Most fireblight resistant apples

[TNHunter]

Going to try one more apple here…

One found growing at a friends house here in my county… they bought the home 2-3 years ago with apple tree in front yard. They do not know the variety.

I saw the tree loaded with pretty green apples in june last year.

They have never pruned it or sprayed it … it produces good apples each year late summer… it did not get any FB this year.

They say the apples ripen more yellow with a blush of red.

Sounds similar to pristene.

What ever it is… going to give it a try here. If it gets FB and dies… no more will apples grow at my place.

Will replace them with mulberries, pawpaws, persimmons, jujube, CHE… something that will live and produce fruit.

[Paul-VA]

@39thparallel Hey Mike, can you give some insight as to what varieties have been your absolute best against disease, and which have been the worst? That might save me a great deal of heartache that takes 4-5 years to discover. I know disease pressure varies widely everywhere, but your experience would be beneficial nonetheless.

[39thparallel]

As others have stated: Location pruning and rootstock make a big difference. My espaliers in the river valley have more issues then the semi standard trees in clay up on the hill. The list will change as things mature but, here are my current impressions 10 years into my apple experiment station(s):

Highly disease resistant apples:
39th parallel
Bonkers
Black Amish
Chestnut Crab
Empire
Grimes / Golden D (some scab issues)
Honeycrisp (Not productive here)
Nova Easygro
Ozark Gold
Jefferis
King David
Lady (API)
Liberty
Pristine
Priscilla
Red D
Redfield and most apples with strong Red Flesh genetics
Sundance (Ripening issues )
Winesap (some scab issues)
Yates
Wolf River

FB Magnets:
Antonovka 1.5#
Anise Russet
Bashkirian Beauty
Breakwell Seedling
Cap of Liberty
Golden Nugget
Gloria Mundi
Jonagold,
Limbertwigs: White, Hanging Dog, American, Myer’s Green
Pink Pearl
Spitzinburg
Summer Banana
Summer Sweeting
Sweet Sixteen
Winter Banana

[hambone]

@39thparallel What was the ripening issue with Sundance? Too late for your climate?

[39thparallel]

I have been thinking about how the diseases are evolving but, apples can’t adapt because hardly anyone grows open pollinated apples. I’m thinking about planting out some seedlings from the more resistant stock and let nature take it’s course. It sounds like you have a great location for an experiment in natural selection.

[39thparallel]

They don’t ripen super late like goldrush. I just never catch them when they are right on. I sample and say meh, needs to hang, then they drop. I will try picking them and letting them ripen in storage this year.

[hambone]

I notice the same thing. I didn’t realize they could ripen in storage- good to know. I have trouble with many apple varieties knowing when to pick- it’s harder for me than growing them. I know about dark seeds, doesn’t seem to help.

[Paul-VA]

Very great info, thanks!

[Paul-VA]

@39thparallel Can you tell us more about the 39th parallel? I assume that’s a seedling you grew?

Also, how is Clark’s crab apple stacking up in the disease resistance department? Thanks for the great info above. I was about to plant a White Limbertwig this fall, but I will use that place to plant something less risky. I’m almost entirely on M111 rootstock (and a row fo G11 dwarf) so hoping that provides benefit.

I have been wondering - I live in SW VA and there are literally apple trees I see everywhere just growing completely on their own, without any care, pumping out edible apples. We have every disease and pest out here. Most appear to be old, seedling rootstock or just seedlings on massive trees, but many are semi-dwarf size.

It makes me wonder several things: are the bigger root systems providing more strength against disease with more nutrient uptake? (this is the way they grow from seed after all) Are varieties that AREN’T sprayed developing stronger immune systems against disease? I’m not a scientist, but I’ve seen apple varieties that people claim are not disease resistant doing just fine out in a cow pasture unattended, somehow they’ve managed. So, if you took scion from THAT tree could it possibly be more disease resistant than scion from someone else’s of the exact same variety who has been spraying from day one? In school we learned about the concept of “mucky baby” where kids exposed to all sorts of germs early in life had much stronger immune systems then those who did not (for ex. the poor kids in the slums, playing on the streets and in the water coming from fire hydrants, had a way smaller occurrence and death rate to polio back in the day then the wealthy did). Anyways, I’m not against the aid of science whatsoever. The evidence is all around me that apples can be grown without spraying, at least if you’re okay with a 20% yield and spots and blemishes Or, maybe not spraying just allows for more inconsistency year-to-year and a roll of the dice whether your trees will still be standing or not, and maybe some can live with that (I know orchardists who do this for their living cannot).

Lastly, I just relocated but at my old property I got 4 years of apple growing in all on G11 rootstock. I was able to grow successfully, without any sprays, William’s Pride, Royal Limbertwig, VA Beauty, Pristine, and Redfree. I only bagged some against insects, but even the ones I did not bag weren’t un-useable. I lost Fiesta apple to FB, and several had CAR but that’s it. So, I know it can be done. I also know in a different year I could have completely different results and lose entire trees to FB. Apparently more diseases come as the years go by. Anyways, I appreciate all input from all people as I would love to avoid learning lessons on my own that others already have. The time it takes to get to apple production cannot be made up!

[dannytoro1]

I’ve read some studies saying Bittenfelder apple is one of the toughest disease resistant seedlings you can plant for root stock use. Plus it’s drought and heat tolerant. And in the study it was a decent fruit producer. About middle of the road or better some years.

[39thparallel]

When we bought the farm, there was a old Kieffer Pear and a big standard apple (The 39th parallel Apple) I know it’s grafted because I grew out a sucker and it was different. It clearly has Red D genetics. Maybe a sport like Starking or one of the many crosses.

Clark’s Crab has good disease resistance probably not the most resistant. I have seen some fungus issues in the damp river bottom. We will soon have more reviews because I have sent out hundreds of scions and trees. I would say it’s on par with Prairie Spy, Arkansas Black and Roxbury russet. Resilient, productive with minimal issues.

Your instincts are correct. Larger old trees are often healthier, but they would lot have gotten old, if they were highly susceptible to fireblight. Pesticides / fungicides do have negative effects on plant heath except for mitigating pests, targeted disease… I don’t know that a no spray apple would be genetically different form the same variety grown with a conventual spray program. Trees definitely have some kind of memory and adapt to their environment. I notice old trees know exactly when to wake up and when to go dormant. Young trees of the same variety take several years to acclimate.

Most of my free standing trees are on M111. It’s probably better to think of M111 as a semi-standard rootstock. I will eventually be forced to move towards a low impact / no spray program on many of those large trees. It will be interesting to see how they far.

[TNHunter]

At my location… I have a flowering crab 20+ years… no FB. It has beautiful blossoms but produces no edible fruit.

Early Mcintosh 20+ years no FB…

The flowering crab bloomed very early… must be a FG1 tree… but it bloomed long and would still be blooming when my Early Mc bloomed. The Early Mc is a FG2 tree.

They bloomed and finished blooming while it was still quite cool here.

Our springs are normally quite wet… it rains weekly or more…

Trees blooming during FG1 and FG2 period had lots of blossoms and rain but got no FB.

Then i had a couple of FG3 trees… and a couple FG4 trees.

I have one FG3 tree that has been blooming for 3 years as of this spring… Goldrush.

2 years ago… it had several blossom clusters early on during that FG3 blooming period that bloomed and set fruit… but during the last half of the FG3 bloom period… all those later blossom clusters got FB.

I cut it out best I could… the next spring… last spring it bloomed and set some fruit and no FB.

But then this spring… it bloomed and set fruit early on… no problems… but during the last half of FG3… any blossom clusters remaining with blossoms got FB hits… literally all over the tree… every scaffold branch multiple fruit spurs with blossoms turned brown/black curled up…

Also this spring… i had 2 FG4 trees that bloomed and bloomed well for the first time…
About the first week of FG4… they looked good… but then next time I checked them… all fruit spurs (that I had worked on developing via summer pruning) had FB… all over both of those trees.

Again in most years we have pretty consistent rains… weekly… thru FG1 2 3 4. So it is pretty consistently wet during all of those.

What happens the last half of FG3 most years is it warms up. By the time FG4 apples are blooming… it has warmed up good for sure

Cooler temps… wet conditions… consistently no FB.

Warmer temps… wet conditions… consistently FB.

It does not matter who says the tree is very resistent to FB… (perhaps at their location it appears to be)… but here if it is still actively blooming when April 1 rolls around and it warms up significantly and remains wet… it is getting a load of FB.

The problem with FG1 and FG2 trees here… is my late frost problem. A FG2 tree will often bloom and set fruit… only to get frosted and drop.

I really need FG4 trees to consistently get past our late frost issue… but FG4 trees are blooming when it is much warmer and still wet… and load up on FB.

That is the crux of it here.

TNHunter

[Vortom]

I agree that Limbertwigs are FB magnets, as are pears, especially Bartlett. Last year I could not get a second copper spray in due to weather and I had FB issues here and there. In the past I had FB issues with young Ida Red and Honeycrisp - think it is a root stock issue. This year has been better, but I am getting some russeting on my Grimes Golden and Golden Delicious. Each year is different - have had of all things sawfly stuff this year with a bit of Plum Curculio and mites. Guess I put Imidan (Phosmet) on a bit later than I should have and have used Nealta, Zeal, and Portal to fight the mites with success so far.

[dannytoro1]

All Apple trees are fire blight magnets…lol

The problem is fire blight effects younger trees harder mostly.

[Paul-VA]

Here is just a very small sample size of trees I see everyday on my way to work. There’s hundreds and probably thousands all over this area. Some are on people’s property, many are on roadsides, but I’d venture to guess almost all of them are not being cared for anymore.

[Paul-VA]

[jerryrva]

I was lucky this year. No FB on my apples or pears despite a rainy bloom time.

[Paul-VA]

@39thparallel Are you growing Roxbury Russet? I am wondering how it has done for you on the disease end of things. I seem to get a lot of differing info on this one…but i feel like Kansas is more harsh than VA so your experience is a good gauge. Thanks

[NuttingBumpus]

Mike: That’s amazing to find Honeycrisp on your list of FB resistant cvs. The only FB strike I have encountered among over 30 varieties trialed was Honeycrisp at bloom time.
BTW, there is a feral apple that appears to be a Rome cross growing by a road: looks like a pink Rome. Not a trace of FB on it. Maybe I need to whack it a bit to promote sc8ion growth & send you some next winter?

[scottfsmith]

Yes I find my own results don’t always correlate so well with others. Any Golden Delicious type is bad in my orchard. Limbertwigs on the other hand are not getting much blight at all. Golden Nugget does fine. I do see some common ones as well though, Chestnut Yates and Pristine are relatively good for me.

My guess is different regions have different blight strains active, it seems too random otherwise. Other things like the vigor of the tree, microclimate, pruning style, etc also matter.