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Gold Rush is quite tart and there is not enough season where you are for it to build enough sweetness to balance the acid. Additionally, its flesh is very dense, and can be hard for an old person to bite into.
Fuji is a great sweet apple, very good keeper and can be picked late October/ early November. Red Delicious when picked late October will be quite sweet and has a very good flavor. Same for Golden Delicious. I have not tried Kidds Orange Red myself (I have a 2 year old tree), but is said to be a “better Gala” and ripens in September.
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We had our first outbreak of fireblight last year, and both Hudson’s Golden Gem and Gold Rush came through fine. We don’t grow the others you list.
Hudson’s for flavor always finishes high in our taste tests. Rich and sweet.
Our Gold Rush has yet to bear fruit, but several nearby orchards grow it, and the Finger Lakes is a full hardiness zone lower than Philadelphia, so I think it should do fine for you. The extreme sweet-tart combination can be a treat, but it may not please someone who prefers the bland sweet of Gala and most post-Gala apple varieties.
Heirloom varieties with an historic Philadelphia connection, including some now obscure and difficult to obtain, include:
Doctor (of Germantown)
Rambo
Smokehouse
Jefferis
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I planted some seeds of Opal 18 months ago…none of them are alive today. Of the 40 to 50% that came up, all had mildew and otherwise were not vigorous. So, they do have seeds, but maybe you found a new thing there.
I’ve yet to eat any of those you suggest. Some of the “PRI” apples, some of the Limbertwigs, even Arkansas Black, might fill in most of your ‘requirements’.
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Have you read Scott’s latest apple evaluation?
Scott's Apple Experiences Through 2022.
He is in 6b/7a in MD, your next door neighbor.
I am in 6a MA. I also like sweet apples and balanced sweet/tart apples but not sour or sour-leaning apples.
My number one apple (for now) is Crunch A Bunch. It is balanced with lighter texture than Gold Rush. I have a feeling that your parents may prefer it to a dense Gold Rush.
My favorite sweet apples is Orin, a large Japanese, light, crisp and sweet apple. Fuji and Gala are also sweet apples. Scott said Fuji is disease resistant.
Crunch A Bunch and Orin are trouble-free for me. I don’t know any of your choices except for Gold Rush.
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We old people bought some GoldRush in West Virginia that were superb. I grow Snowsweet-a great apple, and Redfree-a rather blah to average apple.
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SnowSweet does well here zone 7 MD, bagged. Good sweet apple, good consistency, on the small side for me. Goldrush, one great apple to eat, is very susceptible to cedar apple rust and the fairly new leaf blotch disease- both can defoliate GR. List of no-spray apples getting smaller and smaller. Yates remains on that list per many reports.
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Got a hold of a bunch of Envy at Whole Foods the other day. Boy are they delicious! Wish I could successfully grow these in my neck of the woods! Solid 9.5/10 apples!
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Have you had success growing apple trees with seeds from other varieties?
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Yes, from Fuji.
And am planting seeds from things like Odysso, Geneva Crab, Red Delicious this coming spring.
I’ve yet to figure to perfection how to get a high percentage of my home grown apples (and intentional crosses) to germinate outdoors in pots. (Apples from the store that have been in cold storage, the seeds can be planted immediately with fair to good results.)
I’m going through a learning curve as to dampness during seed storage, length of stratification that’s best,
how much drying the seeds reduces germination, etc.
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I can answer a couple of those questions. Apple and pear have the same germination requirements. NO seed drying at all. Cool moist conditions for 6 weeks at about 45 degrees, do NOT freeze!. Room temperature to germinate.
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Some germinate in 90 days or so in fridge…room temps not required. Some don’t.
But thanks for your insights.
Any apples from your trees yet? I am going to check out your newer posts and see what’s up. Hope you had a Merry Christmas!
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I don’t know of a souce-the USDA collection doesn’t always have names on many of their scions nor do they list ornamental qualities. I am getting a “Luscious” myself which in some photos does have brilliant fall foliage.
On a couple of my oriental pears I saw subdued spring and fall coloration. More of a burgundy color. But even my blueberries and Oxydendron do not have coloration like the photo I saw of Luscious. However-I have been amending soil here for 30 years trying to offset (1)creeps took off all topsoil leaving me with clayey and micronutrient poor subsoil (2) BANDED glacial till alternating layers very acidic meant I have to re apply mico slop with lime so MY colors may not reflect what more neutral soils with organic layer intact might yield.
My family has 2 rental properties that I want to try and re establish orchards-and the NEUTRAL Detroit Loam one has black walnut and wetness issues now that didn’t exist prior to the 1970’s. The other is a homestead property opposite problem-extreme lime in Wakeney loam in drought y soils EXCEPT in primary floodplain where the removal of some 200 odd junk trees (about 1/3 of total along a 2 mile stretch of Wild Horse Creek) has brought the water table back up to 1880 level. In time I want to try and re plant what my mother told me was an orchard near what had been the house/barn/icehouse area lining the creek.
As few orchard supply companies note ornamental qualities in the past the home growers of teh trees need to write back to their suppliers(I have to both Raintree and Trees of Antiquity) with spring/fall photos to try and encourage inclusion in their descriptions.
Naila Caruso
Blacklick Ohio
(Grosse Ile, downriver Detroit, Michigan and Utica, Trego County, Kansas)
I noticed SOMEBODY has actual nice fushia foliage on
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I have read that can happen with excessive application of GA3 in combination with a different hormone.
Sorry don’t remember the other synergistic hormone.
It was a research article.
If I remember, will get back to you.
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Thanks. I was just curious, I have no designs on growing seedless apples.
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The article also stated that it reduced individual fruit size, caused fruit elongation, made fruit crisper, yet lower in brix, slight reduction in aromas, yet overall increased yields.
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To me Envy is my favorite apple. I have a crossed that is very close to the real thing.
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I agree Tony, today I bought more Envy apples because it’s on sale here. Not an apple person but I have been eating once a day.
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