Hello All,
I will soon be planting a Novamac apple tree and I have seen little information on people’s experience with this apple on this site. If anyone could share their experience with me I’d be thrilled. I purchased this variety based on Purdue’s analysis listing this as the apple most resistant to a wide variety of diseases.
Thanks in advance!
I believe it has been slow to get spread in the US. I will be interested in reports 
What is a good pollinator for it?
ditto that. I went with Liberty for a Mac type. I would be interested in hearing how the other side lives.
I don’t have first hand knowledge of the Novamac. Orange Pippin and Pomiferous have short listings with some info. The fruit id tab for Novamac on Orange Pippin may be useful for you. But in general I think the amount of information available is going to be limited since the apple isn’t commonly grown. You might try to find the website for the breeding program that produced the “Nova” series of apples they may have more info.
I do not have personal experience with this apple but it was developed in my home province. This is some information from a trusted source (Silver Creek Nursery) if it pleases you:
History: Novamac apples were developed at the AAFC Kentville Research and Development Centre in Nova Scotia and introduced in 1978.
Why We Grow It: Novamac is a variety that definitely deserved more attention. They are generally disease resistant and have proven to be very easy to grow in our test orchard where they are performing well. This apple has a nice winey tang but also lots of sweetness. The flesh is firmer than its namesake McIntosh, which it is descended from, and ripens earlier.
Canadian Hardiness Zone: 4
Soil Preference: Sandy loam, loam, clay loam. Prefers average to moist conditions, avoid planting anywhere that floods for more than two weeks in the spring. Generally quite adaptable to different soil conditions.
Growth Habits and Disease Resistance: Moderately vigorous, high precocity, with an upright and spreading growth pattern, has reliable crops of decent size, spur bearing. Resistant to canker, mildew, and fireblight, and very resistant to scab and cedar rust.
Sun/Shade: Full sun (approx. 8-10 hours of sun daily)
Pollination: Requires a pollinator of a different apple variety that blooms around the same time
Flowering Time: Bloom late
Ripens: Early September
Storage: Keeps a few months when stored in cool, humid conditions
Recommended Use: Fresh eating, cooking
@mrsg47 orangepippin lists many in flowering group 3-5 so my enterprise & Sundance which are group 4 should be sufficient
Thank you. I ate my first orange Pippin last week and it had such a chemical taste. I threw it out. Washed it too! I couldn’t believe it after all of the rave reviews this apple has received. Weird taste.
@Jujube and others… Novamac is on my try next time list.
The dude Steffan on YouTube… Miracle Farms grows it… I have seen him grafting it in a few vids.
Could you tell me where I might find one for sale ? Or scionwood ?
Thanks
TNHunter
@TNHunter glad to see others actively searching out this variety. It’s taken me 3 years to find but you have your choice. I have an order for a grafted tree but I don’t have any experience with this nursery
Bud9 grafted trees:
Scions:
@Jujube … I will be starting over in a new location in the next year or two… so this will be for my new location.
I have a early McIntosh now… which I really like… a cross of mc and yellow transparent… it ripens very early June and early July.
Like you the disease resistance ov Nova Mc has my interest… and the possibility of similar flavor to my early mc… which is awesome.
The guy at Miracle farms grows another Nova that is very popular in his area and very disease resistent… Nova Spy.
In his grafting vid that I watched … he had some varieties that had not done well and he was grafting over them with his best varieties… and Nova Mc and Nova Spy were being grafted on.
Good luck with yours.
Thanks for pointing me to a NovaMc source.
Appreciate it.
Ps… I already own my new house location… and will get a Nova Mc started there this spring.
@TNHunter exciting times for you then. Looking forward to comparing notes on novamac. I’ve seen a few sources saying nova spy is susceptible to a couple things so I have overlooked this variety.
In spring I’ll plant a 2nd enterprise tree, Sundance, and novamac but I’m most excited about novamac. I’m also going to try grafting winter banana on my kieffer pear tree to have for future grafting use.
Looking forward to comparing notes as our scapes mature. Unfortunately I’ll probably move in 3 years or so but that won’t stop me from adding things I may never get to see fruit like American persimmon, paw paw, hardy kiwi, etc. I currently have 74 different perennial edible species/varieties growing on my 0.2 acres and am only getting started.
Good luck with the new place!
Update on first spring with Novamac. Planted in very early spring 2022 this tree is growing slowly but consistently (likely focused on root growth). So far no disease pressure has been seen on this tree despite seeing powdery mildew on it’s neighboring Enterprise and low levels of rust on it’s other neighbor Sundance.
I have not sprayed/treated any of these trees
Hey @Jujube … my Novamac on b9… is currently growing in a large container in my back/side yard… and is about 15 ft from a 30 ft tall eastern red cedar.
That tree trunk you can see shining in the top right of the pic is it…
It is showing a few CAR spots… not bad but has some. It is supposed to be very resistent and I am testing that out (not on purpose)… I can’t really escape them here.
Hard to escape the cedars around me too but doesn’t look too bad currently. Thanks for the update!
I’ve been growing Novamac for about 20 years now. Purchased at a local nursery and the tag is long gone, so I’m not sure what rootstock it’s on, but I suspect M9 given tree size.
I have an ongoing project where I’m trying as many seedling trees as I can find (as there are hundreds here in each town, extremely common) and I’ve had just about every cultivated variety I can get my hands on, and Novamac is hands down my favourite apple.
VERY scab resistant. The biggest disease pressure here is apple scab by far and I have NEVER seen it on Novamac, and my tree is planted about 15 feet from a very scabby Cortland. Also a very prolific and non-biennial cultivar in my experience. My single tree produces about 800 apples annually of a moderate size, even when I thin 1/3 buds/fruits.
The apple is fantastic for fresh eating. Very sharp, sweet flavour with a good hint of tartiness, and a wonderful (and in my experience totally unique) white wine flavour on the back end of each bite. Within 2-3 months of picking the apples retain a good crunch and, and they are very juicy (eating them can be a bit messy in fact haha). They have a deep red skin with sun exposure and a bright white flesh with a slight red hint near the peel.
I am not much of one for apple pies, but my father swears by them for pies/tarts, etc. I have not yet tried them as a cider apple, but a friend of mine owns a cidery and is eager to try them for cider (we’re doing that with part of next year’s crop. I will say, the apples start to get a little soft by Jan-Feb if stored in the fridge, but mine usually don’t last that long haha.
Overall, I would recommend Novamac to anyone. I really wish they were more popular trees, as they are probably the best apple to have come out of Kentville (and I’ve tried the three named ones, Novamac, Novaspy, and Nova Easygro, as well as a half a dozen unnamed ones that a friend of mine who has a relative who use to work there has in his garden).
I hope that helps. Going to go to the fridge and get a Novamac now, down to the last bag for the season unfortunately.
Thank you so much for sharing. I cannot wait for mine to come into fruiting. Honestly I believe this is the most information you can find on this tree in one place. I’ve looked long and hard for this one for years and finally got one in ground last spring
@WildApple23 … yes… thank you for sharing about your novamac. I have one on b9 and another i grafted to m7.
Looking forward to trying the fruit… even more now after your report.
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