Author Topic: Best apple varieties for zone 10b?  (Read 3477 times)

Petros45

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Best apple varieties for zone 10b?
« on: March 02, 2020, 07:31:21 AM »
Which of these varieties would work best in zone 10b? kiku,fuji, pink lady,jona gold,red chief ,starkrimson, firiki, golden delicious, im new to growing apple, currently im growing an apple tree from seed, its 3 year old and planning to buy a grafted one so i want your opinions

giorgosgr

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Re: Best apple varieties for zone 10b?
« Reply #1 on: March 02, 2020, 03:14:17 PM »
i am pretty sure firiki wont work for you in zone 10b

spaugh

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Re: Best apple varieties for zone 10b?
« Reply #2 on: March 02, 2020, 08:56:30 PM »
Fuji and pink lady
Brad Spaugh

Petros45

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Re: Best apple varieties for zone 10b?
« Reply #3 on: March 03, 2020, 11:02:56 AM »
i see, here we have like 31-33 celsius in summers during the day mostly and rarely 34 , the nights 25-56 celsius mostly sometimes 24, and it drops 3-4celsius lowest during winters, which variety is better fuji or pink lady? or other from these i mentioned? and also which is better for pollination with the apple tree i grew from seed to communicate with and have better results
« Last Edit: March 03, 2020, 11:05:03 AM by Petros45 »

SoCal2warm

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Re: Best apple varieties for zone 10b?
« Reply #4 on: March 03, 2020, 04:28:12 PM »
I investigated this subject in the past.
It depends very much on your personal tastes/preferences of course, but the best two apple varieties (if you like tart and flavorful) are Cox's Orange Pippin and Ashmead's Kernel. Going down the line, to sweeter bigger apples, you have Envy and Mutsu. Opal isn't bad either.

Now, for zone 10b, that's another matter entirely.

There was a field study done in Irvine, CA (also zone 10 ) that found that many varieties of apple could actually produce satisfactorily, even though they were rated much higher in chill requirements than what they were getting at that location. It's just these apples tended to flower and fruit throughout the year than at one time.

I can copy and paste it for you, if you're interested:
Quote
The latest reports have shown that apples tend to be more adaptable to lower-chill areas than was previously thought. A field test by Tom Spellman of Dave Wilson Nursery showed that several apple varieties rated for 800 chill hours could grow just fine in Irvine (located in coastal Southern California, which only gets 50-100 real chill hours). The following apple varieties did surprisingly well: King Tompkins, Braeburn, Gravenstein, Cox's Orange Pippin. The trees tended to flower and set fruit throughout the year rather than a specific season.

The results might have had something to do with the fact that the coastal influence has a moderating effect on temperature, and in the winter it rarely ever gets above 65 F in this region, higher temperatures being very detrimental to effective chill accumulation. In other words, the same moderating influence that prevents there from ever being any chill hours below 45 F may be, paradoxically, the same influence that allows the trees to grow well even in the absence of chill hours below 45 F.
 

Of course, if you are talking about real low chill apples, that's another matter, and I don't think there are a lot of different options.
From what I hear, the low chill apple varieties just taste okay. But then again there's nothing like an apple right off your own tree, and it will taste better than most of the apples from the supermarket.

SoCal2warm

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Re: Best apple varieties for zone 10b?
« Reply #5 on: March 03, 2020, 04:40:46 PM »
Let me point out that if you are in zone 10b, you should not be too unhappy about not being able to growing many types of regular fruit, since there are many subtropicals and even several tropicals you are uniquely situated to grow, that people in colder climates can't.

Starfruit, for example, can grow in zone 10b. (though may have trouble with the hot dry climate in the summer, if it is not planted in the right spot) Lychee and pineapple are two more. Even many banana varieties will do great in 10b. (And of course pomegranate and grapes will have no problem)

Wax apple (not related to regular apples) is no doubt another one you haven't tried. They can grow in zone 10b in California.
I personally don't think they are as good as regular apples, but they are very "tropical" and exotic.

I'm just saying, you have the option of growing many many things that people in apple growing areas cannot.

Pokeweed

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Re: Best apple varieties for zone 10b?
« Reply #6 on: March 04, 2020, 08:05:24 AM »
I'm in 9a and have an ein shemer tree that often has blossoms and fruit at the same time. D

SeaWalnut

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Re: Best apple varieties for zone 10b?
« Reply #7 on: March 04, 2020, 12:06:12 PM »
There are hundreds of wax apple species( Syzigiums).Somme are better than otthers.
I have one but i got it mostly because its easy to grow and i like the flowers.

tve

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Re: Best apple varieties for zone 10b?
« Reply #8 on: March 05, 2020, 02:23:51 AM »
You may be interested in this list: http://www.kuffelcreek.com/applelist.htm

I only have a few varieties but so far my experience matches. Specifically, Pink Lady is great, and Ashmead's Kernel is mediocre (got the budstick I grafted from someone living nearby in a much colder microclimate and his is delicious).

shiro

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Re: Best apple varieties for zone 10b?
« Reply #9 on: March 06, 2020, 06:16:55 PM »
Here is a list of low chill apples
Estimated winter refrigeration requirements of 500 hours or less

Anna
Beverly hills
Dorset golden
Fuji
Gala
Gordon
Mollie's delicious
Pettingill
Pink lady
White winter permain
Winter banana
Yellow bellflower

beicadad

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Re: Best apple varieties for zone 10b?
« Reply #10 on: March 06, 2020, 08:04:36 PM »
Chill hour for Apple trees is probably just a myth. I am in 10b and had no problem with goldrush and another type. They fruit almost all year long

giorgosgr

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Re: Best apple varieties for zone 10b?
« Reply #11 on: March 08, 2020, 05:24:28 AM »
I have a farm in Paros zone 10b or 11a and i have 20 GRANNY SMITH apple trees that do really well each year

Patanax

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Re: Best apple varieties for zone 10b?
« Reply #12 on: March 08, 2020, 04:27:22 PM »
You could check out the varieties listed here: http://www.kuffelcreek.com/

Petros45

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Re: Best apple varieties for zone 10b?
« Reply #13 on: March 09, 2020, 05:10:03 PM »
i bought the fuji tree variety, i hope it pollinates with the tree 3 years old i planted from seed, i also bought vanilla plum tree Prunus domestica) santa rosa

SeaWalnut

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Re: Best apple varieties for zone 10b?
« Reply #14 on: March 09, 2020, 06:59:59 PM »
In my experience the chill is verry important for apples if you want to have fruit.
The trees can do well but they dont flower and fruit.
2 winters ago ,because the winter was soo mild, like zone 9 ,i had an apple tree that didnt shed all its leaves throughout the winter and then it didnt flowered in spring.

I think that pruning the apple tree and cutting the top branches that have leaves and young shots in winter,in a warm zone,its important to make these trees to flower.
In tropical places they strip all the leaves from the tree by hand to simulate dormancy.