Husk24
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Location: United Kingdon, England, Yorkshire

Best disease resistant apple tree to plant in England?

Hi All

I am planning to plant a apple tree in garden, been dissappointed with the royal gala tree due to scab. I wanted to ask which are the best red apple tree that is most disease resistant, easy to grow etc, and with apples that also taste nice . Is orange pippin cox one of these? I would ideally like to buy that but not if its disease prone.

Thanks in advance

JONA
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Location: Sussex. England

Hi again Husk.
Most of the modern varieties...Gala, Braeburn, Jazz etc are very prone to disease problems . Especially scab! And I’m afraid that Cox’s Orange Pippin does fall into this category too. If there’s something around....Cox will get it!

If you want a Cox type apple that keeps then try Fiesta ...re-named Red Pippin ...which has Cox parentage, but is easier to grow, still gets scab though but not so redily.
Other suggestions that you can still get from good Nurseries.

Apples for storage.

Lord Lambourne, lovely apple. Regular cropper, nice flavour, has a waxy skin that seems to help keep disease at bay.

Falstaff....largish Apple. Flowers fairly late and seems be able to take early spring frosts better than a lot.

Idared.....large apple. Heavy cropper, good storer, very juicy....a little shy on flavour but very sweet.

Adams Pearmain. Very old apple. Very late picking. Nutty flavour..father like a Russet.

Orleans Reinette....very late apple. Again very old variety.

If you want one for the children then try Spartan. Dark red / crimson skin and very white flesh. Very sweet. Skin has a surface coating that polished off to a gorgeous shine...hence the kids love them. Make sure the tree is free of canker though. Prone to this problem.


For early red vars. not for storing but to eat straight from the tree.

Worcester Pearmain, Strawberry flavoured, juicy and crisp.

Discovery. Best of the very earlies. Crisp straight off the tree, softens if kept too long. Children like the way the red colour leaches through the flesh as the apple ripens.

Just a few that you should be able to find easily and which are relatively tough as regards problems.

Husk24
Senior Member
Posts: 101
Joined: Sun Mar 05, 2017 4:00 pm
Location: United Kingdon, England, Yorkshire

Thanks Jona, so which particular one, one would you recommend, that will give me good disease free crop and easy of the taste too.

JONA
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For a late Apple. Lord Lambourne or Fiesta.
For early Apple. Discovery.

Husk24
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Posts: 101
Joined: Sun Mar 05, 2017 4:00 pm
Location: United Kingdon, England, Yorkshire

Also forgot to mention, I'm planning to grow this in a large pot, so I guess I need a self pollinating tree? which would be ideal growing in pot?

Thks

JONA
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Joined: Fri Jul 25, 2014 7:11 am
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Husk24 wrote:Also forgot to mention, I'm planning to grow this in a large pot, so I guess I need a self pollinating tree? which would be ideal growing in pot?

Thks
There’s usually plenty of other apples trees or malus around for pollination Husk.
More important if your planting in a pot is to choose a good dwarfing rootstock.
Best would be a 9 stock.
Some varieties are more self pollinating than others...but..no apple tree is fully self fertile. No matter what some adverts claim!.

Husk24
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Posts: 101
Joined: Sun Mar 05, 2017 4:00 pm
Location: United Kingdon, England, Yorkshire

Decided to go for Fiesta m27 rootstock

JONA
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Husk24 wrote:Decided to go for Fiesta m27 rootstock
27 should be fine Husk.....just give it as big a pot as possible.
You will need to lag the pot in the winter as the roots will be vulnerable to frost damage, while the top will be fine.

Husk24
Senior Member
Posts: 101
Joined: Sun Mar 05, 2017 4:00 pm
Location: United Kingdon, England, Yorkshire

What do you mean by lag the pot? Also I guess there would be no need to water it during winter?

JONA
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Joined: Fri Jul 25, 2014 7:11 am
Location: Sussex. England

Husk24 wrote:What do you mean by lag the pot? Also I guess there would be no need to water it during winter?
Just wrap the pot with sacking or straw to stop the roots from freezing solid in the winter months. In a pot they are more vulnerable to damage as they have not got the bulk of soil around them that a planted tree would have.
As to watering. Just check now and then to make sure the soil is kept damp.
A pot can dry out very quickly if you get a warm spell....even in the middle of winter.



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