Swiss orange apple: taste & care

How does the apple variety with the unusual name taste? What do you have to consider when growing and caring for Swiss orange apples? We introduce the Orange Suisse apple.

The apple variety 'Swiss Orange Apple' not only has a melodious name, the taste of this apple is particularly good. Unlike some others Apple varieties The gardener not only needs an almost perfect location to grow this large and extraordinary apple, but also a good knack for caring for apple trees.

Swiss orange apple: profile

Synonyms	‘Orange Suisse’, ‘Pomme Orange Suisse’
fruit	medium to large in size; Green-yellow to yellow basic color with an orange-red covering color
taste	aromatic, juicy, more sweet than sour
Yield	at the beginning regularly, later more alternating
Harvest time	from the end of September
Ripe for enjoyment	December to March
Shelf life	very good; storable until March
growth	initially strong, later weak; a lot of fruit wood
climate	warm wine-growing climate; not suitable for high altitudes
Diseases and pests	prone to fire blight and speck

Origin and history

The Swiss orange apple (Malus domestica 'Swiss orange apple') was bred in 1935 at the Agroscope Wädenswill research station in Switzerland. It is a cross between the well-known and very popular parent varieties ′Ontario' and 'Cox orange′ Emerged. In 1954 it was marketed for the first time after the variety approval, propagation phase and first production.
Other sounding names for the Swiss orange apple are ‘Orange Suisse’ and ‘Pomme Orange Suisse’.

Properties and taste of the Swiss orange apple

The apple variety 'Swiss orange apple' bears fruits with many good properties, but is somewhat more difficult and demanding to grow than other apple varieties. Of course, the properties of the variety are strongly influenced by the rootstock and care - but in general the Swiss orange apple has the following characteristics:

• Mid-early flowering (May).
• Winter apple to enjoy from late autumn to spring.
• Fruit characteristics: The fruit is medium to large in size with a short stem. It has a smooth, greenish-yellow to yellow base color and an orange to red covering color that appears as streaky marbling. The taste of the Swiss orange apple is strongly influenced by the location, but is usually more sweet than sour and aromatic. The meat is yellow, medium firm and very juicy. The yield starts late in seedlings and is regular at first, but later tends to fluctuate (alternating).
• Storage properties: The Swiss orange apple can be stored very well and remains very tasty for a long time.
• Growth: The growth of the variety is strong in juvenile age (depending on the rootstock), later weak. The Swiss orange apple forms spherical crowns or grows like a shrub. The vegetative shoots are rather thin, a lot of fruit wood is formed.
• Tree health: The variety is very susceptible to fire blight and also prone to specks (calcium deficiency). The susceptibility to powdery mildew and scab is low. Read more too Apple tree diseases in the appropriate special article.

Cultivation & care of the Swiss orange apple

Growing the apple 'Swiss orange apple' is rewarded with particularly tasty and storable apples. On the one hand, however, it is not possible to cultivate it in every location and, on the other hand, this variety is not a sure-fire success, but needs to be cared for annually. So read everything there is to know about growing the strain before starting the Plant apple tree.

Site conditions

Because the Swiss orange apple does not tolerate high altitudes, cultivation is only possible below 500 meters above sea level. possible. The soil should be sufficiently moist, deep and rich in nutrients. Sandy and humus-poor soils are not suitable for this demanding variety. Full sun or light partial shade are ideal for the Swiss orange apple. The site conditions have a strong effect on the taste of this variety and if the conditions are too bad, it will hardly be able to hold up. The cultivation is very successful in the warm wine-growing climate.

Pollinating varieties of the Swiss orange apple

The Swiss orange apple is a diploid variety that can be fertilized by many other varieties and also fertilizes other varieties well, since it blooms abundantly itself. Very suitable pollinator varieties are the parents ′Cox orange' and 'Ontario′ And the varieties ′ Discovery ′, ′Baron von Berlepsch' and 'James Grieve′.

Apple variety ‘Swiss orange apple ’: care

Maintenance should be carried out regularly every year. Every spring is that Fertilizing the apple tree with a fertilizer with organic long-term effects like that Plantura organic universal fertilizer or a balanced one compost important. Young trees need thorough training and maintenance pruning, and older trees need one Annual pruning to ensure the formation of new fruit wood, otherwise their growth is too weak will. At an annual Cut of the apple tree In winter, the apple variety 'Swiss orange apple' produces particularly high-quality fruits of good size and excellent taste.

Tip: In order not to provoke the appearance of specks (calcium deficiency), the Swiss orange apple should under no circumstances be planted too shady or in places with little air movement. In addition, high levels of magnesium and potassium should be avoided.

Harvest time and use of the Swiss orange apple

Swiss orange apple: harvest

The apple variety 'Swiss Orange Apple' cannot be harvested until the end of September at the earliest. After subsequent ripening on the tree or in storage, the fruit can be stored and enjoyed from December until March at the latest. Storage outside in the “natural camp” only succeeds until December. At 0 ° C, in the dark and with a slightly higher level of humidity - for example in an earth cellar - the Swiss orange apple actually remains very tasty until March.

use

The apple 'Swiss orange apple' is ideal for direct consumption and as a table apple. This also applies after long periods of storage. Grated, the variety makes a golden-yellow pulp. This all-rounder can also be used for baking, cooking and must.

Tip: All apples are pollinated by insects. Honey bees and wild bees but also bumblebees do this service in the hobby garden free of charge. With a Nesting aid for wild bees or a flower meadow like that Plantura bee pasture you can say thank you and at the same time secure the pollination of your trees.