering (and therefore fruiting) only every other year. This is obviously a demerit. Some of the very best cider apples (for example, Tremlett's Bitter) are biennial, but are so useful in a cider blend that if you are into making proper West Country cider it is worth putting up with this, perhaps with 2 or more trees 'out of phase' so that half crop every year. However, for a small backyard orchard biennial cropping is a very undesirable feature. I do not recommend planting varieties like Ellison's Orange which are highly biennial.

We made a lot of mistakes with our original planning, which only time revealed, largely because it was so difficult to get good information or unbiased advice. Which is partly why I post this stuff.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• orchard
• blossom
• flowering
• group
• michael
• clark
• brogdale
• book
• field
• guide
• apples
• fruitwise
• ellison's
• orange
• biennial

[telemarker77]

thanks. i have a small apple orchard in northern california. I grow galas, pink lady, anna, golden dorsett, fujis, chehalis, liberty, jonagold, golden delicious, granny smith. interesting to see the european/english varieties are different, but we had johnny appleseed..eh. beautiful orchard, so green. i have to use micro and drip irrigation in my orchards. although we get lots of rain in the dead of winter and hot dry summers/fall i wonder with all that rain how you keep the fungus away?

[stephenhayesuk]

keeping fungus away is a big problem. Firstly, avoid highly susceptible varieties like Spartan. Next, good spacing between the trees. Most importantly, applications of funcicide. We'd strongly prefer to avoid this but its all but inevitable. Its not a health uissue, as the key aplications go on very early in the season and rarely after midsummer

the plant breeders are working on fungus resistant varieties, and some old varieties such as Adam's Pearmain are partly resistant.

[eddie68000]

I am in USA California. I love your videos. I started to grow fruit this yea. My mother bought a Granny Smith apply tree 2 years ago. The tree was neglected till last month when I started taking care of it. I have been reading a book on it and have noticed that it is not self-compatible. After viewing this video I am worried I will not have an abundant crop because I only have one apply tree. This is the only apple tree we have in our backyard. How should I go about pollination?

[stephenhayesuk]

Hi Eddie

the ideal thing is to plant another apple tree which blossoms at the same time, avoiding self sterile varieties ( I can't give you a list of these, you'll have to check with the supplier. MOSt are OK).

but if you don't have room in your garden for another apple tree, you can graft in a few small branches from a suitable variety.

Another suggestion-plant an ornamental crab apple like Golden Hornet on a very dwarf rootstock. These are beautiful and take up little space.

[zeu97]

in My small orchard of 35 trees ... 4 of them are apples (including my favorite one , the great "Golden Delicious" :) I have too , 3 pears , 3 plums , 4 cherry , 3 peaches , 3 nectarines , 4 apricots , 1 quinces :)

[stephenhayesuk]

Sounds like a great orchard Zeu!

Southern England is a little too cold and wet to grow peaches and nectarines succesfully outdoors unless in a sunny spot against a wall. Also cherries need netting to stop birds eating them, as I mentioned earlier, songbirds are protected, loved and plentiful here-I once saw a flock of blackbirds, starlings and others strip a cherry tree in 2 hours.

Golden Delicious is not well thought of in the UK, but I know its a good apple when properly ripe, if bland.

[memberson]

hello I am starting my own orchard I have granny smith honey crisp and fuji apple will they cross pollinate

[MAMEMAN1975]

didn't know this thanks for the info buddy!

[jareus1]

Superb as always! Many Thanks Stephen.

[DamonBKnox]

Excellent information. Thanks again.