I’ve noticed that one of the new cultivars in my apple collection “Pitmaston Pineapple” breaks dormancy in the first week of May. Today Pitmaston Pineapple is blooming but all of my other apples are long past that stage and well into fruiting.
I am wondering if anyone has suggestions for a pollination partner with complimentary bloom times and good quality fruit.
Pitmaston is in flowering group 4 (first-time bloom might be unusually late and it will later settle into a more typical time). There are a lot of good apples in group 4, for example, Akane, Ashmead’s Kernel, Calville Blanc d’Hiver, Cornish Aromatic, Ginger Gold, GoldRush, Hauer Pippin, Honeycrisp, Mother, Pixie Crunch, Reine des Reinettes, Spitzenburg.
I can vouch for Akane and Hauer being late bloomers. Also Sierra Beauty is one of the latest. And we have a few cider apple varieties that are just waking up and won’t flower for another week or two.
Keepsake and Hunt Russet are late. So is Médaille d’Or if you are interested in a cider apple. It and Hunt both had debut 10% bloom yesterday (Spokane: very late spring in '17.) Hunt is 90% today and Md’O looks as though it will take longer to cycle.
I just grafted Pitmaston onto a friend’s tree a week or so ago and will like to compare notes. I top-worked one of my trees to Keepsake so will probably be able to weigh in on its lateness in two years - but you want an answer now, don’t you?
Green cheese is a late blooming apple.
The kid in me started laughing when I read this quote. Is there really an apple called green cheese?
Honestly I wouldn’t worry too much, there is always a late bloom or two tucked away that the bees will find. Right now I have 3-4 apple varieties that both have dime-sized fruits and have a couple super late blooms somewhere on the tree.
Yeah it was supposed to be very popular at one time. I know it is said to be a very late bloomer escaping most late frost.
Marginally related- but I found this chart of apple blossom timing I compiled years ago. Thought it might help some of the newbies. An asterisk indicates Triploid. That means it takes pollen, but does not return the favor.
Rome is the latest bloomer that I’ve grown.
Court Pendu Plat is one of the latest bloomers if you’re looking for a dessert variety. A later flowering crabapple might also be a good choice. Also Northern Spy is supposed to be very late blooming.
Not sure how those varieties would do in N. California since I live on the east coast.
I saw late blooming on Rubinette this year.
I think it’s been mentioned elsewhere here, but the Orange Pippin Fruit Tree Pollination Compatibility service is useful in making choices like this.
Excellent suggestions from everyone. Hopefully the Pitmaston Pineapple bloom time will be more in sync with my Calville Blanc d’Hiver next year. I’ll try to get at least one Ashmead’s Kernal started as well as a couple of other late bloomers that were suggested in this thread.
A quick peek at Greenmantle Nursery (Garberville, CA) website shows they grow Court Pendu Plat, Keepsake and Médaille d’Or. Md’O is one of the latest blooming in cultivation, but is strictly for cider making.
VSOP:
This year I grafted a close cousin of CPP, which is Court Pendu Rose - lighter crop than CPP, less acid and a floral component to its flavor/aroma. Looking at the cider trials for WA State U. at Mt. Vernon, CPR blooms four days later than CPP, and apparently lived in their conditions, whereas CPP died. No explanation.
Derek Mills grows both CPP and CPR in Ohio. He commented when learning I tried CPR that it is a good tasting apple. Hope it does well here!
While we’re at it, Hunt Russet blooms late, too. It opened debut bloom one day ahead of Médaille d’Or in a record late spring this year.
Thanks for the reference to Greenmantle. Quite a collection they have.
After doing some more reading it seems that I need late bloomers that are diploid varieties in close proximity to the triploid Ashmead’s Kernel.
danchappell:
Where did you find PP as triploid? I have never seen that indicated. Both orangepippin.com and Keepers indicate diploid. they are Brititsh establishments close to the source and history of PP. Trees of Antiquity (in CA) even goes so far as self fertile.
I put Pitmaston onto a Liberty this season in hopes it will secure seed set and another quite different apple on the same site for a friend.
I corrected the post. It is Ashmead’s Kernel that is triploid and unfortunately wont help pollinating PP. I had a stick of AK in the fridge and grafted onto one of my trees last week but it looks like I should add some more late bloomers.
One of my PP on M111 with a Fuji interstem is still blooming this week. It was grafted 13 months ago so maybe its “internal clock” is just a bit out of whack from cold storage in the fridge.
Some connections shift bloom time. I remember reading someone’s comment (among the many I’ve read on orangepippin.com?) on finding cvs grafted to MM106 bloomed one group earlier.
If you like the idea of a russet beside Pitmaston, Hunt blooms late. I have read it is FB susceptible, but have seen only one small strike on Médaille d’Or and not on Hunt. Both in the ground here since April '15 and both pushed moderate bloom this spring.
Keepsake also blooms late and I believe it has native resistance to FB.
Bess Pool, Court Pendu Plat, Court Pendu Rose, Edward VII, Golden Noble?
I wish I had known the need to cut back laterals on AK in order to promote fruiting spurs. It can otherwise make plenty of blind wood.
