Fießer's first: Cultivation, care and harvest

Hardy and early bearing - these characteristics characterize the 'Fießers Erstling'. For which garden and what use the apple variety is suitable, we will tell you in our article.

Strong growth, high vitality and secure yields are the hallmarks of 'Fießers Erstling'. The old apple variety is known as an excellent economic and cider apple and has also found a number of fans among hobby gardeners. The 'Fießers Erstling' is particularly suitable because of its extraordinary health, but also because it is undemanding, which also allows it to be cultivated in rougher locations. The apple is therefore also extremely well suited for private cultivation.

Fießer's debut: profile

fruit	medium to large; light green ground color with yellow top color and crimson stripes on the sunny side
the taste	strongly sour, little sweet, milder taste after storage
yield	high and regular
harvest time	September to October
shelf life	very good; can be stored until March
growth	strong
climate	suitable for harsher climates and altitudes
diseases and pests	very low susceptibility to powdery mildew and scab

Origin and history of the apple

The 'Fießers Erstling' was created around 1980 by the breeder G. H. Fießer in Baden-Baden as a seedling of a 'Bismarck apple'. The variety owes its unusual name to a special characteristic: its breeder noticed that the tree begins to flower as a seedling at the age of four - making 'Fießers Erstling' one of the earliest to flower apple trees. The variety has been officially available in stores since 1898 and quickly secured a reputation as a robust and high-yielding commercial apple. Unfortunately, the 'Fießers Erstling' has lost popularity over time, so that it is now on the Red List of Endangered Native Crops in Germany.

Fießers First Apple: Appearance and Taste

With a weight of around 140 grams, the 'Fießers Erstling' can present medium-sized to large fruits. The somewhat irregularly shaped, spherically flattened or conical apples have a light green base color that later turns into a rich yellow. On the sun-facing side, the 'Fießers Erstling' often has attractive crimson stripes. The smooth, shiny and supple skin makes the apple an attractive eye-catcher. Also striking is the shallow steep pit, which often appears faintly triangular thanks to three wide edges. But the 'Fießers Erstling' is not only convincing with its appearance - the old apple variety can also score with inner values. The flesh of the 'Fießers Erstling' is bright white and has a juicy, fluffy texture. The high acid value (10.5 grams per liter) gives the apple a strong sour taste, which is why it is generally not suitable as a dessert apple when fresh. However, the acidity decreases during storage, so that the 'Fießers Erstling' has a significantly milder taste after storage. The sugar content of the ‘Fießers Erstling’ is also relatively low at around 13%.

Cultivation and care of the apple variety 'Fießers Erstling'

Especially because of its high robustness, the 'Fießers Erstling' is a well-suited variety for cultivation in the hobby garden, provided you can offer the fast-growing tree enough space. Depending on the substrate, its demands on the soil are low, only very dry and very nutrient-poor soils are not ideal for cultivation. At the same time, the 'Fießers Erstling' is considered to be particularly frost hardy and is therefore also suitable for harsher climatic conditions and altitudes. In its youth, the 'Fießers Erstling' proves to be a strong grower and grows into an upright tree with a spherical crown without pruning. Typically, the 'Fießers Erstling' is cultivated as a standard, half-stem or bush tree. An education to small forms such as potted fruit is possible, but is rarely carried out. In the case of tall stems and half-stems on vigorous substrates, it is advisable to choose an extensive cultivation method because of the strong growth, especially when young. In addition, the apple tree should only be pruned every few years if necessary. Low stems and bush trees, on the other hand, should be lightly pruned every year - this stimulates vegetative growth only minimally and does not provoke alternation. The medium-late flowering of 'Fießers Erstling' is considered to be particularly hardy. The varieties ‘Oldenburg' and 'James Grieve' proven. The very good health of the old apple variety is also convincing - there is only a very low susceptibility to powdery mildew and scab. As a rule, even in the most unfavorable locations, you only see healthy apple trees of the 'Fießers Erstling' variety.

Harvest and use Fießer's first crop

Even at a young age, the 'Fießers Erstling' bears fruit regularly and plentifully. Alternating, i.e. fluctuating yields are rarely found with this strain. The apples are ready to be picked between September and October and can be stored. Because of its fresh acidity and high juice content, 'Fießers Erstling' is particularly suitable as a cider apple. But it is also used as a dessert apple. However, the strong acidity makes the young apple inedible for most people. Only after longer storage, at the beginning of the following year, is the acidity sufficiently broken down and the taste of the apple becomes more pleasant. Fortunately, the 'Fießers Erstling' convinces with particularly good storage properties. Do you store the apple properly?, it can easily be kept until March.

The ‘Fießers debut’ isn’t the right apple for you yet? You might find the right apple tree in our article about old and well-tried apple varieties.