I have a Virginia Pilot tree that’s on it’s 5th year in the ground. I got it from Big Horse Creek Farm and it’s on MM106 rootstock. Still no flowers on it yet. I planted a Spitzenburg and a Fall Limbertwig at the same time, both on Antonovka, and they are already flowering.
BHC mentioned it doesn’t produce well below 1000 feet elevation. I’m at 1050, so right at the cutoff if that’s true.
Have any of you successfully fruited Pilot? Curious how long it took to start bearing and what rootstock you have it on? Also any info on whether it’s a tip bearer?
Based on google, Big Horse Creek Farm is in North Carolina. Based on your profile, you’re in Iowa. The latitude difference is going to matter just as much as elevation with respect to climate.
Compare your locale to Asheville, NC (2000+ ft elevation), I think you’ll have comparable growing degree days, chill hours, humidity, though Iowa has much harsher winters.
Those are good points. Trying different southern heirloom varieties is definitely a gamble. Many of them don’t have much documentation on cold hardiness.
But so far Pilot has proved hardy enough for our winters. I’ve had no die back or loss of branches whatsoever and we’ve had some cold winters. But, maybe it will never form buds here. I’m fascinated by this tree for some reason so I’m just gonna wait and see what happens. Overall it’s an attractive looking tree. Just no fruit.
Description: Fruit large, roundish or slightly oblate, often oblique; skin striped and shaded with dull red; dots numerous, large, whitish, areolar. Flesh yellowish, fine-grained, rather firm, tender, juicy, slightly aromatic, mild subacid. Ripe October and an excellent keeper.
History: “As I have said that the apple is the great fruit of all fruits, the Pilot Apple, a natural seedling of Nelson County, Virginia, is the great apple of all apples in our acquaintance. The tree is a magnificent grower, absolutely hardy. The fruit is large, handsomely formed and of the finest flavor, both for dessert and for cooking.” – Professor J. Dinwiddie of the University of Virginia in 1872.
Uses: Fresh Eating, Cooking, Stores well
It does not say at Horne Creek. But maybe Pilot is a shy bearer.
Just in case… Have you tried bending branches to more horizontal lay? Or late summer pruning? I would attribute both to helping my trees induce flower bud growth.
I do bend the branches but I could do a better job of summer pruning. I’ll have to try more of that this year and see if it helps. Thanks for the suggestion
Trees sometimes take a long time to fruit. I have a pear tree over 20 years old and it has produced one fruit in all those years. It has one cluster of blossoms now, maybe I will get a couple more pears this year. It is in a stand with other pears all fruiting well on both sides of it.
I was mistaken. There is a flower cluster after all. What I thought was vegetative was actually a flower bud out on the tip of a branch. Don’t know if I’ll get a fruit from that one flower cluster but at least there’s a chance. Maybe I’ll get to taste this apple eventually after all.
I have a Fall Limbertwig and a Honeycrisp nearby that are both at the pink stage also. There’s a Spitzenburg close by that’s not at pink yet but probably isn’t far behind.
Several varieties at pink in my main orchard but that’s a good 600 feet away.
Fingers crossed that one of closer trees is a good partner.
