Macintosh/Unkown, Help.....

[buckvelvet]

Hey guys my parents have 2 apple trees in their yard, rootstock unknown. They have both been in the ground for 3-4 years.

The Macintosh is about 7-8 foot tall but has never fruited, I do believe it needs 2 pollinators (?) which could be a factor. I did look on Eds charts for pollination but Macintosh wasn't listed.

The other variety was about 5 foot tall but I cut it down to bout 3 feet last year and trimmed it as it was all over the place. The variety is supposedly something called 'old heritage' which has large apples but I think not.

I am thinking of cutting these both down to a foot above the ground and grafting to their root stock.

For taste and pollination sake which varieties would you suggest (of which I have access to scion).

• Gala
• Winesap
• Williams Pride
• Enterprise
• Liberty
• Arkansas Black
• Goldrush
• Wolf River
• Freedom

So very much appreciated, just trying to do them a solid so they can enjoy eating some in a few years.

 

[CrazyEd]

I think Arkansas Black is a great eating apple, one of my favorites hands down but i believe it requires at least 2 other varieties for proper pollination. You might want to double check on that.

Wolf River is not a good eater, it's well known as one of the best baking apples, but not fresh eating.

Liberty, some people like to eat them and it's great for disease resistance, me personally i dont care for the taste.

 

[buckvelvet]

I think Arkansas Black is a great eating apple, one of my favorites hands down but i believe it requires at least 2 other varieties for proper pollination. You might want to double check on that.

From naturehills.com, "Although self-fertile, the Arkansas Black does best with a pollinator in order to bear fruit."

From orangepippintrees.com, "Your Arkansas Black apple tree is in flowering group 3. It is a triploid variety and needs two pollination partners nearby which must both be of different varieties and able to cross-pollinate each other as well as the Arkansas Black. Alternatively choose a single self-fertile pollination partner. The following varieties will pollinate this apple tree."

Turns out, winesap is also a triploid, go figure!

 

[Turkey Creek]

If there are other apple trees in the neighborhood even ornamental crabapples you are set for pollination. Most Galas are not disease resistant. I have heard lots of good reports on Williams Pride and Freedom in terms of disease resistance and good flavor. However flavor preference is an individual thing, what one person likes very well not be a one someone else enjoys eating.

 

[buckvelvet]

The only close by apple trees are mine and they are about 150 yds away from theirs.

 

[Turkey Creek]

The only close by apple trees are mine and they are about 150 yds away from theirs.

That probably is a bit too far for consistent pollination. You could always always graft a crab apple limb onto one of the trees after your new varieties grow for a year or two if they dont have room for a third tree.

 

[aerospacefarmer]

Enterprise in my opinion is a great tasting apple and very disease resistant and a good fruiter in my experience thus far and the deer love them too

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Hey Aero - what root (s) do you have your Enterprise on ?? At my camp we have Enterprise on MM-111 and B-118. Just wondering what to expect !!

 

[aerospacefarmer]

B118 from Cummins and they are doing great. About 6 years in now and have been bearing fruit for 3 years

 

[Natureboy]

If you are limited to selecting two apple trees based on taste, disease resistance and cross pollination, Liberty and Enterprise would be two strong contenders. Good disease resistance, both trees are strong growers and easy to train. Liberty is very precocious a heavy bearer and in my opinion excellent for baking and pies plus not bad for fresh eating, definitely firmer and better tasting than a Mac. Enterprise is another good general purpose apple with great disease resistance.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Sounds good Aero. Both the MM-111 and B-118 are growing at about the same rate at my camp.