Does Newtown Pippin Apple Produce Good Flavor in the Desert?

Q. How has the Yellow Newtown Pippin apple performed in our climate. I would love to have one if the quality is good here.

A. I published a list of recommended fruit varieties for our climate and made available on my blog. These are fruit tree varieties I have evaluated over a minimum of five years of fruit production. It can be misleading to recommend a variety when it has produced for only one or two seasons. http://xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com/2011/10/recommended-fruit-trees-for-southern.html

I am not concerned so much whether this variety of apple tree will grow here or not. It will. My main concern is the quality of the fruit it produces in our climate and soils. Just because you like Macintosh apple you purchased from a local grocery store does not mean that a Macintosh apple grown here will taste the same. There are numerous potential problems with a Newtown apple grown in the desert. Only time will tell.

Yellow Newtown Pippin has not had a long enough performance history in our climate to recommend it for the general public. It ripens a little bit before Granny Smith and a month or so before Pink Lady and this is a good time for apples to ripen in our climate. However, other influences such as our soils and climate while it was growing will impact its quality.

Download a copy of my recommended fruit tree list

Extra reading about the Newtown Pippin and Yellow Newtown Pippin apples

https://www.slowfoodusa.org/ark-item/newtown-pippin-apple

http://www.orangepippin.com/apples/newtown-pippin

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/05/dining/it-s-crunch-time-for-the-venerable-pippin.html?pagewanted=all

Apple Variety Testing for the Mojave Desert

Q. I've seen Yellow Newtown Pippin listed as Under Review in your recommended fruit varieties to grow in the desert. How has it done? I would love to have one if the quality is good here.

A. Here is a link to the recommended fruit variety list that I completed back in 2010. 
http://xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com/2015/11/special-fruit-tree-orders-no-longer.html

Apple Babe from Dave Wilson Nursery under evaluation in North Las Vegas Nevada

Fuji apple grown in North Las Vegas Nevada

Anna apple grown in North Las Vegas Nevada

When I left the University back in 2011 this program of fruit evaluation for desert environments was no longer continued. Fruit quality is very connected to the terrior or the local environment. This is nothing new and has been noted for many other crops where quality is a desired trait and useful in marketing.

I have not had a chance to evaluate this Apple yet. I like about five seasons of production to get a good evaluation. Just because a plant grows does not necessarily mean the fruit quality is high. Sometimes there is little you can do to influence the quality of a fruit if you do not have a suitable terrior it. 

Most people think that a good fruit is one that is large, has an appealing color and free from blemishes to be a "good" fruit. How wrong! There are too many variations because of the climate and weather. The chilling requirement is 800 to 1000 hours according to Dave Wilson Nursery. This may be somewhat problematic for production in the warm desert but not necessarily for fruit quality.

I will take a look at some of the information the orchard has gathered so far on this variety and let you know. I have not been involved so I hope that the three is still there, there are replications to account for variations and data has been recorded. It ripens a little bit before Granny Smith and a month or so before Pink Lady. It ripens during a time of the year when flavor should be good considering ONLY the time of year. 

More information on this and related varieties.

Creosote Bush for Desert LandscapesIn the Mojave Desert

Don't overwater this plant! And it doesn't require much in the way of fertilizers.Like any desert plant, they perform better if there is some organic matter added to the soil at the time of planting. In our Mojave desert soils there is almost 0% organic matter so a little bit will help get them established.

An old stand of creosote in the background and creosote which have been cut off with a road grader and re-grew from the base.

Texas Mountain Laurel a Good Desert Landscape Choice

Texas Mountain Laurel or Mescal Bean

Andrea Meckley, Certified Horticulturist

andrea.meckley@aol.com

  

Description:  flowering large shrub or small tree

Mature size: 15-20 feet tall x 8-10 feet wide

Water use:  low to medium

Exposure:  all day sun to half day sun

Origin: Texas, New Mexico, northern Mexico

Caution: red seeds are poisonous

Flower:  purple sweet scented blooms early spring

Hardy:  0 degrees F

Evergreen

Texas Mountain Laurel (Sophora segundiflora) slowly grows naturally as a shrub or can be trained as multi trunk tree.  The poisonous seeds have a coat that is very hard and difficult to crack limiting risks to humans and pets if swallowed.  Native peoples used the seeds for ceremonial use and ornamental jewelry.  Use this plant as a hedge, screen or accent plant.

Harvest Garlic When the tops Dieback About 1/3 Where it is a Hot Climate

Q. I planted garlic back in the fall. It is close to harvest now, fully grown and some tops starting to brown. I pulled one the other day to check them. It seems fine and full of cloves with the papery outer skin, but the stalk above is very thick and dense. I'm wondering do I hang them to dry, and if so, for how long.

Saguaro Leaning is Usually an Irrigation Problem

Q. Our saguaro is about 10 years old.  In the last year or so four arms have popped out mostly on one side.  Now the saguaro is beginning to lean and we have propped it up. What do you suggest we do?

Clover-Looking Weed with Yellow Flowers is Very Difficult to Control

Q. I have oxalis clover look-alike as a weed. How can I control it? I am ready to use chemicals at this point having tried to rid it by digging and pulling with no success. Having it in my grass is bad enough but now that it is in my iris beds I want to kill the dang stuff!

Italian Cypress Will Work as a Windbreak on 1 Acre But....

Q. I have used Italian cypress in moderate climates with very good success but now I will be moving to the desert in Pahrump on one acre and want to put in about 30-50 of these for windbreak. Is there anything special I need to consider planting these in a desert climate?

Should a License Be Required to Carry a Hedge Shears?

What was not forseen in the advent of desert landscaping was the dramatic change in pruning techniques brought in by the landscape industry. Hand pruners and loppers were gone. Hedge shears were in.

Still Afraid to Prune Your Lantana?

You may have either the purple lantana or the multi-colored lantana. Most of it died back during the winter. But where to cut? What if I cut it back too far. Will I kill it? Even in February you still have time.

Nevada's First Bottle of Olive Oil All Produced in Nevada

Last year produced the first bottle of Nevada olive oil.

Star Jasmine Problems Mostly Soil, Mulch and Cold Related

Q. What can I do to correct all the issues afflicting the star jasmine this winter?

Things To Do With Fruit Trees Now

While pruning the last couple of days I saw some things  to do that I wanted to bring to your attention.

Not Too Late to Trim and Fertilize Lantana

We generally grow two types of lantana in the landscapes in southern Nevada; the purple one and the one that is multi-colored, usually with some yellow and rose or pink flowers. Both are handled about the same way in watering, pruning and fertilizing.

Please Dont Prune Your Palo Verde LIke This

I was dumbfounded. I saw it from the bus.

Pick Fruit and Check for Circling Roots When Repotting Lemon

Q. I purchased a lovely Meyer Lemon tree in a one gallon pot in middle of the spring. It already had 6 lemons on it. I have the original fruit, have new fruit growing, and still am getting blossoms. Should I transplant it now into a larger pot or wait until after the fruit ripens and is used?

Do Liners at the Bottom of Raised Beds Help or Hinder?

Q. I'm setting up some raised beds for planting this spring and wondered about water evaporation from the soil. Since water retention in the soils here in Vegas is an issue due to the heat would it make sense to put a liner in the beds to help keep the moisture from draining out so quickly?

Remove Suckers Coming From Rootstock on Loquat

Not sure if I should remove growth below the graft from a Loquat tree.

Repairing Lemon Trees From Winter Cold Damage

Q. Our lemon tree shows damage after our recent very cold spell.  Some of the leaves are dry and dropping.  Is there anything we can do to assist the tree?

Ornamental Pear in Bloom Now... A Nice Tree Where it Has Room to Grow

The good and bad about ornamental pear in the desert.