| There are many things that go into selecting the perfect tree(s) for your orchard. When we have information available on bloom dates, chill factor, climate zone, pollination, storage, and rootstock for each of our varieties, it is specified in the variety description. You may use our search engine to refine your search for your tree(s) by plugging in key words. BLOOM DATES Bloom refers to the time of season when the trees produce flowers. In order for two varieties to pollinize each other, there must be substantial overlap of their blooming times. This is generally not a problem in California where the blooming season is so short that blooms for most varieties are likely to overlap. Although it is not recommended that a variety listed as "early" be counted on to pollenize a variety listed as "late". Use key words such as "Early", "Mid" and "Late" to search our website for your trees. CHILL FACTOR The chill factor is the period of cold needed by apples and other deciduous fruits to break their winter rest. This adaptive feature prevents plants from breaking dormancy on warm winter days. Here in Paso Robles, there is sufficient winter chilling for most fruit and nut trees. Apples, pears, and peaches have chilling requirements of 200 to 1700 hours at a temperature between 32 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit between November to mid-February. If the buds do not receive sufficient chilling temperatures during the winter to completely release dormancy, trees may develop pysiological symptoms such as delayed and extended bloom, delayed foliation, reduced fruit set and reduced fruit quality. Customers in low winter chill areas should look for varieties that need 400 hrs. or less. CLIMATE ZONES Climate zones are used as a tool for gardeners and orchardists to guide in selecting appropriate trees for particular areas. The climate zones are determined by average minimum yearly low temperatures. This is only a general guide because your own individual location (microclimate) has a significant influence that the general zones neglect to recognize. These variations may suggest that the zone adjacent to you may be more appropriate. Check our climate zone link for more information. Plug your zone into our search engine to find a tree/plant suitable for your climate. POLLINATION Apples and pears are generally cross-fertile, which means that a variety is pollinated by a different variety of the same fruit. If you have three or more varieties of apples, pollination will probably not be a problem. However, certain related apples will not pollinate each other and some apples have sterile pollen. So, theoretically it is possible to choose three varieties that will not pollinate each other at all. We have composed a list of three categories that should help clarify any confusion. Use these in the search engine to help select your tree(s). Required: Trees that qualify as "require" pollination need another tree's pollen to fruit. They also provide pollen in return, allowing the other tree to also fruit. Self: These are trees that accept their own pollen, although they will produce a larger crop with a pollinator. Most will also provide pollen for other trees. None: These are trees with sterile pollen. They will not pollinate themselves or another apple tree and need another apple tree. STORAGE All apples will keep better in cold storage than on your kitchen shelf. Completely ripe apples will not keep as well as those harvested slightly immature. Storage life is shorter in climates over 100 degrees F. We have graded our apples according to their storage ability, but this scale should only be used as a guide and not as gospel. Plug in the words "Poor", "Fair", "Good", and "Excellent" in our search engine to find a tree that meets your needs. ROOTSTOCK The lower portion of the a fruit tree is called the rootstock. This is the portion of the tree that has been grafted over to a specific variety. Different rootstocks provide opportunities for everyone to enjoy the thrill of growing your own fruit. Most of our varieties are available only on semidwarf rootstock, but there are a few varieties offered on dwarf or standard rootstock. If you have limited growing space you could choose a dwarf rootstock that limits the height of your tree to as little as 5 feet! Also, summer pruning has a great impact on size and produces a dwarfing effect. If you need to maintain a certain height, then prune in the summer in addition to your winter "corrective" pruning. Check our "Rootstocks" link for more information on what rootstocks our trees are available on. Also, use our search engine to look for your desired rootstock. USAGES We have included some suggested uses on our apple tree vareities to provide guidance on their historic uses. Please keep in mind these are only suggested uses and preferences may vary. Experiment and have fun! The usages are broken down into four categories: Fresh eating/dessert: Great dessert apple or one that's delicious for fresh eating anytime. Cooking: Apples recommended for making puree, applesauce, applebutter or other culinary delights. Baking: An apple good for pies. Holds its shape when baked. Juice/hard cider: An apple esteemed for its hard cider or juice quality. MATURE SIZE This describes the "relative" size of the tree when it is considered mature (approximately 5-7 years). Many of our trees are detailed in this way and the sizes small, medium, and large refer to the size of the tree on its respective rootstock. For example, trees on the same semi-dwarf rootstock may grow differently, leading us to classify perhaps a vigorous grower on semi-dwarf as "large" whereas a less vigorous grower on the same rootstock would be classified as "small". These key words may also be used in our search engine to refine your search. RIPENING TIME Our apple descriptions also detail the relative ripening time for each variety. This estimates when you can expect to enjoy tasting your fruit. "Very Early", "Early", "Mid", "Late" and "Very Late" refer to the time of harvest. For example, out here on the west coast, we begin harvesting Yellow Transparent in June, which is "very early" and we conclude our harvest with the Granny Smith in early November. This would be classified as "very late". Use these key words in our search engine to narrow your search.
HARVESTING TIPS
When you harvest an apple plays a big part in how an apple tastes. To determine whether the crop is ripe enough to start picking, pluck an apple from the tree, cut it in half, and look at the seeds. If the seeds are dark, the apples should be ready to harvest (tasing always confirms it). If the weather is cool, you have a wider window for harvest--up to 2 weeks for optimum flavor (but just a matter of days for early apples). If it's hot, you should harvest right away. Early and midseason apples generally don't keep well. Late apples are good keepers. |
