New to apples

[Apple Junkie]

For wildlife purposes, I look for trees that are hardy, easy to grow, and resistant to serious diseases. If they bear early, that is a plus.

The Binet Rouge is a weak grower and biennial bearer.
The Bulmer’s Norman is a triploid, so does not add to pollination sources.
The Kingston Black is difficult to grow.
The Spitzenburg Esopus is susceptible to fire blight, scab and canker.
The Yarlington Mill is susceptible to fire blight and slow to produce.

These varieties all have redeeming features which makes them desirable for other purposes, but in my mind, there are so many other varieties that are far more suitable for wildlife, I’d avoid the ones mentioned above. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Telemark]

Thanks for the info. I have three Bulmers Norman and three Spitzenburg. I haven't seen any disease in the area, so hopefully I don't have to worry about that. I am devoted to planting a serious cider orchard, and I need a good variety of trees, and I need several that will produce good volume that I can blend into.

What makes Kingston Black difficult to grow?

 

[Appleman]

Kingston Black is an apple variety originating from the United Kingdom. It is very susceptible to scab and is prone to low yields. Is mainly useful as a "bittersharp" a class of apples for the purpose of making hard cider. Most of the cider makers I have spoken to in the past say it is a very challenging tree to grow. Actually, many English cider varieties are difficult to grow. For the serious cider maker the Franklin, a North American cultivar, will add much greater value to the Cider Industry as stated in the following excerpt about the Franklin:

“This new variety will likely supplant Kingston Black (the current bittersharp cider apple benchmark) because it’s far easier to grow, is a prolific annual producer and shows no signs of scab or cedar rust,” said Cameron Brown, Stark Bro’s president and CEO. “It’s going to change the cider industry.” (Winner of a Bronze 2017 World Cider and Perry Competition).

 

[Appleman]

For wildlife purposes, I look for trees that are hardy, easy to grow, and resistant to serious diseases. If they bear early, that is a plus.

The Binet Rouge is a weak grower and biennial bearer.
The Bulmer’s Norman is a triploid, so does not add to pollination sources.
The Kingston Black is difficult to grow.
The Spitzenburg Esopus is susceptible to fire blight, scab and canker.
The Yarlington Mill is susceptible to fire blight and slow to produce.

These varieties all have redeeming features which makes them desirable for other purposes, but in my mind, there are so many other varieties that are far more suitable for wildlife, I’d avoid the ones mentioned above. Just my 2 cents.

Apple Junkie, I always enjoy your read because you know what your talking about. You are spot on when you stated "I'd avoid the ones mentioned above" when looking for the right varieties to grow for a successful Apple Tree Plot for Wildlife".

 

[chickenlittle]

If you are planting a variety, i would not worry about triploids having sterile pollen. Lots of good triploid varieties.

For cider, I'd suggest googling for evaluations from michigan state msu. They note some varieties to avoid for problems of growth, disease, and productivity.

 

[Telemark]

many English cider varieties are difficult to grow. For the serious cider maker the Franklin, a North American cultivar, will add much greater value

What percentage of Franklin juice should I blend in? Or is it a single varietal?

I am really enthusiastic about Franklin as a part of my orchard, but I read people were blending it at 10%.

 

[Appleman]

If you are planting a variety, i would not worry about triploids having sterile pollen. Lots of good triploid varieties.

For cider, I'd suggest googling for evaluations from michigan state msu. They note some varieties to avoid for problems of growth, disease, and productivity.

Don't forget to look at the raw comment profile: Sugar, acids, and tannins/polyphenols. A cider is only as good as its juice. You can find helpful information on the Cornell Geneva University website.

 

[James P. Bipps]

“Enterprise, Liberty, Honeycrisp, Galarina, Franklin, and Snowsweet “

Would any of these mixed with Franklin Cider make a good cider? Is Franklin only recommended for hard cider? I don’t know much about cider, just that I like it.

 

[Appleman]

What percentage of Franklin juice should I blend in? Or is it a single varietal?

I am really enthusiastic about Franklin as a part of my orchard, but I read people were blending it at 10%.

Percentage ALC per Volume is obtained through a Brix calculation which is the percentage of sugar by weight in a solution. For example, if you pour in a 10% blend of Franklin with a tested 19 brix with a batch of dessert apples testing 12 Brix you will increase the ALC of the finished product once the fermentation process is complete. The best method is to mix your juices checking it often with a hydrometer to measure a specific gravity target to reach the alcohol target you are looking for prior to adding yeast. The Franklin is excellent when used in a a blend but would not recommend as a varietal due to high sugar and high acidity. Halls Homeplace Cidery in Vermont has produced a varietal cider called "Just Franklin" which they only fermented to about 3 or 4 percent ALC. They discovered at that step in the process it produced a very nice flavor and have since marketed it. We have experimented from 10% to 18% so far with very nice nose and mouthful taste. I would recommend that you experiment.

 

[Appleman]

“Enterprise, Liberty, Honeycrisp, Galarina, Franklin, and Snowsweet “

Would any of these mixed with Franklin Cider make a good cider? Is Franklin only recommended for hard cider? I don’t know much about cider, just that I like it.

We have used Liberty, Honeycrisp and SnowSweet as a base when blended with the Franklin. Honeygold and Fortune 429 are also a good match. One important factor not to be over-looked is "Terroir" a particular region where trees are grown including factors such as the soil, topography, and climate. Just like certain fine wines are grown in specific regions of the world. For example, Honeycrisp is a true northern apple. The further north it is grown in the Lower 48 the better the taste and sugar content. A honeycrisp grown in VA or PA will not taste as good as one grown in northern NY, VT, and MINN. Yes, there is goodness in the varieties you mentioned for making hard cider but the final outcome may not be the same. It's worth giving it a try!

 

[Telemark]

This makes me want to graft some Honeycrisp. Are they as hard to grow as people say?

 

[Appleman]

The US plant patent expired in 2011 for Honeycrisp, so it is ok to graft now. Honeycrisp is easy to graft as I top worked an orchard to convert liberty on M26. Success rate was about 80 percent for 3 or more scion and the four sectional cut and 90 percent for 1 to 2 scion. A bench or T-Bub graft is also easy to do. Trees are moderately vigorous growers. Most challenging aspects of growing honeycrisp is they do not do well where high inoculum exposure is present due to host virus for Cedar Apple Rusts present in Juniper plants such as Red Cedar. Special attention is needed to do timely spraying for this fungus disorder. The virus does not reside in White Cedars. I have yet to experience Powdery mildew on honeycrisp. Captan fungicide spray is needed to control foliar scab. but not for the fruit. The apples during a dry year will experience a higher amount of bird damage then other varieties, thought to be due to the juiciness of the fruit. Honeycrisp has a tendency to yellow, caused by an excessive buildup of carbohydrates. But don't me alarmed as this is only cosmetic and does not hurt the health of the tree. I have seen honeycrisp do well in black loam soil and sandy loam soil. Attention must be given to water more often when planted in sandy loam soils. Imidan (phosmat) controls the major insects that can damage honeycrisp provided you stick to a planned spray schedule. There is a lot more to be said so, if you run into a problem feel free to ask. I think once you learn all the perks on growing honeycrisp you will find it is easy to grow.

 

[chickenlittle]

I like Appleman's recommendations right up the part about all the spray applications I'll never do.

 

[Telemark]

Appleman, thanks for the info. I'm sold. Just need to figure out where to put it. What about ripening time? Does the tree drop or hold apples.

 

[NE PA QDM]

I have a half dozen Kingston black. They are awful to try to train, they have very stubborn upright growth pattern and horrible natural crotch angles. Mine are only about 4 years in the ground so still waiting on fruit. I gave up on trying to train them. But I look forward to blending them in my hard cider when they start producing.