I did a search and found only a few threads on Honeycrisp in this forum. So if anyone has any experience with it please let me know!

Essentially, I am looking for an apple tree that will reliably produce good sized red apples that are sweet and crispy. I love the flavour and texture of Honeycrisp apples that I get from the grocery stores but I just don't know if this tree does well in a Calgary backyard. Any apple tree recommendation for Calgary would be much appreciated.

Thank you!

I had a Harcourt apple, which looks like a Spartan but it was rather bland and didn't store well. I wish I could remember the variety of my neighbour's tree. The apples looked like gala and made really good pies.

I wouldn't worry too much about pollination, most everywhere there are crab apples, if they're within one city block your'e good.

Norland sounds like a nice choice, though I am wondering if it turns soft too quickly as I really like my apples crispy. How does it compare to September Ruby for flavour and texture please?

Also, I read a lot about Prairie Magic last night. How does it do in Calgary?

Thanks again everyone - really appreciate your expertise!

The downside of Sept. Ruby is that it has a strong tendency to fruit very heavily one year, then almost no fruit the next year. Last year was the no-fruit year for my tree; this year it is absolutely loaded and will need thinning to prevent branches from breaking (which has been an issue in years past).

I went to a couple of garden centres today to look at apple trees.

The only caliper apple trees that I could find were Harcourt. Many varieties though with potted trees. I found some very nice and big Norland trees in 15G pots. They looked lovely! However, no Prairie Magic though.

I also found some September Ruby too, but they were not as big as the Norland trees.

How do September Ruby and Norland compare, in terms of flavour and crispy texture?

Is there anywhere that I can find caliper Norland or September Ruby around Calgary please?

Several weeks later ripens the September Ruby and Norkent, Norkent is more crisp and stay's crisp allot longer then Sept. Ruby.

Norkent

I juice all my Sept. Ruby, fruit set is good one year [loaded], nothing the other year, should be thinned out to one or two apple, in this cluster [picture], then you can get fruit every year.

Norland, spaced nicely apart without thinning, at this stage of color right off the tree they are nice with a slight acid tang, ...as I said, good for cooking. If you don't like the tangy taste, then the Norkent would be better, it's got a nutty taste.

THANK YOU!

http://www.eaglelakenurseries.com/Products-and-Services/Retail-Catalog /index.php?pn=7

Phone first though, they supply virtually everyone in Southern Alberta so they might not have any.

Also try Blue Grass.

I am now looking for a Norkent, but most places don't have them though.

Spruce It Up has some nice looking Norlands in 15G pots.

I am not sure about Blue Grass - when I went there a couple of weeks ago, their trees looked like a disaster - so dried up and unhealthy! Eagle Lake is quite far away.... in any case, no one is picking the phone there... sigh!

Hopefully, I can find a decent sized Norkent now.... thanks!

Thanks for all your apple wisdom! :-)

Ostrich, I find both the same, they both set out one year a bit but still have some fruits on, not as heavy, they both bear early,..about at the same age. It would be good to put two trees in, a early and late one. Apple trees don't grow large in our harsh climate, you can plant them very close.

BTW, konrad, is Norkent so late that sometimes the fruit does not mature before it gets too cold around here?

Thanks!

I have been planting about 20ft apart. Could I plant closer without affecting fruit production?

Konrad: Great pictures (as always). It's always nice to be able to see a really good picture of a fruit tree in production that you are considering planting

Down the block there is a Norland apple. I've observed over the years the apples are ripe usually in the 2nd week of August, say Aug. 10-15or so. How does the ripening time compare with your location? Earlier? Later, or about the same?

And if I may ask, when is the approximate time the Norkent ripens? Second week of Sept?

Thanks

Collin

Picture from last year, [acreage].. Aug. 21, Norland are ready.

..

This Norkent from last year, picked some ready one's [in town] Sept. 7, .. needs another 10 day's or so on the acreage.

I agree, the heat waves are pushing the apples to ripen earlier this year. After inspecting some half ripened apples today I think they will be coming due in another 6-7 days. Problem is the apples which are most ripe are attracting wasps. They are damaging the apples. As it is not my tree I'm not sure if the owner will feel compelled to take action.

I tasted the Norland fruit last year for the first time and was struck by how sweet it was. Good apple crisps and strudels but in pies I like more tartness. Very little sugar was needed to get sweeten Norland apples to make apple sauce. In fact you can eat it quite easily unsweetened.

I took a couple of shots of the tree, the leaves look okay but the bark looks stretched and exposed to me for some reason. I have little experience with apples so I can't tell health from looking at the bark.

The Norkent I grafted about the same time onto a seedling.
Kerr should make pink juice, I don't have this one,...got all the others.
Parkland is a smaller apple and more tart then Norland, ripens about the same time, I juice this one. Battleford is getting soft early, doesn't have much juice, ..have one tree, the top half I grafted over to Sept. Ruby.
Colette makes the best pie, a apple with white flesh and doesn't brown easy. It takes a long time to establish,...slow growing tree but it's worth the wait.

Collin, that looks like a healthy tree, the trunk is fine, bark is scaling a bit due to sun scolding, nothing to worry about.

It will be a terrific year if the hail stay's away, last year I got it twice.

Sugar level should be up by keeping them on longer, the Norland in full sun makes a nice marble texture, I will juice them tomorrow.

.

Norland

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The red one's are Norland, light one's are Norkent, others are Sept. Ruby, needs another 2 weeks.

.

Speaking of which apple maggot was at an all time high this year. Every crab in the neighbourhood was a write off. And there was 50% damage to the Norland I picked this year. Hopefully there is a way to treat that so next year is a little more productive.

I do have a couple of questions please:

1. Do the Norkent apples get to be as red as the Norland apples too, when they are ripe?

2. How old are these apple trees? They are a pretty decent but still compact size, so I am curious as to how old they are.

Thank you!

Would you mind posting some photos of your tree please? Do you have it planted in a protected location?

Thanks!

1. Do the Norkent apples get to be as red as the Norland apples too, when they are ripe?

No, see the very first picture on top, ready to pick,..you'll be surprised how they taste!

2. How old are these apple trees? They are a pretty decent but still compact size, so I am curious as to how old they are.

These are over 20 years old from seed, ...I grew the seeds for 2 to 3 years before grafting. I took mostly crab apple seeds.

Collin
Apple Maggots are not easy to control unless you spray about every two weeks apart.
I'm still lucky, most are still clean,....I might have seen a handful this year.
A good clean up is in order, discard all fallen fruits, [not in compost pile]
If the neighbor doesn't do it then it doesn't help much.

Some people bag each apple when about marble size, you could wrap several branches with row cover, similar to this picture, I have done some, not for the maggot fly but for protection of hail,..it was just a test but I was lucky, not much hail this year.

For the apple maggot fly you need to close off everything tight.

Carrol Apple

RameaIsland, that is a very healthy and happy looking tree! Congrats - how do the apples taste? I love the flavour of Honeycrisp... maybe I will just get one from Superstore next year!!!!!! Thanks again.