No Spray Apple List

Liberty, Arkansas Black. Hard to pick the third one. One of the PRI apples next.
Leaves don’t look great on Black Lt.
or HGG.
Redfield got bad case plum curculio.

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I pre-ordered a WineCrisp (Co-op 31) on G.890 rootstock for my new mini-orchard project. I have a few crabapples nearby for cross-pollination purposes. I have little experience in growing apples, so I’m relying on some friendly, expert advice for the purposes of starting this project. God help me.

FruitTreesPlan.docx (34.3 KB)

I doubt there is such a thing as no-spray fruit in Boston area. Organic sprays or bagging can help avoid the poisons. There is also the battle against the deer, rabbits, squirrels, and raccoons, requiring wire, traps, or hunting. A fun hobby, but don’t get your expectations too high. Enjoy the thrill when you get a harvest, but don’t take it for granted.

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This is more of an ornamental compromise between me and my wife. She just wants to create some separation and privacy with the neighbors. If it was up to her, he’s be putting up Green Giants all around the property perimeter. She had started on one end, then I convinced her that putting up fruit trees would be a better idea. I hope not to disappoint! LOL

So far she liked my idea of surrounding the patio with 25+ varieties of figs in 8-gallon containers! Success!

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Liberty, Arkansas Black, Northwest Greening, Yellow Bellflower, and several of the RED FLESHED apples are the cleanest in appearance I have at this time of the summer here in 6b Kentucky.

Niedzwetzkyana may not be anyone’s favorite for eating fresh…but for disease resistance, pretty pink blooms, jelly and cider…it is a winner. (Nice looking in the yard, @Marco.)

For insect resistance, Arkansas Black is one of the best, but no apple variety is immune from bug bites or maggots if one chooses not to spray.

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space your green giants out and put a fruit tree a little out and in between the hedges. everyones happy! :wink:

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But but but… Fruit trees need sun, lots of sun! :grinning:

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Earlier in this topic someone listed mutsu as a resistant apple. My experience couldn’t be more different. Mutsu leaves were practically defoliated by scab and CAR every year for me. It looked so bad that eventually I moved it out to “no man’s land” in my yard.

I have four apple trees in that isolated spot. Just for fun, I chose not to spray or prune those trees for several years. I wanted to see if it were possible they would do just as well as those i doted on.

I wasnt surprised by the results. The trees are smaller and although they have fruit, it is very small. Just as before, Virginia Gold and mutsu look terrible. Their leaves are completely covered in scab and CAR. Next is Red Astrachan with moderately affected leaves and fruit. The clear winner is Red free. Perfectly clear, not a spot on it. The apples look pretty good, too.

Amazing what a difference resistance can make between four trees planted fairly close together.

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I think you can’t go back to edit a list so old…but
Mutsu probably shouldn’t be on there. (Even though it might be fine at your location.)

Pristine, like Granny Smith, gets rots. Reason to keep off the list.
Fuji is sometimes clean, sometimes not…you can get by no-spray, but it’s going to have some damage.
Hudson’s Golden Gem…still after 4 years, has not bloomed on G202 for me. But, I’d cut it from being n)-spray probably.
Refield has had bad pc damage, but not disease.

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plant your fruit trees then in a few years plant your green giants. keep them trimmed so they dont compete with the fruit trees.

How about Monkey Puzzle tree mixed with apple trees for a hedge? They let in sunlight, stick the deer and other varmints, and might bear a nut crop.

Oh, I guess if the prickleys stop the deer, it’d be hard for you to harvest the fruits too. :face_with_peeking_eye:

My tags got jumbled up. Now I don’t know what 2 grafted branches are. ! Either Liberty or Enterprise - one of each . . . or possibly both Liberty - or both Enterprise! :crazy_face:
Can anyone tell from these shots???
And - what is that striation in the flesh of the apple?
(Whatever it is - it tasted great! Still a little tart . . . but I pulled it because it had a rot spot on the side.)

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Water core?

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Too much water? I’ll have to look that one up. I’ve seen it a couple of times in my orchard.

Found this:

Can you eat Watercore apples?

The transparent appearance results from a retention of water and one of the fruit sugars around the core or throughout the flesh of the apple. Apples with water core are quite safe to eat, and will be sweeter than apples of the same variety without this condition. In Japan, these apples are preferred and highly prized.

I agree on the taste aspect, at least on the few I’ve eaten with watercore.

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Enterprise ripens late. Maybe more red on it than Liberty. My guess would be Liberty. But just eat it and enjoy.

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I’ve been told Golden Russet is pretty much no spray by one of our members.

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I have Golden Russet. It has gotten bug damaged if not sprayed or bagged.

Even hard fleshed like Arkansas Black has gotten bug damaged but due to its flesh is so dense, internal damage has not been extensive in my experience.

Sometimes bugs prefer one variety over others for an unknown reason.

It really comes down to where you are. If you are in high pest pressure like I am, no apples will be bug-free. However, choosing well, I could plant some apples with no spray. I have to not expect perfect fruit or perfect trees.

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Here, codling moths like Golden Russet just fine.

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They taste very different as grown in my climate. Liberty has a distinct Macintosh flavor, while Enterprise tastes mostly just sweet off the tree. Enterprise also has a thicker than normal skin. Yours don’t look exactly like either Liberty or Enterprise as they ripen here, but look sort of like both.

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