Overview

Bring the timeless flavor of a classic American apple to your garden with the Arkansas Black Apple Tree. This offering is for a bare-root, grafted fruit tree, ready for planting to establish a strong root system and ensure vigorous growth. Renowned for its distinctive dark red to almost black skin and firm, crisp white flesh, the ‘Arkansas Black’ apple is a true culinary delight. Its balanced sweet-tart flavor, often described as spicy, actually improves with a period of cold storage, making it an excellent keeper. Blooming with delicate white flower clusters in mid to late spring, this tree promises a bountiful harvest of apples ripening from October to November. Beyond its delicious fruit, the Arkansas Black Apple Tree also provides ornamental value to the landscape, with beautiful blossoms and decorative fruit.

The ‘Arkansas Black’ is a triploid variety, meaning it requires two different apple varieties nearby that can cross-pollinate both each other and the Arkansas Black Apple Tree for maximum fruit production. Popular choices for pollination partners include ‘Pink Lady’, ‘Honeycrisp’, ‘Gala Apple’, ‘Granny Smith’, ‘Fuji’, ‘McIntosh’, and ‘Red Delicious’. This heirloom apple tree is a fantastic choice for enthusiasts looking for a reliable, high-quality apple that stands out for its taste, storage capabilities, and robust nature. Planting a grafted apple tree like this ensures genetic consistency and faster fruit production compared to growing from seed.

Key Benefits

The Arkansas Black Apple Tree offers a multitude of benefits for the home gardener and apple connoisseur alike:

• Exceptional Flavor & Texture: Produces medium-sized apples with a unique dark red, almost black skin and crisp, white flesh. The flavor is a balanced sweet-tart with spicy notes, which deepens and improves after about 30 days of cold storage.
• Versatile Culinary Use: Highly valued as both an eating apple and a cooking apple. Its firm texture holds up well in pies, sauces, and other baked goods, while its complex flavor is delightful fresh.
• Excellent Storage Capabilities: Known for its superior keeping qualities, these apples can be stored for extended periods, allowing you to enjoy your harvest well into winter. This makes it an ideal choice if you’re looking for an apple tree for sale that provides long-lasting fruit.
• Ornamental Appeal: Beyond its fruit, the tree itself is attractive, featuring delicate white spring blossoms that add beauty to your landscape before the fruit even begins to form.
• Heirloom Quality: As an heirloom variety, the heirloom apple tree offers a connection to traditional apple growing and a taste profile often distinct from modern commercial varieties.
• Vigorous Growth: As a bare root apple tree, it is optimized for establishing a robust root system quickly when planted correctly, leading to a healthy and productive tree.
• Reliable Production: With proper pollination, this tree is a dependable producer of high-quality fruit, rewarding your efforts with a generous harvest year after year.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your Arkansas Black Apple Tree, especially as a bare-root specimen, is crucial for its long-term health and productivity. Upon arrival, soak the bare roots in water for a few hours before planting. Choose a site with at least 6-8 hours of full sun daily. Apple trees thrive in well-draining, loamy soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0. Dig a hole wide enough to accommodate the spread-out roots and deep enough so that the graft union (the swollen part on the trunk) remains above the soil line. Backfill with native soil, gently tamping to remove air pockets, and water thoroughly.

The Arkansas Black Apple Tree is hardy in USDA zones 5-8. It requires consistent moisture, especially during its first few years and during fruit development. Water deeply once or twice a week, depending on rainfall and soil type, allowing the top few inches of soil to dry out between waterings. Fertilize in early spring with a balanced fruit tree fertilizer, following package instructions. Pruning should be done in late winter to remove dead or diseased branches, improve air circulation, and shape the tree for optimal fruit production. Remember its triploid nature: ensure you have two compatible pollination partners planted within 50 feet for successful fruiting. This makes the selection of a companion grafted apple tree important for your orchard’s success.

Size & Details

This offering provides a bare root apple tree, typically arriving as a dormant whip or with some lateral branches, ready for planting. The exact height will vary but usually ranges from 3-5 feet at the time of shipment, allowing for easier establishment and shaping. As a mature tree, the Arkansas Black Apple Tree can reach heights of 12-20 feet with a similar spread, depending on pruning and rootstock. Apples ripen in October-November, offering a late-season harvest. The fruit itself is medium in size, with a distinct dark red to purplish-black skin. The tree will begin bearing fruit typically 3-5 years after planting, with full production achieved in subsequent years. This heirloom apple tree is a long-lived addition to any home orchard, providing decades of delicious fruit.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this Arkansas Black Apple Tree get? A: A mature ‘Arkansas Black’ apple tree typically grows 12-20 feet tall and wide, depending on the rootstock and how it is pruned. It can be kept smaller with regular, proper pruning.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: The Arkansas Black Apple Tree is an outdoor fruit tree. It requires specific chilling hours and ample space to grow and produce fruit.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: This fruit tree thrives in full sun, requiring at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day for optimal growth and fruit production.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Apple trees require moderate care, including regular watering, annual fertilization, and winter pruning. While not difficult, consistent attention ensures a healthy and productive grafted apple tree.
• Q: What condition will the bare root apple tree arrive in? A: It will arrive dormant, with its roots carefully packaged to retain moisture. This is the ideal state for planting to ensure successful establishment.
• Q: How long until it blooms and produces fruit? A: You can expect the tree to start blooming and producing fruit typically 3-5 years after planting, though this can vary based on care and growing conditions.
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: The Arkansas Black Apple Tree is cold-hardy and suitable for USDA Zones 5-8. If you are in these zones, it should tolerate winter temperatures well.
• Q: What kind of soil does this heirloom apple tree prefer? A: It prefers well-draining, loamy soil with a slightly acidic to neutral pH (6.0-7.0). Good drainage is essential to prevent root rot.
• Q: Can I grow just one Arkansas Black Apple Tree? A: While you can grow one, the ‘Arkansas Black’ is a triploid variety and requires two different pollination partners nearby for successful fruit production. You’ll need at least two other compatible apple varieties.
• Q: When is the best time to plant a bare root apple tree? A: The best time to plant bare-root apple trees is in early spring, after the last hard frost but before the tree breaks dormancy.