What do you like or dislike about Arkansas Black?
Pros >
-Almost 100 % fireblight resistant,
-Great keeper. No need to peel/cut/bag/freeze in haste.
-Great for pie filling or any application that requires an apple to hold its shape such as fried pork tenderloin/apples.
Cons >
-Sterile Pollen
-Prone to Calyx end rot. Needs fungicide. Results may vary. Humid 7b climate.
I use Ark Blacks more than any other variety, not due to them being the most flavored or having the best texture, but because they are there when I need them.
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lots of flavor with out solely being sweet or sour
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A friend grew it for years but finally sawed it down. It was blight “resistant” only in the sense of not dying from blight. It had blight the entire time he grew it and probably infected other trees. Like King David “resistance” at least here.
They don’t pollinate because they’re Triploid apples, it would be interesting to try to make some crosses with them as the mother tree though!
All trees are susceptible when they’re under three years old. If the tree was not properly tended the first three years, I can see this happening. Mine is 16 years old and is surrounded by blight bombs. No issues.
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Fair point. Other friends have trouble-free Arkansas Blacks and store them a month or two before eating.
Biggest issue I had was they were so hard and took months to get ripe enough to eat or use. They were pretty tasty but not tasty enough to keep the tree around in my orchard. They were beautiful to look at and shiny when buffed up.
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