Malus ' Red McIntosh' RED MCINTOSH DWARF APPLE
(Zone 4) Bright red medium-sized apple with excellent flavor and white fragrant flesh. Heavy producer. Very reliable. Fruit ripens late September. All-purpose apple. Best with any mid season pollinator such as Red Jonathan, Cortland, or Yellow Delicious.
Pollination and Dwarfing of Apple Trees
Apples are generally not self-fertile; except for Yellow Delicious. At least two varieties are needed. Cross-pollination is possible when the trees bloom at approximately the same time. The apple trees should be planted no farther than 100 ft. apart. Bees carry the pollen, not wind.
A dwarfing rootstock produces trees that are approximately 45% the size of the standard tree. The general size of dwarf apple trees are 9-12’ tall and 10’ wide. Dwarf apples generally produce fruit after 3-4 years. These rootstocks only dwarf the size of the tree, not the size of the fruit. If the bud union is planted below ground, the dwarfing characteristics can be lost.