Let’s add
‘King David’
…and probably Arkansas Black, Redfield, { and Querina/Florina if you don’t have cedar apple rust problem }.
3 Likes
Liberty has been a worm magnet for me at times, but I guess I’m growing high protein apples 
I like to think that the liberty are a worm trap to keep the other apples clean…so my experiences with other apples might be skewed because liberty steals all the worms. That and Freedom nearby has been a worm magnet too. I agree with pristine on the list. Enterprise is usually clean for me too. Not so sure about william’s pride.
6 Likes
There is an apple tree on the side of the turnpike I’ve been eyeing up for a few weeks now. I’ll report back if they look as good up close as they do from far away. It’s surrounded by Japanese knotweed so I imagine nobody has sprayed it… 
7 Likes
Does Hauer Pippin or white winter pearmain qualify for the list?
1 Like
I have summer Rambo and I can ASURE you it is NOT on the list.
3 Likes
Look at this list for disease resistance to scab, fireblight, powdery mildew and cedar apple rust:
For resistance to Summer rots which are usually not well documented look at this thread for two lists of apples resistance to Summer rots:
No apples really have resistance to insects unfortunately.
7 Likes
Pri apples like some of the best for overall resistance are Enterprise, Sundance, Juliet. Also Novamac and Freedom get good points for resistance.
2 Likes
Around here, bugs don’t bother yellow transparent or pristine much at all. Your mileage may vary.
…actually enterprise might be somewhat in that category with the thicker skin but I don’t have enough experience on it yet…but early results were promising.
4 Likes
Agree on Hauer Pippin-it qualifies here. So does Black Limbertwig although here it has no taste to speak of. Other rarities known for no spray per David Vernon I believe: Little Benny and Mattamuskeet although I don’t grow them. I bet Scott would include Hunge from his experience.
I’m still trialing Belle de Boskoop, a robust Dutch triploid russet, crisp with fabulous intense sweet/tart taste, and it’s a strong candidate for no spray list. Also Paducah fall apple and Keener Seedling. I grow both literally surrounded by thousands of red cedars and bradford pear blight carriers at a friend’s no-spray organic farm- Keener is super late, full russet, bulletproof no spray.
After you have the list would be fun to vote on best tasting even though tastes vary- some stars might stand out. Although few, if any members here probably have tasted the rarities I mention.
8 Likes
As you say, people’s experiences are going to vary depending on where they are, but in my part of the country (Western Massachusetts), apple trees definitely will grow and produce without spray. It’s pretty common to find big old apple trees at old farms and farm sites, and I can think of a number of such trees just around our neighborhood. While some of these trees may be in a somewhat sad state, others appear to be pretty healthy and produce pretty heavily in spite of receiving no apparent care and even in some cases being in subpar locations. Now of course, neither the trees nor the fruit are likely to be pristine, and there may be a certain amount of “added protein”, but in my experience there are a good number of sound ones, too. With a cider press and appropriately managed expectations, I think you could make out tolerably well.
6 Likes
Are wormy apples OK for cider?
2 Likes
A little extra protein never hurts!
6 Likes
I have Enterprise and it’s attacked by plum curculio. This year it had more damage than my Winecrisp. I think in many cases what people see is “escape” rather than resistance. If for some reason a tree is not attacked it’s assumed that it has resistance when in many cases it’s just luck (escape).
There is an old paper that measured fireblight resistance in a large collection of apple cultivars in New York. In many cases there was only one tree of a particular cultivar in the collection. The author warned that when there was only one tree you have to be careful interpreting results. If the one tree had no damage it may have escaped attack rather than having high resistance. The author preferred to see light damage because then you knew the tree was attacked and it had a high level of resistance.
If your apples are all free of a certain disease that doesn’t mean they are resistant. It could be the disease isn’t present or the conditions don’t favor the disease in your area or that particular year. On the other hand if you have many trees covered with scab and one or two trees that are free of scab then the trees free of scab are probably resistant.
6 Likes
A few ppm (parts per million) of mouse droppings are permitted in Government inspected food…so I imgine a little juice from a critter passes inspection too!
7 Likes
So in other words codling moth worms don’t hurt the quality of the cider. I guess they’d be a tiny percentage of total volume.
1 Like
I’m fairly new at apples. I have a 6-yr old Enterprise. That’s after losing both Liberty and Chestnut crab, planted at the same time, to rabbit damage before I started placing wire mesh around the trunks. I also have a ton of 1-3 yr old trees, both dwarf and semi, both dessert and cider varieties.
I’ve tried to select trees for disease resistance, where it is known. For many of the speculative cider varieties, it’s a crap shoot. I’m optimistic that I can control insects with modest spraying but I’d really like to avoid dependence on fungicide and vulnerability to fireblight.
My modest contribution here is that I’ve found Roxbury Russet to be robust and productive with minimal attention.
4 Likes
Before there was chemical fertilizer (e.g., DAP), brewers reportedly added meat to fermenting cider for protein. I think that started after someone serendipitously discovered that the cider was better if a rat had accidentally fallen into the barrel. I doubt anyone deliberately added whole rats, but maybe some scrap meat after butchering livestock.
So worms, mice droppings, or even whole mice might be a plus.
3 Likes
I would love to see some pics of your no spray apples if you have some.
My one success story… (so far) Early McIntosh above. Perdue’s article list it as succeptable to scab… but resistent to FB CAR Powdery Mildew. Mine have always been very clean as pictures above… no scab ever seen.
In my location this tree and Akane, and Hudson golden gem have proven to be only mildly affected by CAR… but my Gold Rush has been severely affected by CAR and possibly other foliage issues. I dont think GR is going to make it here.
Also… I am very interested in growing crab apple varieties… if that will help with my no spray goals… If any of you have had no spray success with crabs… larger crabs good for fresh eating… I would love to hear about that. Pictures welcome too.
Thanks
TNHunter
5 Likes
I have heard from many people who would disagree, and who would tell you they can taste the difference between cider that contains codling moths and that which does not. Also, in my opinion, cider-makers who make cider without the use of sulfites will likely have better resutls without the addition of codling moths, rats, or rat droppings.
3 Likes
Thanks- I should have said that more as a question, just checking my understanding of other comments above. When I made cider for 30 years I discarded wormy apples but now curious if that is necessary for good cider. Am helping a young cidermaker source free apples from neglected trees so hard to find worm free apples here. PS @JohnnyRoger - do you know about the Lost Apple Project in the NW? They might help you ID your old unknown trees.