I really haven’t had too much trouble with disease. I saw some fire blight in 2023 for the first time but it sounds like that was a problem everywhere. Oddly enough it was really only on my jon-a-red. As soon as I saw it I would cut it out. Nothing major. I had some issues with cedar apple rust on the tree but was able to get it under control in 2022 and 2023 seemed to be much better after modifying my sprays. The leaves are much smaller than my other trees. Decent amount of blooms. The apple seems to be a medium sized apple that is somewhat tart. Maybe a bit more tart than a regular Jonathan. The flesh is firm. I like them for fresh eating but we usually make a lot of pie filling out of them since they aren’t as popular to give away. The size of the apples seems to really be affected by properly thinning. I wasn’t as diligent in 2023 and they were small.
Melrose is also my best taste apple.
Grew them for years during my Chicago years.
I posted this on a different thread some years back. It is still my favorite photo of my apples: Claygate. This tree is a triploid, which was an aspect I avoided until getting several other diploids to provide pollen sources for the bees to deliver. Complex (nut & cheese overtone) tart, sweet & juicy. The tree needed better pruning direction than my lack of experience could direct until last year. I cut it way back & reserved a likely central bud. It responded well to treatment & I hope for an actual crop of Claygate in '25.
Sometimes you find a winner…
Unfortunately my one graft of Claygate died the first summer, after extending 4 to 6 inches. FB I think.
NY 75414-1 apple
I bought this tree from Cummins, which is an unnamed Liberty x Macspur cross from the Cornell program. The purpose of this cross was to breed a disease resistant Mac type apple. It is precocious, it produced a couple apples in its third year. The fruit is mostly a dark purple color and ripens about a week before honeycrisp , first week of October in my zone 5a orchard. The flavor and crisp texture are very similar to McIntosh, as is the flesh color, a bright white. I don’t know how long they store, I haven’t had enough to find out. I don’t have much of a problem with fungal diseases in my dry environment, so I can’t comment on disease resistance, but Cummins says that it is completely free of disease. This apple seems like a good choice if you really like McIntosh. For myself, I prefer Belmac, which has McIntosh as a grandparent. Belmac has Mac flavor nicely balanced with a rich fruitiness.
Karen,
Those look good. Don’t forget to let us know how it tastes
Will do . . . . if they survive!
I’m not one who can describe in detail various taste nuances. I typically just know if I like something, or not 
And with Virginia Beauty I do, as does my wife. Perhaps not in the top 1% if I were to compare a large number of different cultivars. But still one I’d be happy to pull another out of the fridge and snack on…
thanks - I have had them locally grown (not in my own backyard yet) and they were good. I’m sure they will be better when eaten right off the tree. I have a 2 year old on M111 so I’m anxiously waiting. They did get hit heavy with aphids this year though. It’s like the aphids skipped every other tree to get this one only
It could be something with this specific tree and not the cultivar in general, but… It’s one of the few I’ve had fireblight strikes in. That’s with 50+ mostly heirloom varieties growing.
My tree started bearing at 4 years, it’s also on M111. One nice thing I’ve noted about it is that limbs tend to grow out and not straight up at a tight angle to the trunk.
I tried to grow Wynoochee. It ceased growth in high summer in its first & second leaf. When I bought quite a few apples grown in high desert they had zero flavor & went mushy in a couple days. Figured it would do better in milder conditions.
Hope you like!
I tried Wynoochee as well. I thought it was the same, zero flavor and did not impress me. So I took that tree out for something else to try out instead. No sense having a so-so tree in the ground.
I had read it was a great apple. It may be so, but sadly just not in my orchard.
How is the taste of Baya Marisa? Dry and/or astringent?
Hi. For me, here Baya Marisa is a good apple, sufficient moist and not too acid, like a bit less than a granny smith. But i saw not so good reports on other countries. I think the area where it grows is very important… like other redfleshed apples here are great but too acid on other places.
I think Baya Marisa has to be truly ripe for the taste to develop. Then it’s quite good. When not fully ripe it is more sour than sweet and more tanic. The problem is that people can’t really tell a ripe from an unripe one. So I see that as the main factor rather than conditions/soil/watering.
Redfield is excellent in some conditions, such as here. I wonder if the cool nights & dry air make for a wider harvest window than can be found in much of the States.
Upper & lower photos are of Redfield, one of the largest on the scale & one of the smallest showing the color inside. A neighbor kindly allowed me to plant this spreading tree in their front yard some years ago. I mowed their lawn in gratitude a couple days ago. Next week I will prune its lowest branches.
The middle photo was not the shot I wanted to present. It is a Lucy Glo used in mince meat pie, bought at a swank grocer where I had hoped to find Pink Pearl.
Very nice looking apple.
