Apples
Tree fruit varieties offered by Dave Wilson Nursery are selected for their firmness, good shipping characteristics and desirable flesh quality. Approximate ripening dates (for the Fresno, California area), chilling requirements and patent information are listed for each variety along with any special traits.
Rootstocks Available: M7 - M9 - M26 - M111
Buckeye Gala
Buckeye Gala was discovered as a sport of Imperial Gala in Rogers, Ohio. The Buckeye Gala is a highly colored, almost solid-red apple with a deep burgundy stripe. The Buckeye Gala apple matures with other Gala selections and is comparable in size, firmness, fruit quality and storage life. The tree is a very precocious annual bearer with a vigorous, upright, semi-spur habit. A pollenizer is recommended for maximum productivity. (Patent #10840)
Crimson™ Gala (Waliser cultivar)
The Crimson™ Gala apple is an intense-coloring strain of Gala discovered by H. Kent Waliser in a Gala apple block in Milton-Freewater, Oregon. Crimson™ Gala exhibits similar size and flavor when compared to its parent, Tenroy Gala, but matures a few days later in late July to early August. Compared to other strains of Gala, Crimson™ begins coloring earlier and develops a bright, cherry-red color early in the season. The Crimson™ apple features a prominently striped skin and a satiny-pale blond flesh. The Crimson™ Gala apple tree is a very precocious annual bearer with a spreading growth habit and strong wide-angle crotches. A pollenizer is recommended for maximum productivity. (Patent #8673)
Fuji
Fuji is an excellent dessert-quality apple that enjoys high consumer acceptance. Fuji produces a medium-to-large tree that harvests in late September to early October. This tree bears on one-year wood and mature fruit spurs. The Fuji fruit features a saffron-to-green skin color with a light red stripe and is exceptionally sweet and firm with superior storage capability. A pollenizer is recommended for maximum productivity.
Granny Smith
Developed in the 1860’s by Thomas and Maria Smith in Sydney, Australia, the Granny Smith apple remains one of the most popular apple varieties in the world. This very large, round green fruit is renown for a juicy, slightly tart flavor. The Granny Smith apple flesh is crisp white with a fine-grained and firm texture. Granny Smith apple is bruise-resistant and has an excellent storage life. The strong, vigorous tree is an annual bearer with an upright and spreading habit. Expect to harvest Granny Smith in late September to early October. A pollenizer is required.
Honeycrisp
Honeycrisp is an exceptional variety developed from a cross of Macoun and Honeygold at the University of Minnesota in 1991. This crisp, juicy, sweet apple has a luxurious flavor and is consistently ranked as one of the highest quality apples in the University of Minnesota sensory evaluations. The Honeycrisp skin is richly coral-colored with a yellow background. Averaging over three inches in size, the Honeycrisp apple matures ten days before Red Delicious. Honeycrisp has a two week harvest window and stores well. Outstanding winter hardiness gives Honeycrisp excellent potential for northern growing areas. The Honeycrisp tree is moderately resistant to apple scab and fire blight. A pollenizer is recommended for maximum productivity. (Patent #7197)
Pink Lady® (Cripps Pink cultivar)
When the Western Australian Department of Agriculture crossed the Golden Delicious with the Lady Williams apple in 1979, two top-quality varieties were produced: Pink Lady® and Sundowner®. The Pink Lady® matures later than most varieties in mid to late October (California San Joaquin Valley). In locations with shorter growing seasons such as central Pennsyvania, the Pink Lady® is harvested while still immature as late as the first week of November. It develops full flavor after about four weeks in storage and has a long storage life. The hallmark of the Pink Lady® is an attractive pink blush over a yellow undertone. The fruit often displays ribbing, or a bumpy skin but remains appealing to consumers despite these peculiarities. Pink Lady® fruit is medium to large-sized and oblong with a crisp texture and dense, cream-colored flesh. This apple releases a sweet-tart flavor with an excellent sugar to acid balance. The vigorous Pink Lady® is an upright tree with large leaves. This tree features a low chilling requirement and naturally high vigor and can be grown in a range of sites, including warm climates and weak soil. Pink Lady® is susceptible to fire blight, apple scab and mildew. A pollenizer is recommended for maximum productivity. (Patent #7880)
Red Fuji
Also known as the BC 2 Fuji, the Red Fuji is an excellent dessert quality apple that enjoys high consumer acceptance. Like Fuji, this is a vigorous medium-to-large tree. Red Fuji harvests 1 to 2 weeks later than Fuji in late September to early October. This tree bears on one-year wood. The Red Fuji fruit features a saffron-to-green skin color with a light red blush. Red Fuji apples are exceptionally sweet and firm with superior storage capability. A pollenizer is recommended for maximum productivity.
Sundowner® (Cripps II cultivar)
Sundowner is the lesser-known sibling of Pink Lady sometimes refered to as Cripps Red or Cripps II. This apple was developed in 1979 by the Western Australia Department of Agriculture. Sundowner® is a warm-climate apple that needs long hot summers to ripen, but it also has a low-chill requirement and will tolerate winters where temperatures are rarely below freezing. Sundowner® matures very late, after Pink Lady®. The Sundowner® fruit lacks the distinctive pink blush of Pink Lady®, but displays a classically appealing crimson skin with a green undertone. The medium-sized fruit has a very firm, crisp texture, and fine-grained flesh with superb flavor. The moderately vigorous Sundowner® tree exhibits a spreading growth habit. Sundowner®; orchards are very productive and precocious so they require early, heavy thinning to size the fruit; A pollenizer is recommended for maximum productivity. (Patent #8477)
