FruitSome care needed

Apple

Malus domestica

The fruit tree most British gardens can actually accommodate, provided the rootstock is chosen deliberately rather than accepted from a label. Two decisions determine the outcome and both are made before planting: the rootstock, which fixes the eventual size, and the pollination partner, without which many cultivars flower every spring and set almost nothing.

Position: Full sun or Partial shade
Water: moderate demand
Drainage: Free-draining, Moisture-retentive
Grows to: 150–700 cm × 150–600 cm
Hardiness: H6
Harvest: August to October
Difficulty: Some care needed

Described view

The base of a young apple tree showing the graft union as a distinct kink and change of bark texture, held clear above the soil line

August

Harvest · Prune

Apple’s year

Resolved for United Kingdom (general). Every window is stored against a climate event rather than a date, so a late frost pocket runs later than the band shows. What else August calls for.

Activity	J	F	M	A	M	A	S	O	N	D
Plant	January.	February.	March.						November.	December.
In flower				April.	May.
Harvest						August.	September.	October.
Prune	January.	February.				August.	September.		November.	December.
Dormant	January.	February.								December.

Names that cause confusion

crab apple — Ornamental Malus species and hybrids. Often planted deliberately as a universal pollinator for eating apples, because many flower over a long period.

Timing that travels

The band above resolves this plant's windows into months for one region. These are the windows themselves, stored against a climate event rather than a date — which is the form that survives being carried to a colder garden, a frost pocket, or next year.

Pollination

Whether one plant on its own will set fruit, and what has to be true if it will not.

You need one compatible partner nearby.

Self-fertility: Needs a pollination partner
Partner needed: A compatible partner is required
Pollen moved by: Insects
What decides compatibility: flowering group

Where the pollination figures come from

Self-fertilitySourced guidancehigh confidence

A few cultivars are partially self-fertile, but the group is treated as needing a partner.

Royal Horticultural Society: Apple pollination

Checked 2026-08-13

Partner neededSourced guidancehigh confidence

Royal Horticultural Society: Apple pollination

Checked 2026-08-13

Pollen moved bySourced guidancehigh confidence

Cornell Fruit Resources — Cornell University, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: Apple pollination — bee activity

Checked 2026-08-13

What decides compatibilitySourced guidancehigh confidence

Royal Horticultural Society: Apple pollination groups

Checked 2026-08-13

Cultivars are placed in flowering groups 1 (earliest) to 7 (latest). A partner in the same group or an adjacent one will overlap enough. Triploid cultivars — 'Bramley's Seedling' is the common one — produce little viable pollen and need two other cultivars rather than one.

Which of these will pollinate which

Worked out from flowering groups and ploidy for the 35 cultivars GrowingHQ holds — a small fraction of those in cultivation. A cultivar that is not listed has not been ruled out; it has not been recorded. Read a row as “this cultivar’s pollen reaches…”.

Pollen from	Annie Elizabeth	Arthur Turner	Ashmead's Kernel	Blenheim Orange	Bountiful	Braeburn	Bramley's Seedling	Charles Ross	Cox's Orange Pippin	Crispin	Discovery	Egremont Russet	Ellison's Orange	Fiesta	Gala	Golden Delicious	Greensleeves	Grenadier	Herefordshire Russet	Howgate Wonder	James Grieve	Jonagold	Katy	Kidd's Orange Red	Laxton's Superb	Lord Derby	Lord Lambourne	Newton Wonder	Pixie	Red Falstaff	Rev. W. Wilks	Scrumptious	Spartan	Sunset	Worcester Pearmain
Annie ElizabethGroup 4	—	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	not known	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes
Arthur TurnerGroup 3	yes	—	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Ashmead's KernelGroup 4	yes	yes	—	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	not known	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes
Blenheim OrangeGroup 3 · triploid	no	no	no	—	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no
BountifulGroup 3	yes	yes	yes	yes	—	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
BraeburnGroup 5	yes	no	yes	no	no	—	no	no	no	yes	no	no	yes	no	yes	yes	no	no	no	no	no	yes	no	no	yes	yes	no	not known	yes	no	no	no	no	no	no
Bramley's SeedlingGroup 3 · triploid	no	no	no	no	no	no	—	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no
Charles RossGroup 3	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	—	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Cox's Orange PippinGroup 3	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	—	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
CrispinGroup 4 · triploid	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	—	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	not known	no	no	no	no	no	no	no
DiscoveryGroup 3	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	—	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Egremont RussetGroup 2	no	yes	no	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	—	no	yes	no	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	no	no	yes	no	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Ellison's OrangeGroup 4	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	—	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	not known	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes
FiestaGroup 3	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	—	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
GalaGroup 4	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	—	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	not known	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes
Golden DeliciousGroup 4	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	—	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	not known	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes
GreensleevesGroup 3	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	—	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
GrenadierGroup 3	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	—	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Herefordshire RussetGroup 3	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	—	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Howgate WonderGroup 3	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	—	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
James GrieveGroup 3	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	—	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
JonagoldGroup 4 · triploid	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	—	no	no	no	no	no	not known	no	no	no	no	no	no	no
KatyGroup 3	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	—	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Kidd's Orange RedGroup 3	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	—	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Laxton's SuperbGroup 4	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	—	yes	no	not known	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes
Lord DerbyGroup 4	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	—	no	not known	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes
Lord LambourneGroup 2	no	yes	no	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	no	yes	no	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	no	no	—	no	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Newton WonderGroup 5	not known	no	not known	no	no	not known	no	no	no	not known	no	no	not known	no	not known	not known	no	no	no	no	no	not known	no	no	not known	not known	no	—	not known	no	no	no	no	no	no
PixieGroup 4	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	not known	—	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes
Red FalstaffGroup 3	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	—	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Rev. W. WilksGroup 2	no	yes	no	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	no	yes	no	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	no	no	yes	no	no	yes	—	yes	yes	yes	yes
ScrumptiousGroup 3	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	—	yes	yes	yes
SpartanGroup 3	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	—	yes	yes
SunsetGroup 3	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	—	yes
Worcester PearmainGroup 3	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	—

Annie Elizabeth is pollinated by Arthur Turner, Ashmead's Kernel, Bountiful, Braeburn, Charles Ross, Cox's Orange Pippin, Discovery, Ellison's Orange, Fiesta, Gala, Golden Delicious, Greensleeves, Grenadier, Herefordshire Russet, Howgate Wonder, James Grieve, Katy, Kidd's Orange Red, Laxton's Superb, Lord Derby, Pixie, Red Falstaff, Scrumptious, Spartan, Sunset, Worcester Pearmain.

A cooking apple that holds its shape when cooked rather than collapsing, which is the opposite of what Bramley does and what some recipes want. Keeps into spring.

Arthur Turner is pollinated by Annie Elizabeth, Ashmead's Kernel, Bountiful, Charles Ross, Cox's Orange Pippin, Discovery, Egremont Russet, Ellison's Orange, Fiesta, Gala, Golden Delicious, Greensleeves, Grenadier, Herefordshire Russet, Howgate Wonder, James Grieve, Katy, Kidd's Orange Red, Laxton's Superb, Lord Derby, Lord Lambourne, Pixie, Red Falstaff, Rev. W. Wilks, Scrumptious, Spartan, Sunset, Worcester Pearmain.

A cooking apple grown as much for its unusually large and showy blossom as for the fruit, which cooks to a firm rather than a fluffy texture.

Ashmead's Kernel is pollinated by Annie Elizabeth, Arthur Turner, Bountiful, Braeburn, Charles Ross, Cox's Orange Pippin, Discovery, Ellison's Orange, Fiesta, Gala, Golden Delicious, Greensleeves, Grenadier, Herefordshire Russet, Howgate Wonder, James Grieve, Katy, Kidd's Orange Red, Laxton's Superb, Lord Derby, Pixie, Red Falstaff, Scrumptious, Spartan, Sunset, Worcester Pearmain.

An eighteenth-century russet with an intense, almost sharp flavour that improves in store. Cropping is light, which is the price of it.

Blenheim Orange is pollinated by Annie Elizabeth, Arthur Turner, Ashmead's Kernel, Bountiful, Charles Ross, Cox's Orange Pippin, Discovery, Egremont Russet, Ellison's Orange, Fiesta, Gala, Golden Delicious, Greensleeves, Grenadier, Herefordshire Russet, Howgate Wonder, James Grieve, Katy, Kidd's Orange Red, Laxton's Superb, Lord Derby, Lord Lambourne, Pixie, Red Falstaff, Rev. W. Wilks, Scrumptious, Spartan, Sunset, Worcester Pearmain.

A very old dual-purpose apple with a dry nutty flavour, making a large tree that is slow to begin cropping. The second common triploid a British grower is likely to meet.

Bountiful is pollinated by Annie Elizabeth, Arthur Turner, Ashmead's Kernel, Charles Ross, Cox's Orange Pippin, Discovery, Egremont Russet, Ellison's Orange, Fiesta, Gala, Golden Delicious, Greensleeves, Grenadier, Herefordshire Russet, Howgate Wonder, James Grieve, Katy, Kidd's Orange Red, Laxton's Superb, Lord Derby, Lord Lambourne, Pixie, Red Falstaff, Rev. W. Wilks, Scrumptious, Spartan, Sunset, Worcester Pearmain.

A compact culinary apple that needs less sugar than Bramley when cooked. Partially self-fertile and small — the practical single-tree cooking apple.

Braeburn is pollinated by Annie Elizabeth, Ashmead's Kernel, Ellison's Orange, Gala, Golden Delicious, Laxton's Superb, Lord Derby, Pixie.

Very late and needing a long warm autumn to ripen properly, which most British gardens do not offer. Excellent keeping quality where it does ripen.

Bramley's Seedling is pollinated by Annie Elizabeth, Arthur Turner, Ashmead's Kernel, Bountiful, Charles Ross, Cox's Orange Pippin, Discovery, Egremont Russet, Ellison's Orange, Fiesta, Gala, Golden Delicious, Greensleeves, Grenadier, Herefordshire Russet, Howgate Wonder, James Grieve, Katy, Kidd's Orange Red, Laxton's Superb, Lord Derby, Lord Lambourne, Pixie, Red Falstaff, Rev. W. Wilks, Scrumptious, Spartan, Sunset, Worcester Pearmain.

The standard British cooking apple, cooking down to a purée in a way dessert apples do not. A very large vigorous tree even on a dwarfing rootstock, and its triploid pollination requirement is the single most-missed fact in garden fruit growing.

Charles Ross is pollinated by Annie Elizabeth, Arthur Turner, Ashmead's Kernel, Bountiful, Cox's Orange Pippin, Discovery, Egremont Russet, Ellison's Orange, Fiesta, Gala, Golden Delicious, Greensleeves, Grenadier, Herefordshire Russet, Howgate Wonder, James Grieve, Katy, Kidd's Orange Red, Laxton's Superb, Lord Derby, Lord Lambourne, Pixie, Red Falstaff, Rev. W. Wilks, Scrumptious, Spartan, Sunset, Worcester Pearmain.

A large handsome dual-purpose apple that performs on chalky soils where many cultivars struggle — one of the few cultivar-level soil observations that is well enough established to record.

Cox's Orange Pippin is pollinated by Annie Elizabeth, Arthur Turner, Ashmead's Kernel, Bountiful, Charles Ross, Discovery, Egremont Russet, Ellison's Orange, Fiesta, Gala, Golden Delicious, Greensleeves, Grenadier, Herefordshire Russet, Howgate Wonder, James Grieve, Katy, Kidd's Orange Red, Laxton's Superb, Lord Derby, Lord Lambourne, Pixie, Red Falstaff, Rev. W. Wilks, Scrumptious, Spartan, Sunset, Worcester Pearmain.

The benchmark English dessert apple and a demanding one: prone to scab, mildew and canker, and needing a warm dry site to be worth the trouble. 'Sunset' and 'Fiesta' are the usual recommendations where a Cox will not thrive.

Crispin is pollinated by Annie Elizabeth, Arthur Turner, Ashmead's Kernel, Bountiful, Braeburn, Charles Ross, Cox's Orange Pippin, Discovery, Ellison's Orange, Fiesta, Gala, Golden Delicious, Greensleeves, Grenadier, Herefordshire Russet, Howgate Wonder, James Grieve, Katy, Kidd's Orange Red, Laxton's Superb, Lord Derby, Pixie, Red Falstaff, Scrumptious, Spartan, Sunset, Worcester Pearmain.

A large green-gold dual-purpose apple, sold under both names. Vigorous and triploid — a demanding combination for a small garden.

Discovery is pollinated by Annie Elizabeth, Arthur Turner, Ashmead's Kernel, Bountiful, Charles Ross, Cox's Orange Pippin, Egremont Russet, Ellison's Orange, Fiesta, Gala, Golden Delicious, Greensleeves, Grenadier, Herefordshire Russet, Howgate Wonder, James Grieve, Katy, Kidd's Orange Red, Laxton's Superb, Lord Derby, Lord Lambourne, Pixie, Red Falstaff, Rev. W. Wilks, Scrumptious, Spartan, Sunset, Worcester Pearmain.

Among the earliest apples worth growing, picked and eaten within a fortnight. There is no point storing it, and that is not a fault — it fills the gap before anything else is ready.

Egremont Russet is pollinated by Arthur Turner, Bountiful, Charles Ross, Cox's Orange Pippin, Discovery, Fiesta, Greensleeves, Grenadier, Herefordshire Russet, Howgate Wonder, James Grieve, Katy, Kidd's Orange Red, Lord Lambourne, Red Falstaff, Rev. W. Wilks, Scrumptious, Spartan, Sunset, Worcester Pearmain.

A distinctly nutty, dry-textured russet with a following of its own. Its early flowering means it overlaps group 1 to 3 and not the later cultivars, which is the practical constraint when choosing its partner.

Ellison's Orange is pollinated by Annie Elizabeth, Arthur Turner, Ashmead's Kernel, Bountiful, Braeburn, Charles Ross, Cox's Orange Pippin, Discovery, Fiesta, Gala, Golden Delicious, Greensleeves, Grenadier, Herefordshire Russet, Howgate Wonder, James Grieve, Katy, Kidd's Orange Red, Laxton's Superb, Lord Derby, Pixie, Red Falstaff, Scrumptious, Spartan, Sunset, Worcester Pearmain.

Carries a distinct aniseed note that people either seek out or dislike. Does not keep, and inclined to biennial cropping.

Fiesta is pollinated by Annie Elizabeth, Arthur Turner, Ashmead's Kernel, Bountiful, Charles Ross, Cox's Orange Pippin, Discovery, Egremont Russet, Ellison's Orange, Gala, Golden Delicious, Greensleeves, Grenadier, Herefordshire Russet, Howgate Wonder, James Grieve, Katy, Kidd's Orange Red, Laxton's Superb, Lord Derby, Lord Lambourne, Pixie, Red Falstaff, Rev. W. Wilks, Scrumptious, Spartan, Sunset, Worcester Pearmain.

A Cox-like apple that keeps better and crops more reliably. Sold under the trade name 'Red Pippin', which is why the label and the reference book can disagree — the registered cultivar name is Fiesta.

Gala is pollinated by Annie Elizabeth, Arthur Turner, Ashmead's Kernel, Bountiful, Braeburn, Charles Ross, Cox's Orange Pippin, Discovery, Ellison's Orange, Fiesta, Golden Delicious, Greensleeves, Grenadier, Herefordshire Russet, Howgate Wonder, James Grieve, Katy, Kidd's Orange Red, Laxton's Superb, Lord Derby, Pixie, Red Falstaff, Scrumptious, Spartan, Sunset, Worcester Pearmain.

One of the most widely sold supermarket apples, and a reasonable garden tree in a warm southern site. It wants more summer heat than much of Britain offers.

Golden Delicious is pollinated by Annie Elizabeth, Arthur Turner, Ashmead's Kernel, Bountiful, Braeburn, Charles Ross, Cox's Orange Pippin, Discovery, Ellison's Orange, Fiesta, Gala, Greensleeves, Grenadier, Herefordshire Russet, Howgate Wonder, James Grieve, Katy, Kidd's Orange Red, Laxton's Superb, Lord Derby, Pixie, Red Falstaff, Scrumptious, Spartan, Sunset, Worcester Pearmain.

A dependable pollinator for a very wide range of cultivars, which is the main reason to plant one in Britain — it needs a warmer summer than most British gardens provide to develop its flavour.

Greensleeves is pollinated by Annie Elizabeth, Arthur Turner, Ashmead's Kernel, Bountiful, Charles Ross, Cox's Orange Pippin, Discovery, Egremont Russet, Ellison's Orange, Fiesta, Gala, Golden Delicious, Grenadier, Herefordshire Russet, Howgate Wonder, James Grieve, Katy, Kidd's Orange Red, Laxton's Superb, Lord Derby, Lord Lambourne, Pixie, Red Falstaff, Rev. W. Wilks, Scrumptious, Spartan, Sunset, Worcester Pearmain.

A compact, heavy-cropping green dessert apple that begins fruiting young. Its partial self-fertility and small size make it a common choice for a single-tree garden.

Grenadier is pollinated by Annie Elizabeth, Arthur Turner, Ashmead's Kernel, Bountiful, Charles Ross, Cox's Orange Pippin, Discovery, Egremont Russet, Ellison's Orange, Fiesta, Gala, Golden Delicious, Greensleeves, Herefordshire Russet, Howgate Wonder, James Grieve, Katy, Kidd's Orange Red, Laxton's Superb, Lord Derby, Lord Lambourne, Pixie, Red Falstaff, Rev. W. Wilks, Scrumptious, Spartan, Sunset, Worcester Pearmain.

The earliest cooking apple in general cultivation, ready well before Bramley and useful precisely because of it. Good scab resistance makes it a sound choice on a wet site.

Herefordshire Russet is pollinated by Annie Elizabeth, Arthur Turner, Ashmead's Kernel, Bountiful, Charles Ross, Cox's Orange Pippin, Discovery, Egremont Russet, Ellison's Orange, Fiesta, Gala, Golden Delicious, Greensleeves, Grenadier, Howgate Wonder, James Grieve, Katy, Kidd's Orange Red, Laxton's Superb, Lord Derby, Lord Lambourne, Pixie, Red Falstaff, Rev. W. Wilks, Scrumptious, Spartan, Sunset, Worcester Pearmain.

A modern russet with Cox-like flavour and considerably better disease behaviour, which is the usual reason to choose it over an Egremont Russet.

Howgate Wonder is pollinated by Annie Elizabeth, Arthur Turner, Ashmead's Kernel, Bountiful, Charles Ross, Cox's Orange Pippin, Discovery, Egremont Russet, Ellison's Orange, Fiesta, Gala, Golden Delicious, Greensleeves, Grenadier, Herefordshire Russet, James Grieve, Katy, Kidd's Orange Red, Laxton's Superb, Lord Derby, Lord Lambourne, Pixie, Red Falstaff, Rev. W. Wilks, Scrumptious, Spartan, Sunset, Worcester Pearmain.

Produces very large cooking apples and keeps better than Bramley. Being a diploid, it is also considerably easier to pollinate.

James Grieve is pollinated by Annie Elizabeth, Arthur Turner, Ashmead's Kernel, Bountiful, Charles Ross, Cox's Orange Pippin, Discovery, Egremont Russet, Ellison's Orange, Fiesta, Gala, Golden Delicious, Greensleeves, Grenadier, Herefordshire Russet, Howgate Wonder, Katy, Kidd's Orange Red, Laxton's Superb, Lord Derby, Lord Lambourne, Pixie, Red Falstaff, Rev. W. Wilks, Scrumptious, Spartan, Sunset, Worcester Pearmain.

Cooks early in the season and eats later, which is what dual-purpose means in practice. A dependable pollinator for a wide range of cultivars and hardy enough for northern gardens.

Jonagold is pollinated by Annie Elizabeth, Arthur Turner, Ashmead's Kernel, Bountiful, Braeburn, Charles Ross, Cox's Orange Pippin, Discovery, Ellison's Orange, Fiesta, Gala, Golden Delicious, Greensleeves, Grenadier, Herefordshire Russet, Howgate Wonder, James Grieve, Katy, Kidd's Orange Red, Laxton's Superb, Lord Derby, Pixie, Red Falstaff, Scrumptious, Spartan, Sunset, Worcester Pearmain.

A large, heavy-cropping modern apple. The third triploid in this set and the one most often planted without anybody realising, because it is sold widely as a garden tree.

Katy is pollinated by Annie Elizabeth, Arthur Turner, Ashmead's Kernel, Bountiful, Charles Ross, Cox's Orange Pippin, Discovery, Egremont Russet, Ellison's Orange, Fiesta, Gala, Golden Delicious, Greensleeves, Grenadier, Herefordshire Russet, Howgate Wonder, James Grieve, Kidd's Orange Red, Laxton's Superb, Lord Derby, Lord Lambourne, Pixie, Red Falstaff, Rev. W. Wilks, Scrumptious, Spartan, Sunset, Worcester Pearmain.

A Swedish early apple, small, bright red and heavy cropping, widely grown for juice. Hardy and dependable in cool summers.

Kidd's Orange Red is pollinated by Annie Elizabeth, Arthur Turner, Ashmead's Kernel, Bountiful, Charles Ross, Cox's Orange Pippin, Discovery, Egremont Russet, Ellison's Orange, Fiesta, Gala, Golden Delicious, Greensleeves, Grenadier, Herefordshire Russet, Howgate Wonder, James Grieve, Katy, Laxton's Superb, Lord Derby, Lord Lambourne, Pixie, Red Falstaff, Rev. W. Wilks, Scrumptious, Spartan, Sunset, Worcester Pearmain.

A Cox cross with much of the flavour and rather better disease behaviour. One of the parents of Gala.

Laxton's Superb is pollinated by Annie Elizabeth, Arthur Turner, Ashmead's Kernel, Bountiful, Braeburn, Charles Ross, Cox's Orange Pippin, Discovery, Ellison's Orange, Fiesta, Gala, Golden Delicious, Greensleeves, Grenadier, Herefordshire Russet, Howgate Wonder, James Grieve, Katy, Kidd's Orange Red, Lord Derby, Pixie, Red Falstaff, Scrumptious, Spartan, Sunset, Worcester Pearmain.

A late Cox-type dessert apple. Strongly inclined to biennial bearing, which is worth knowing before concluding that a barren year means something is wrong.

Lord Derby is pollinated by Annie Elizabeth, Arthur Turner, Ashmead's Kernel, Bountiful, Braeburn, Charles Ross, Cox's Orange Pippin, Discovery, Ellison's Orange, Fiesta, Gala, Golden Delicious, Greensleeves, Grenadier, Herefordshire Russet, Howgate Wonder, James Grieve, Katy, Kidd's Orange Red, Laxton's Superb, Pixie, Red Falstaff, Scrumptious, Spartan, Sunset, Worcester Pearmain.

A cooking apple with a reputation for cropping on heavy, cold and wet soils where other cultivars sulk — one of the few cultivar-level soil observations well enough established to record.

Lord Lambourne is pollinated by Arthur Turner, Bountiful, Charles Ross, Cox's Orange Pippin, Discovery, Egremont Russet, Fiesta, Greensleeves, Grenadier, Herefordshire Russet, Howgate Wonder, James Grieve, Katy, Kidd's Orange Red, Red Falstaff, Rev. W. Wilks, Scrumptious, Spartan, Sunset, Worcester Pearmain.

A reliable early-mid dessert apple that crops well without much attention. Useful as a group 2 partner where an Egremont Russet needs company.

Newton Wonder — none of the other cultivars GrowingHQ holds will pollinate it.

A late-flowering dual-purpose apple that keeps well. GrowingHQ has not established its ploidy, so the pollination checker will return an incomplete answer for it rather than assuming diploid — which is the correct behaviour rather than a gap.

Pixie is pollinated by Annie Elizabeth, Arthur Turner, Ashmead's Kernel, Bountiful, Braeburn, Charles Ross, Cox's Orange Pippin, Discovery, Ellison's Orange, Fiesta, Gala, Golden Delicious, Greensleeves, Grenadier, Herefordshire Russet, Howgate Wonder, James Grieve, Katy, Kidd's Orange Red, Laxton's Superb, Lord Derby, Red Falstaff, Scrumptious, Spartan, Sunset, Worcester Pearmain.

Small, late and one of the best keepers in this set — still good eating well after Christmas. A small tree, so it suits a restricted garden.

Red Falstaff crops on its own.

Self-fertile, heavy cropping and reliable. The default answer to 'I have space for one apple tree and nobody nearby grows any'.

Rev. W. Wilks is pollinated by Arthur Turner, Bountiful, Charles Ross, Cox's Orange Pippin, Discovery, Egremont Russet, Fiesta, Greensleeves, Grenadier, Herefordshire Russet, Howgate Wonder, James Grieve, Katy, Kidd's Orange Red, Lord Lambourne, Red Falstaff, Scrumptious, Spartan, Sunset, Worcester Pearmain.

A very early cooker producing large fruit on a small tree, which makes it one of the few culinary apples that suits a restricted space. Strongly biennial: expect a heavy year and then very little.

Scrumptious crops on its own.

A modern self-fertile early dessert apple on a naturally small tree. Another single-tree answer, and earlier than Red Falstaff.

Spartan is pollinated by Annie Elizabeth, Arthur Turner, Ashmead's Kernel, Bountiful, Charles Ross, Cox's Orange Pippin, Discovery, Egremont Russet, Ellison's Orange, Fiesta, Gala, Golden Delicious, Greensleeves, Grenadier, Herefordshire Russet, Howgate Wonder, James Grieve, Katy, Kidd's Orange Red, Laxton's Superb, Lord Derby, Lord Lambourne, Pixie, Red Falstaff, Rev. W. Wilks, Scrumptious, Sunset, Worcester Pearmain.

Very dark red, almost purple, with white flesh. Heavy cropping and inclined to produce small fruit unless thinned.

Sunset is pollinated by Annie Elizabeth, Arthur Turner, Ashmead's Kernel, Bountiful, Charles Ross, Cox's Orange Pippin, Discovery, Egremont Russet, Ellison's Orange, Fiesta, Gala, Golden Delicious, Greensleeves, Grenadier, Herefordshire Russet, Howgate Wonder, James Grieve, Katy, Kidd's Orange Red, Laxton's Superb, Lord Derby, Lord Lambourne, Pixie, Red Falstaff, Rev. W. Wilks, Scrumptious, Spartan, Worcester Pearmain.

The standard recommendation where somebody wants a Cox and the site will not support one: similar in character, considerably easier to grow, and a smaller tree.

Worcester Pearmain is pollinated by Annie Elizabeth, Arthur Turner, Ashmead's Kernel, Bountiful, Charles Ross, Cox's Orange Pippin, Discovery, Egremont Russet, Ellison's Orange, Fiesta, Gala, Golden Delicious, Greensleeves, Grenadier, Herefordshire Russet, Howgate Wonder, James Grieve, Katy, Kidd's Orange Red, Laxton's Superb, Lord Derby, Lord Lambourne, Pixie, Red Falstaff, Rev. W. Wilks, Scrumptious, Spartan, Sunset.

An early apple with a distinct strawberry note when picked ripe. Partially self-fertile, which makes it one of the more forgiving choices where there is room for only one tree.

Rootstocks — the decision that fixes the size

A grafted fruit tree is two plants. The top decides what the fruit tastes like; the rootstock decides how big the tree gets, how soon it crops and whether it needs staking for life.

Almost every apple sold is grafted, and the rootstock — not the cultivar — decides the eventual size, how soon it crops and whether it needs a permanent stake. It is the single most consequential thing on the label and the one most often ignored.

Heights are ranges and always will be — the same rootstock behaves differently on light sand and deep loam.
Rootstock	Vigour	Mature height	Staking	In a container
M27	Very dwarfing	150–180 cmSourced guidanceDepends on conditions	Permanent staking	suitableSourced guidanceDepends on conditions
M9	Dwarfing	200–250 cmSourced guidanceDepends on conditions	Permanent staking	possibleHorticultural consensusDepends on conditions
M26	Semi-dwarfing	250–300 cm	Stake while establishingSourced guidanceDepends on conditions	not assessedInsufficient evidence
MM106	Semi-vigorous	350–450 cmSourced guidanceDepends on conditions	Stake while establishing	unsuitable
MM111	Vigorous	450–550 cm	Stake while establishing	unsuitable
M25	Very vigorous	550–700 cm	Stake while establishing	unsuitable

Where the rootstock figures come from

M27: VigourSourced guidancehigh confidence
NIAB — National Institute of Agricultural Botany: Apple rootstocks — vigour classes
Checked 2026-08-13
Mature heightSourced guidanceDepends on conditionshigh confidence
Applies when: In reasonable soil with normal pruning. On poor dry ground an M27 tree can stall well below this and never fill out.
Royal Horticultural Society: Apple rootstocks
Checked 2026-08-13
StakingSourced guidancehigh confidence
The root system is too small to anchor a cropping tree. The stake is part of the tree for life.
Royal Horticultural Society: Apple rootstocks — staking
Checked 2026-08-13
In a containerSourced guidanceDepends on conditionshigh confidence
Applies when: The one apple rootstock where container growing is genuinely established rather than optimistic. It still needs consistent watering and annual feeding, because the same small root system that keeps the tree small also gives it no reserves.
Royal Horticultural Society: Growing fruit trees in containers
Checked 2026-08-13
M9: VigourSourced guidancehigh confidence
NIAB — National Institute of Agricultural Botany: Apple rootstocks — vigour classes
Checked 2026-08-13
Mature heightSourced guidanceDepends on conditionshigh confidence
Applies when: Varies with soil fertility and with how vigorous the grafted cultivar is.
Royal Horticultural Society: Apple rootstocks
Checked 2026-08-13
StakingSourced guidancehigh confidence
Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board — AHDB: Orchard establishment — support systems
Checked 2026-08-13
In a containerHorticultural consensusDepends on conditionsmoderate confidence
Applies when: A container of at least 45–50 litres, with reliable watering.
Workable in a large container for a period, though it outgrows most pots sooner than M27 and is less commonly recommended for it.
No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13
M26: VigourSourced guidancehigh confidence
NIAB — National Institute of Agricultural Botany: Apple rootstocks — vigour classes
Checked 2026-08-13
Mature heightSourced guidancehigh confidence
Royal Horticultural Society: Apple rootstocks
Checked 2026-08-13
StakingSourced guidanceDepends on conditionshigh confidence
Applies when: Better anchored than M9, but a heavily cropping tree on an exposed site is safer left staked.
Royal Horticultural Society: Apple rootstocks — staking
Checked 2026-08-13
In a containerInsufficient evidenceconfidence unknown
GrowingHQ has not found horticultural evidence for long-term container growing on M26 that it can stand behind.
No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13
MM106: VigourSourced guidancehigh confidence
NIAB — National Institute of Agricultural Botany: Apple rootstocks — vigour classes
Checked 2026-08-13
Mature heightSourced guidanceDepends on conditionshigh confidence
Applies when: Kept smaller by pruning, but this is the size it wants to reach.
Royal Horticultural Society: Apple rootstocks
Checked 2026-08-13
StakingSourced guidancehigh confidence
Royal Horticultural Society: Planting fruit trees
Checked 2026-08-13
In a containerSourced guidancehigh confidence
Too vigorous to hold in a pot for long. A tree on MM106 in a container is a tree waiting to be planted out or to decline.
Royal Horticultural Society: Growing fruit trees in containers
Checked 2026-08-13
MM111: VigourSourced guidancehigh confidence
NIAB — National Institute of Agricultural Botany: Apple rootstocks — vigour classes
Checked 2026-08-13
Mature heightSourced guidancehigh confidence
Royal Horticultural Society: Apple rootstocks
Checked 2026-08-13
StakingSourced guidancehigh confidence
Royal Horticultural Society: Planting fruit trees
Checked 2026-08-13
In a containerSourced guidancehigh confidence
Royal Horticultural Society: Apple rootstocks
Checked 2026-08-13
M25: VigourSourced guidancehigh confidence
NIAB — National Institute of Agricultural Botany: Apple rootstocks — vigour classes
Checked 2026-08-13
Mature heightSourced guidancehigh confidence
Royal Horticultural Society: Apple rootstocks
Checked 2026-08-13
StakingSourced guidancehigh confidence
Royal Horticultural Society: Planting fruit trees
Checked 2026-08-13
In a containerSourced guidancehigh confidence
Royal Horticultural Society: Apple rootstocks
Checked 2026-08-13

Pruning and training

Every piece of fruit pruning advice follows from one fact: where the plant carries next year's crop.

Fruits on: Spurs on older wood

Fruit forms on short stubby spurs that persist on wood two years old and older. Pruning aims to build and renew those spurs, so the framework is kept and young growth is shortened.

Sourced guidanceDepends on conditionshigh confidence

Applies when: Most apples are spur-bearers. A minority are tip-bearing or partially tip-bearing, and pruning those as spur-bearers removes much of the crop — check the cultivar before shortening every shoot.

Royal Horticultural Society: Apple pruning

Checked 2026-08-13

Cutting the wrong wood does not damage the plant. It removes the crop, and the loss is not visible until the following summer.

Forms it can be grown as

Bush
Half-standard
Standard
Cordon
Espalier
Stepover
Pyramid

source

Sourced guidancehigh confidence

Royal Horticultural Society: Trained fruit forms

Checked 2026-08-13

Restricted forms need wires: posts and horizontal wires at roughly 60 cm intervals, or vine eyes and wires on a wall.

source

Horticultural consensusmoderate confidence

Royal Horticultural Society: Training fruit trees

Checked 2026-08-13

Formative pruningNovember, December, January, February
Build an open framework of well-spaced branches in the first three or four years, so that light reaches the centre of the tree and no branch is shaded out later.
In the first winters after planting, select and keep three to five well-spaced branches and remove competing leaders. What is being built is the shape the tree keeps for decades, so the decisions matter more than the cuts.
source
Sourced guidancehigh confidence
- Royal Horticultural Society: Apple and pear — formative pruning
Checked 2026-08-13
Winter pruningNovember, December, January, February
Renew fruiting spurs and keep the centre open, on free-standing bush and standard trees.
Prune while fully dormant. Remove dead, damaged and crossing wood first, then thin congested spur systems. Apples respond to hard pruning with vigorous vertical regrowth, so taking less is usually better than taking more.
source
Sourced guidancehigh confidence
- Royal Horticultural Society: Apple pruning — established trees
Checked 2026-08-13
Summer pruningAugust, September
Check vigour and expose the fruit to light on restricted forms — cordons, espaliers and stepovers — which cannot be maintained by winter pruning alone.
Shorten the current season's side shoots in late summer once their bases have gone woody. Summer pruning restrains growth where winter pruning stimulates it, which is why trained forms depend on it.
source
Sourced guidancehigh confidence
- Royal Horticultural Society: Summer pruning restricted fruit forms
Checked 2026-08-13
Timing matters: Too early and the tree responds with a flush of soft secondary growth that will not ripen before winter.
RenovationDecember, January, February
Bring a neglected tree back into production without provoking the mass of vertical water shoots that a single hard cut produces.
Spread the work over three winters, removing no more than about a quarter of the canopy in any one year. An overgrown apple cut back hard in a single season responds with dense unproductive regrowth that takes longer to correct than the original neglect.
source
Sourced guidancehigh confidence
- Royal Horticultural Society: Renovating neglected fruit trees
Checked 2026-08-13

What you are committing to

Fruit is a multi-year decision. These are the numbers a nursery label rarely carries.

First worthwhile crop: 2–5 yearsSourced guidanceDepends on conditions
Productive life: 30–60 yearsHorticultural consensusDepends on conditions
Winter chill needed: 800–1200 hours a daySourced guidanceDepends on conditions
Propagated by: Grafting or budding
Fruit type: Pome fruit

Where these figures come from

First worthwhile cropSourced guidanceDepends on conditionshigh confidence

Applies when: Governed by the rootstock rather than the cultivar: two to three years on M27, five or more on M25.

Royal Horticultural Society: Apple rootstocks

Checked 2026-08-13

Productive lifeHorticultural consensusDepends on conditionsmoderate confidence

Applies when: Dwarfing rootstocks are shorter-lived than vigorous ones. Traditional orchard trees on M25 can outlive the person who planted them.

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

Winter chill neededSourced guidanceDepends on conditionsmoderate confidence

Applies when: Cultivar-dependent and model-dependent; published figures for the same cultivar vary widely. British winters comfortably satisfy the requirement for cultivars grown here, so this matters for choosing cultivars in warmer climates rather than for UK growers.

WSU Extension — Washington State University: Tree fruit chilling requirements

Checked 2026-08-13

Propagated bySourced guidancehigh confidence

Apples do not come true from seed: a pip from a Cox produces a tree that is not a Cox and is usually not worth eating.

Royal Horticultural Society: Grafting fruit trees

Checked 2026-08-13

Keeping it: Early cultivars do not keep and are eaten within days. Late cultivars store for months in a cool, dark, slightly humid place, laid out so the fruit does not touch — one rotting apple spoils those around it.

source

Sourced guidancehigh confidence

Royal Horticultural Society: Storing apples

Checked 2026-08-13

The cultivars worth growing are the ones nobody sells. Supermarket apples are chosen for storage and uniformity; a garden tree can carry something picked ripe and eaten the same week.

Conditions it needs

Light: Full sun, Partial shadeSourced guidanceDepends on conditions
Direct sun: 6 hours a day or more
Frost: Very hardy
Hardiness rating: H6 (RHS)
Soil: Loam, Clay, Silt
Soil pH: 6–7
Drainage: Free-draining, Moisture-retentive
Water needs: moderate
Drought: moderate toleranceHorticultural consensusDepends on conditions
Waterlogging: poor tolerance
Heat: moderate tolerance
Wind and exposure: moderate tolerance

Where these figures come from

LightSourced guidanceDepends on conditionshigh confidence

Applies when: Dessert apples need sun to ripen properly. Cooking apples tolerate more shade, because acidity matters more than sugar for them.

Royal Horticultural Society: Growing apples

Checked 2026-08-13

Direct sunHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

FrostSourced guidancehigh confidence

The tree is hardy; the open blossom is not, and a late frost during flowering is what costs a crop.

Royal Horticultural Society: Apples — hardiness

Checked 2026-08-13

Hardiness ratingSourced guidancehigh confidence

Royal Horticultural Society: RHS hardiness ratings

Checked 2026-08-13

SoilSourced guidancehigh confidence

Royal Horticultural Society: Apples — soil

Checked 2026-08-13

Soil pHSourced guidancehigh confidence

University of Minnesota Extension — University of Minnesota: Soil pH for fruit crops

Checked 2026-08-13

DrainageSourced guidancehigh confidence

Royal Horticultural Society: Apples — soil

Checked 2026-08-13

Water needsHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

DroughtHorticultural consensusDepends on conditionsmoderate confidence

Applies when: An established tree on a vigorous rootstock copes. Dwarfing rootstocks have small root systems and suffer in drought throughout their lives.

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

WaterloggingSourced guidancehigh confidence

Royal Horticultural Society: Apples — soil

Checked 2026-08-13

HeatHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

Wind and exposureHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

Wind at flowering keeps pollinating insects grounded, which costs more crop than the wind itself.

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

On your soil

Computed by comparing this plant's recorded requirements against each soil's recorded characteristics. A recorded horticultural fact overrides the comparison where GrowingHQ holds one.

Soil	Verdict	Why
Heavy clay	Works, with one condition	Apple will crop on heavy clay, but one thing has to be dealt with first. It needs ground that drains, and this soil holds water. A plant that stays in the ground through winter with its roots in cold, saturated soil rots — which is what kills most of what fails on heavy ground, rather than the cold.Improve the drainage before planting — a raised bed, or bulky organic matter worked in over several seasons. Do not add sand to clay in small quantities; it makes the problem worse.
Sandy	Grows well here	Apple grows perfectly well on sandy without special measures, though it is not the soil it would choose.
Chalky and alkaline	Struggles here	Apple struggles on chalky and alkaline: The soil is substantially too alkaline for it: it wants pH 6 to 7, and this soil sits around 7.8 to 8.5. It roots to about 60 cm and this soil offers roughly 40 cm before rock or hardpan. A container or a raised bed of imported soil sidesteps the problem entirely.
Loam	Prefers this soil	Loam suits Apple as it stands: The pH suits it: it wants 6 to 7, and this soil is in that range. The free drainage is exactly what it wants. Loam is among the soils it is recorded as suiting. The soil holds moisture, which saves a great deal of watering. There is ample rooting depth for it.
Silty	Prefers this soil	Silty suits Apple as it stands: The pH suits it: it wants 6 to 7, and this soil is in that range. The free drainage is exactly what it wants. Silt is among the soils it is recorded as suiting. The soil holds moisture, which saves a great deal of watering. There is ample rooting depth for it.
Peaty and acid	Works, with one condition	Apple will crop on peaty and acid, but one thing has to be dealt with first. It needs ground that drains, and this soil holds water. A plant that stays in the ground through winter with its roots in cold, saturated soil rots — which is what kills most of what fails on heavy ground, rather than the cold.Improve the drainage before planting — a raised bed, or bulky organic matter worked in over several seasons. Do not add sand to clay in small quantities; it makes the problem worse.
Shallow over rock	Works, with one condition	Apple will crop on shallow over rock, but one thing has to be dealt with first. It roots to about 60 cm and this soil offers roughly 25 cm before rock or hardpan.Grow it in a deep container or a raised bed. The rooting depth is not something that can be added to the ground.
Made ground and urban soil	Struggles here	Apple struggles on made ground and urban soil: It needs ground that drains, and this soil holds water. A plant that stays in the ground through winter with its roots in cold, saturated soil rots — which is what kills most of what fails on heavy ground, rather than the cold. It roots to about 60 cm and this soil offers roughly 30 cm before rock or hardpan. A container or a raised bed of imported soil sidesteps the problem entirely.

Not sure which you have? Four hand tests will settle it.

Space and spacing

Mature height: 150–700 cmSourced guidanceDepends on conditions
Mature spread: 150–600 cmHorticultural consensusDepends on conditions
Rooting depth: 60–90 cm
Spacing: 180–600 cm apartSourced guidanceDepends on conditions

Where these figures come from

Mature heightSourced guidanceDepends on conditionshigh confidence

Applies when: Entirely a function of the rootstock, not the cultivar: 1.5–1.8 m on M27, 5.5–7 m on M25. The rootstock pages carry the figure that applies to a particular tree.

Royal Horticultural Society: Apple rootstocks

Checked 2026-08-13

Mature spreadHorticultural consensusDepends on conditionsmoderate confidence

Applies when: Follows the rootstock in the same way as height.

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

Rooting depthHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

SpacingSourced guidanceDepends on conditionshigh confidence

Applies when: About 1.5–2 m for a tree on M27, up to 6 m on M25. Cordons are planted 75 cm apart, which is how several cultivars fit into a small garden.

Royal Horticultural Society: Apple planting distances

Checked 2026-08-13

Measured centre to centre. Plants set closer than this compete for light and water long before they look crowded, and the crowding cannot be undone once they are in.

In a container

Minimum volume: 45 litres or moreSourced guidanceDepends on conditions
Minimum depth: 45 cm

Where the container figures come from

Minimum volumeSourced guidanceDepends on conditionshigh confidence

Applies when: Only realistic on a very dwarfing rootstock. A tree on MM106 in a container is a tree waiting to decline.

Royal Horticultural Society: Fruit trees in containers

Checked 2026-08-13

Minimum depthHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

Container apples need annual feeding, reliable watering and repotting or root pruning every few years. The rootstock decides whether this is worth attempting at all.

Where and how you can grow it

Each way of growing is assessed separately, and “not assessed” is a real answer rather than a gap we have filled in with a guess.

Method	Suitability	What it needs
Open ground	Well suited source Sourced guidancehigh confidence Royal Horticultural Society: Growing apples Checked 2026-08-13	A rootstock matched to the space; A compatible pollination partner in range
Traditional dug bed	Workable source Horticultural consensusmoderate confidence No external citation — see the evidence type above. Checked 2026-08-13
Container	Workable Sourced guidanceDepends on conditionshigh confidence Applies when: On a very dwarfing rootstock only, with reliable watering and annual feeding. Royal Horticultural Society: Fruit trees in containers Checked 2026-08-13	A very dwarfing rootstock such as M27; 45 litres or more; Permanent staking
Vertical growing	Workable source Horticultural consensusmoderate confidence Cordons and espaliers are vertical growing in the useful sense: several cultivars along a wall or a fence in the space one bush tree would occupy. No external citation — see the evidence type above. Checked 2026-08-13	Wires and posts, or a wall; Summer pruning every year
Raised bed	Marginal source Horticultural consensusmoderate confidence A raised bed rarely offers the rooting depth or the permanence a tree needs, and the tree will root through into whatever is below anyway. No external citation — see the evidence type above. Checked 2026-08-13
Polytunnel	Marginal source Sourced guidancemoderate confidence Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board — AHDB: Top fruit — chilling requirement Checked 2026-08-13
Hydroponics	Marginal source GrowingHQ editorial positionmoderate confidence Root volume and a winter chilling requirement. A tree needs months below about 7 °C to break bud properly, and an indoor system that could supply that is an unheated shed with pumps in it. GrowingHQ editorial synthesis — GrowingHQ Checked 2026-08-13
Greenhouse	Marginal source Sourced guidancemoderate confidence Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board — AHDB: Top fruit — chilling requirement Checked 2026-08-13
Windowsill	Not suitable source Horticultural consensusmoderate confidence A tree, and one that needs a cold winter. No external citation — see the evidence type above. Checked 2026-08-13

Growing it

PlantingPlant with the graft union — the visible kink low on the stem — clearly above the finished soil level. Buried, the cultivar roots into the soil above the graft and escapes the rootstock, and the dwarfing that the rootstock was chosen for is lost.
SupportStake according to the rootstock rather than the tree's current size. Dwarfing rootstocks need a stake for life; vigorous ones need one only while establishing.
ThinningThin the fruitlets in early summer, after the natural drop, to roughly one fruit every 10–15 cm. Thinning gives larger fruit, reduces branch breakage, and helps prevent the biennial cropping habit where a heavy year is followed by nothing.10–15 cm
FeedingMulch in spring with well-rotted organic matter, keeping it clear of the trunk. Trees in grass compete for nitrogen; a weed-free circle around the trunk does more for a young tree than feeding does.
HarvestingCup the fruit and lift and twist. If it is ready, the stalk parts from the spur without effort. Fruit that needs pulling is not ready, and pulling removes next year's spur with it.
WateringAn established apple in open ground needs no watering at all in a normal British summer; its roots are far wider than its canopy. Water only in the first two or three seasons after planting, and in a drought once the fruit is swelling — a tree that dries out in July drops a proportion of its crop in a few days. A tree in a container is the opposite case and needs checking daily in summer.

Where this guidance comes from

PlantingSourced guidancehigh confidence: Royal Horticultural Society: Planting fruit trees
Checked 2026-08-13
SupportSourced guidancehigh confidence: Royal Horticultural Society: Planting fruit trees
Checked 2026-08-13
ThinningSourced guidancehigh confidence: Royal Horticultural Society: Thinning apples
Checked 2026-08-13
FeedingHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence: Royal Horticultural Society: Feeding fruit trees
Checked 2026-08-13
HarvestingSourced guidancehigh confidence: Royal Horticultural Society: Harvesting apples
Checked 2026-08-13
WateringSourced guidancehigh confidence: Royal Horticultural Society: Apples — watering
Checked 2026-08-13

Is it worth putting under cover?

Whether it will grow there is on the methods table above. This is whether the space is well spent, which is a different question and usually the one being asked.

Structure	What protection is worth	What decides it
Greenhouse	Worse under cover source GrowingHQ editorial positionmoderate confidence What protection is worth for this crop, judged against the same standard as every other record in this file. GrowingHQ editorial synthesis — GrowingHQ Checked 2026-08-13	Winter chill. Apples need a long cold period and a tree kept warm through winter breaks bud unevenly and sets almost nothing.Ultimate size is the obvious objection and the chilling requirement is the real one: even a dwarf tree on M27 is a poor greenhouse plant for a reason no amount of pruning fixes.
Polytunnel	Worse under cover source GrowingHQ editorial positionmoderate confidence What protection is worth for this crop, judged against the same standard as every other record in this file. GrowingHQ editorial synthesis — GrowingHQ Checked 2026-08-13	Winter chill.

Growing it without soil

Nearly anything can be grown in a soilless system by somebody with enough equipment. The useful question is whether it is worth it, in which technique, and what goes wrong.

Not worth it

It can be made to grow, but a soilless system is the wrong tool — usually because of rooting volume, running cost, or a result no better than a pot of compost.

source

GrowingHQ editorial positionmoderate confidence

Root volume and a winter chilling requirement. A tree needs months below about 7 °C to break bud properly, and an indoor system that could supply that is an unheated shed with pumps in it.

GrowingHQ editorial synthesis — GrowingHQ

Checked 2026-08-13

The chilling requirement is the interesting half. Size is the obvious objection and dwarfing rootstocks answer it; nothing answers the cold.

Techniques that suit it

Drip-fed mediumSolution is dripped into an inert medium around each plant. The most forgiving technique and the one that suits large, long-season, heavy crops.

Horticultural consensusDepends on conditionsmoderate confidence

Applies when: Substrate only, and only as an experiment.

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

Root space: Very large, permanently.
pH band: 5.5–6.5

Where these figures come from

Root spaceHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

pH bandSourced guidancehigh confidence

Outside roughly this band, individual nutrients become unavailable even when they are present in the solution — which is why a crop can starve in a full reservoir.

Purdue Extension — Purdue University: Hydroponic solution management — pH

Checked 2026-08-13

No nutrient recipes here

GrowingHQ records pH bands, which are measurable properties of nutrient availability, and deliberately records no EC or PPM targets and no mixing instructions. Published targets vary by cultivar, growth stage, water source and technique, and the figures that apply to your system are on the product you bought.

Harvesting

When it is readyThe lift-and-twist test is the reliable one. Colour is not: many cultivars colour weeks before they are ripe, and some good eating apples never look impressive.
How to pick itLift and twist; never pull.
Keeping itLate cultivars keep for months at 3–5 °C in the dark, unwrapped and not touching. Early cultivars do not keep at all.

Where the harvest guidance comes from

When it is readySourced guidancehigh confidence: Royal Horticultural Society: Harvesting apples
Checked 2026-08-13
How to pick itHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence: No external citation — see the evidence type above.
Checked 2026-08-13
Keeping itSourced guidancehigh confidence: Royal Horticultural Society: Storing apples
Checked 2026-08-13

What goes wrong

Problem	How often	Notes
Normal autumn leaf fall	common source Horticultural consensusmoderate confidence No external citation — see the evidence type above. Checked 2026-08-13	Seasonal, and the reason an autumn yellowing should not be read as a deficiency.
Natural fruit drop	common source Horticultural consensusmoderate confidence No external citation — see the evidence type above. Checked 2026-08-13
Alternate bearing	occasional source Sourced guidancehigh confidence Royal Horticultural Society: Fruit — biennial bearing Checked 2026-08-13	The reason a tree can crop enormously one year and barely blossom the next, and the one case where the fix is to remove fruit rather than to add anything.
Apple and pear scab	common source Sourced guidancehigh confidence Royal Horticultural Society: Apple and pear scab Checked 2026-08-13	Worse in wet springs and on susceptible cultivars. Largely cosmetic on the fruit; repeated defoliation is the real cost.
Codling moth	common source Sourced guidancehigh confidence Royal Horticultural Society: Codling moth Checked 2026-08-13	The maggot in the core. Damage is done long before the fruit is picked.
Brown rot	common source Horticultural consensusmoderate confidence No external citation — see the evidence type above. Checked 2026-08-13
Aphids	common source Horticultural consensusmoderate confidence No external citation — see the evidence type above. Checked 2026-08-13	Distorting new growth in spring.
Poor fruit set	common source Sourced guidancehigh confidence Royal Horticultural Society: Apple pollination Checked 2026-08-13	Usually a pollination or frost problem rather than a nutritional one.
Powdery mildew	occasional source Horticultural consensusmoderate confidence No external citation — see the evidence type above. Checked 2026-08-13
Fruit splitting	occasional source Horticultural consensusmoderate confidence No external citation — see the evidence type above. Checked 2026-08-13	Apples split after heavy rain following a dry spell, usually close to picking.

What to look for

Views that settle something a description cannot. Where the photograph has not been taken yet, the description of what it will show is here instead — which is the useful half of it either way.

Described view

A close view of an apple branch showing a congested spur system alongside a thinned one, for comparison

Spurs carry the crop and are renewed by winter pruning.

Grown with, grown after, grown instead

Every relationship states its mechanism. A pairing nobody can explain is a pairing nobody has checked, and it does not go in.

Pollination partnerPear
Apples and pears do NOT pollinate each other despite both being pome fruit in the same family — they are different genera and flower at different times. Recorded because growers frequently assume that any two fruit trees will do.
source
Sourced guidancehigh confidence
Royal Horticultural Society: Fruit pollination
Checked 2026-08-13
An anti-pairing: this relationship exists to correct a common assumption, not to recommend a planting.
Shares a problem withPear
Both are hosts of scab, though the fungi are different species specific to each host, and both are managed the same way through airflow, hygiene and cultivar choice.
source
Horticultural consensusmoderate confidence
Royal Horticultural Society: Apple and pear scab
Checked 2026-08-13

Safety and edibility

Equipment safety
Most fruit-tree injuries come from working at height rather than from the tools. A ladder on soft or sloping ground under a laden branch is the specific hazard, and it is why rootstock choice is a safety decision as well as a horticultural one.
source
Horticultural consensusmoderate confidence
- Royal Horticultural Society: Pruning fruit trees
Checked 2026-08-13
Choose a rootstock you can prune and pick from the ground or a low step. If a tree already needs a ladder, have somebody foot it and never work from the top two steps.
Which parts are ediblechildren
Apple pips contain amygdalin, which releases small amounts of cyanide when the seed coat is broken. Swallowing a few pips whole is not a concern; the seeds are not a food and should not be deliberately crushed and eaten in quantity.
source
Horticultural consensusmoderate confidence
- Royal Horticultural Society: Potentially harmful garden plants
Checked 2026-08-13
Eat the flesh. There is no reason to eat the core, and no reason to worry about a swallowed pip.

Sources for this page

Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board · GrowingHQ editorial synthesis · Royal Horticultural Society · University of Minnesota Extension

Each figure on this page carries its own citation, under the “where these figures come from” note in its section. Record last reviewed 2026-08-13.

If something is wrong with it

Flowers dropping without setting fruit — 3 causes GrowingHQ holds for apple
Healthy growth but no flowers — 3 causes GrowingHQ holds for apple
Fruit splitting or cracking — 3 causes GrowingHQ holds for apple
Growth has stalled — 2 causes GrowingHQ holds for apple
Lower leaves turning yellow — 2 causes GrowingHQ holds for apple

Something else? Work through it with the diagnostic tool.