Determine the type of apple tree

Determine the type of apple tree

Determine old varieties and plant new ones

Hobby gardeners are often confronted with the question of determining apple varieties when they harvest particularly tasty apples from an old apple tree and want to replant this tree after a disease or fungal attack. The following varieties belong to these classic apple varieties:

  • James Grieve
  • Boskoop
  • Cox orange
  • Elstar

also read

  • Go for the old variety for the apple tree
  • Sea buckthorn and its harvest time: different from variety to variety
  • Pollinate the apple tree sufficiently for a better harvest

To determine the variety, it is usually not enough to look at the tree trunk and leaves.

Various clues also lead to a solution in apple trees

In order to identify the exact variety of an apple tree, the appearance of the tree must be observed at different times of the year. Some apple trees get yellow leaves when they turn autumn, while other varieties tend to have a reddish autumn color. Another indication is the time of the apple blossom, which can vary depending on the weather in a year. However, in relation to the rest of the development of the vegetation in a garden, there are varieties with earlier and later apple blossom. The flowers themselves don't always look the same either. Apple blossoms are very similar, but they can develop more white and reddish colors during the pollination period.

The harvest time as the most important time for determining the variety

The most important recognition criteria for apple trees are the fruits. When the apples are harvested from the tree, they differ not only in terms of color, shape and weight. Some apple varieties have a characteristic pattern on the skin of green and red tones. The criterion for true gourmets is the apple taste. This can be sweet, a little sour, sometimes please and also floury. While modern cultivars show only a little brown discoloration of the flesh after being bitten, this is more pronounced with old varieties.

Tips & Tricks

Pomologists are specialists who deal with the cultivation and identification of apple trees. At the state horticultural offices, they can identify the variety of your apple tree based on photos, fruits and leaves.