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Apple Notes

 

  
 
 
 

Introduction and Climate Data

My test orchard of 200 apple trees is located in a harsh zone 3, even zone 2 in some winters, climate about a 30 minute drive west of  Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The coldest recorded at my orchard was -43C (-46F) during the test winter of 1995/1996. Cold weather in central Alberta can stay for several days, with each night dipping to the -30s and -40s. The average January temperatures at my orchard are a high of -10C and a low of -20C. In July the average high is +23C and the average low +10C. Precipitation averages about 18 inches per year, with a June, July, and August maximum. The climate would be generally semi-arid, with supplimental water needed for the trees (especially those on dwarf rootstock) a few times each summer. The last spring frost averages May 24th and the first killing frost in the fall arrives about September 15. The later maturing apples are left on the trees until temperatures of -6C are predicted overnight, usually the first or second week of October. The orchard was started in the spring of 1993 by planting 50 Ranetka Crabs, and grafted-on them with several varieties. Each year the orchard has been expanded by a few dozen trees, ending in 1999 when I ran out of space with a total of 200 trees.


Several different rootstocks are being tried at my experimental orchard. Obviously all rootstocks need to be quite hardy to survive my winter climate. The following are my comments based on my trials of various rootstocks:

Ranetka Crab - Very hardy, grows well, produces good sized apples, and is rought resistant. However, as a seedling rootstock, each rootstock will have very slightly different characteristics that it will pass on to the grafted-on cultivar. This is one very tough rootstock, and it has survived a week of -40F with no snowcover in Fairbanks, Alaska, with less than 5% mortality.

Siberian Crab - Very hardy and drought resistant, but slower growing than Ranetka. A two year old tree in my climate on Ranetka is as big as a three year old tree on Siberian. I have not experienced compatibility problems on Siberian Crab, probably due to the fact that the apples I'm growing are very hardy, with a lot of crab in their recent ancestory. Some have claimed Siberian Crab produces smaller apples than other rootstocks. I'll be watching for this in the next year or two as the trees produce. So far there is no difference in apple size on Siberian Crab.

Ottawa 3 - This rootstock appears to be hardy in my climate, as well as drought resistant. However in the winter of 2000/2001 we had very little snow. This greatly reduced the insulation for all rootstocks on trial. On marginal cultivars, the grafted-on tree died, but the Ottawa 3 rootstock came up from the roots. Based on this preliminary evidence, I'd say Ottawa 3 is not the rootstock to use in a severe climate with marginally hardy cultivars. It also hates to be moved, and will "pout" by not growing for two years after transplanting. Apparently the roots regrow very slowly.

Bud 490 - This rootstock survived fully after the test winter of 2000/2001 with almost no snow and temperatures down to -30C. This was actually a mild winter for us, but the lack of snow tested all rootstocks. Bud 490 is semi-dwarf, drought resistant, produces large apples, and partially fireblight resistant. The main problem is that it is very hard to get in Canada. I received mine from the Agriculture Canada Research Station in Kentville, Nova Scotia. It apparently does poorly if the soil thaws and freezes as it does in eastern Canada. However in my climate, once the soil freezes in early November, it stays frozen until April. Bud 490 may prove to be the rootstock of choice for me, but further testing is required.

M26 - I'll pass on this rootstock as I lost about half of my 20 trees on M26 during the test winter of 2000/2001. It just isn't as hardy as the others. The other problem is M26 is very drought sensitive, which is not good for my semi arid climate.

Bud 9 - While not tested heavily, I did lose a few trees, about half of 6 or so, on Bud 9 after last year's test winter. Pass.

P22 - While this rootstock was hardy, it appears extremely sensitive to fireblight. Specifically 20 trees were grafted to P22, and every single one died of fireblight. Since fireblight is a constant problem in my area, P22 is not a rootstock of choice.

Vineland Series, V1, V2, V3 - These are new rootstocks from the breeding program at the Vineland Research Station in Ontario. Parentage is Kerr Applecrab (very hardy) x M9. These rootstocks are fireblight resistant/immune as well as quite hardy. Time will tell how they produce in my climate. They have survived 3 winters, including last years test winter, unharmed.

Apple Cultivars and Comments

Clearly any apple cultivars I grow must be extremely hardy by apple growing standards. As an example, McIntosh is widely considered to be a very hardy cultivar in most apple growing regions. McIntosh, however, doesn't stand a ghost of a chance of survival at my orchard. McIntosh simply can't take winters colder than -40C. Also, a hardy cultivar recommended for the Canadian prairies is Goodland. Unfortunately at my site, Goodland is very marginal in terms of hardiness, and my test trees have struggled, especially after a colder winter. This will give you an idea as to the challenges I'm up against in terms of tree hardiness and survival. Nonetheless, I've found numerous cultivars that survive, and even prosper in my harsh climate. While I have experimented with well over 50 different apple cultivars at my orchard, the below sums up the most promising:

Norkent - The origins of this Edmonton apple are obscure, but it appears to be a seedling from the tens of thousands sent out across the prairies from a progam by Agriculture Canada in the 1960s. The original Norkent tree was moved from the University of Alberta as a whip to a residential backyard in Edmonton as they were out of room at the university in terms of letting it grow to full size. It is best described as an ultra hardy Gala. It has been fully hardy for me, and also quite productive. Two other apples closely related to Norkent, some say it may be the same apple, are Simonet 1847 and PF51. Norkent is ripe about Sept. 7. While it stores reasonably well, it seems to lose taste in storage. Good for fresh eating and cooking. Red/orange striped and quite pleasant looking.

922 End - This is an Alberta apple with an unusual name. It originally stood for "plot 9, row 22, end of row", hence "922 End". This apple is one of the hardiest apples on the planet, and was grown for many years by the late Jake Friessen in the Peace River country of northern Alberta. Jake told me he had never once even seen tip dieback on this cultivar, even after long cold periods of -45C and a bit colder. While tart to eat, it excels in pies, sauce and juice. It is also very productive and must be thinned. 922 End is a yellow apple with red cheek, turning 80% red by its ripening date, about Sept. 10 for me. It doesn't store well and should be considered a processing apple, especially suitable for extremely cold climates.


     

 

  
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September Ruby - This is another ultra hardy apple which has never shown a bit of injury at my site. It is a beautiful red, but somewhat lumpy apple that will store for a few months. Reasonably good to eat fresh, September Ruby is my favourite hands down for juice. 100% juice of this cultivar, not mixed with any other cultivar, beats anything I've ever tasted from any of the Ontario or British Columbia organic apple juices. It is ripe for me about Sept. 15 most years.

Parkland - Very hardy, productive, with good fresh off the tree taste. It is ripe late August for me, and is a very pleasant looking red blushed apple. The main problems are that it is a softer apple that won't store, plus it tends to fall off the tree. However it is the first red apple of good quality that matures each year for me. Far better than its cousin Norland.

Wealthy - Even though this is a zone 4 apple, it has survived well at my orchard. Wealthy excels in pies and for juice, and is good fresh when fully ripe, about Sept. 15 in my climate. It appears to be produce only every second year unless well thinned.

Golden Uralean - Nothing is known about this beautiful, golden apple's origin. I'd guess it is Russian, and perhaps coming from the Ural mountains in Russia. It is ripe by mid August in my climate, and is good to eat fresh (although somewhat soft in texture) plus excellent for baking. It doesn't store and must be used quickly, within a few days of ripening. This is however, a beautiful, ultra hardy cultivar, the first ripening apple of the season for me. It must be thinned very aggressively in spring or only crab apple sized apples will be obtained.

Prairie Sun - This is a new release from the University of Saskatchewan. It is extremely hardy, does not brown when cut, has a small core, and makes outstanding pies with the cut pieces remaining solid in the pies. It is good if picked fresh for eating. It doesn't store for too long, and must be aggressively thinned as it is very productive. It is a large yellow apple with a red cheek that is ripe by September 1 in my climate. In a nutshell, an ideal, highly productive and ultra hardy cooking and processing apple. It is a Goodland x Brookland cross.

18-10-32 - This is an advanced selection from the U. of Saskatchewan's breeding program that will be released fairly shortly. The apples are large, yellow with a red cheek, crisp, and very tasty. The tree is also extremely hardy and has not shown any winter injury, not even minor tip damage, in my climate. It is ripe about the third week in September for me. Highly recommended when available and formally released.

18-18-11 - Another advanced selection from the U. of Saskatchewan. This very hardy, red/orange apple is ripe about mid September for me. It is tasty, crisp, and non-browning when cut. It seems to suffer from superficial skin blemishes for some reason, and as such would probably be more of a processing apple despite its good taste.

18-8-9 - This McIntosh x Brookland seedling is fully hardy in my climate, and tastes like a really good McIntosh (which would never survive my winters). It is a beautiful red colour, but may have problems sizing. It is ripe the last week in September for me. Outstanding fresh taste, but lack of size may limit it from commercial applications.

Other varieties of promise: I am currently growing another 25 or so other advanced selections from the University of Saskatchewan. While fully hardy so far, none of these have yet fruited, and are currently one or two year old whips. I don't expect any fruit for a couple of years from these, but if they are as good as the 4 Saskatchewan varieties that have already fruited for me, I'm in for a treat! I also am testing varieties from Mr. Lloyd Lee, lifelong plant breeder from Camp Creek, Alberta. His Lee #21 and Lee #17 seem especially promising as they possess very good taste coupled with extreme hardiness. If you come across an ultra hardy apple that has commercial potential, please e-mail me.