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William's Pride apple

William's Pride
Fruit is medium in size and slightly conic in shape with a rich aromatic flavor. Apples are 70-80% red with excellent eating quality.

Also known as

  • Co-op 23

William's Pride apple identification images

All images copyright Orange Pippin unless otherwise stated.

  • Williams' Pride
  • Williams' Pride

USDA identification images for William's Pride

The identification paintings in the USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection span the years 1886 to 1942.

    Citation: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705.

    Parents and other ancestors of this variety


    Visitor reviews

    • 08 Jun 2022 
      Is this apple variety known as William's favourite? I have this variety in my orchard, since the 1970s.
    • 18 Aug 2019  OHIO, United States
      I inherited a dozen WP trees when we moved to west-central OR in 2010, and have planted more since then. Pretty undemanding trees in terms of maintenance, and good producers. I find the flavors of this crisp early-season apple very attractive? . I get butterscotch hints along with a pleasant array of varied fruit flavors. This apple is meant for eating fresh; it doesn't keep well, does OK in cider, and isn't particularly suited for cooking. But it excels at its job: early-season fresh eating.
    • 07 Aug 2019  ILLINOIS, United States
      One of my favorite early apples and one of the first really good apples for eating out of hand. Doesn’t keep long, but great right off the tree. I’m not sure how these would do for commercial growers, but for a backyard orchard like mine, this is a very nice tree. The fruit is sweet and slightly spicy when it’s at its best. My kids could snack on these little apples all day long.
    • 11 Sep 2017  NEW MEXICO, United States
      I grew this in the mountains of New Mexico. I bought it because it is an early apple, and the growing season in the mountains is iffy. It was definitely a biennial, alternating really heavy and really sparse crops - although if its normal heavy year was disrupted due to weather, the next "light" year would be a bit heavier. Blossom clusters were heavy (5-7 buds), most of which would set. Between tree aborts and my pruning, I'd aim for 1-3 apples per cluster, and most ended up medium size with a few large. If I didn't prune, it would try to keep about 4 per cluster, and they'd all be pretty small, so I can see this being a problem in an orchard. As a dwarf in a home garden, it wasn't too hard to keep up with. We thought it was a lovely eating apple, sweet but not too sweet, and aromatic. The flesh usually had red blushes, which I don't see mentioned anywhere, which made it very attractive on a platter of sliced fruit. Decent for applesauce; mixed results on drying (which may have been technique as much as anything); but I agree, it was too dry for pie (also prefer tart apples for pie).
    • 14 Jan 2016  CA, United States
      I have a small orchard here in coastal Northern California, cool summers, Sandy loam soil. This area is famous for growing Gravenstein apples. We have some problems here with scab otherwise apples grow quite well. I planted Williams pride which I purchased from Raintree nursery about five years ago with high hopes. Growth was quite rapid on a nicely shaped spreading tree. The tree is quite precocious with apples appearing year two. They are quite large and a beautiful deep red color, and there are lots of them. Sad to say I'm not all that crazy about the flavor. It's probably a lot to ask for real earliness and great flavor But oh well. The apples have a reasonably firm texture and lovely white flash but are quite bland. Maybe it's the temperate climate, here who knows. Any other opinions on this Apple would be appreciated. I planted it because it's early and very disease resistant, and in fact it is completely scab free.
    • 14 Jan 2016  CA, United States
      I have a small orchard here in coastal Northern California, 16 trees all different varieties. Sandy loam soil cool summers, some problems with scab
    • 23 Sep 2011  WASHINGTON, KING, United States
      I have grown this tree on small root stock for 10 years with great success. Usually the fruits are medium sized. This year due to our wet cold spring and early summer we had very little fruit. After a period of warm weather we just harvested apples from this tree that were double in size. They make excellent apples sauce. They were a little dry for pies. Interestingly the flavor for eating out of hand wasn't as sweet this year. This apple does not keep well for very long. It is a very well-behaved tree for a small garden area in full sun and well irrigated.
    • 31 Aug 2011  NW VA, United States
      Got fruit on this tree first time this year, beautiful deep purple/red apples with fantastic fall apple flavor - in July.

    Tree register

    United States

    Canada

    Australia

    • Hayden in Winslow, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA

    Spring blossom records for this variety

    2022 season

    • 9th May  2022  - tree owned by Jim in Hallstead, United States

    2021 season

    • 2nd May  2021  - tree owned by Jim in Hallstead, United States

    2020 season

    • 16th May  2020  - tree owned by Jim in Hallstead, United States
    • 6th April  2020  - tree owned by Jerry in Point Reyes Station, United States

    2019 season

    • 7th May  2019  - tree owned by Jim in Hallstead, United States
    • 13th April  2019  - tree owned by Jerry in Point Reyes Station, United States

    2018 season

    • 12th May  2018  - tree owned by Jim in Hallstead, United States
    • 10th April  2018  - tree owned by Jerry in Point Reyes Station, United States

    2017 season

    • 30th April  2017  - tree owned by Jim in Hallstead, United States
    • 6th April  2017  - tree owned by Jerry in Point Reyes Station, United States

    2016 season

    • 13th May  2016  - tree owned by Jim in Hallstead, United States

    2015 season

    • 10th May  2015  - tree owned by Jim in Hallstead, United States
    • 10th April  2015  - tree owned by Gil in Snohomish, United States

    2014 season

    • 14th May  2014  - tree owned by Jim in Hallstead, United States
    • 15th April  2014  - tree owned by Gil in Snohomish, United States
    • March  2014  - tree owned by Dave in Santa Barbara, United States

    2013 season

    • 9th May  2013  - tree owned by Jim in Hallstead, United States
    • 22nd April  2013  - tree owned by Florian in Brush Prairie, United States

    2012 season

    • 7th May  2012  - tree owned by Peter in Bridgetown, Canada
    • 22nd April  2012  - tree owned by Florian in Brush Prairie, United States
    • 20th April  2012  - tree owned by Chuck in Worthington, United States

    2010 season

    • 15th May  2010  - tree owned by David in Middle Lahave, Canada

    Record your blossom dates in our Fruit Tree Register - more >>.


    Harvest records for this variety

    2022 season

    • 1st week August  2022  - tree owned by Jim in Hallstead, United States

    2021 season

    • 2nd week August  2021  - tree owned by Jim in Hallstead, United States

    2020 season

    • 2nd week August  2020  - tree owned by Jim in Hallstead, United States
    • 2nd week July  2020  - tree owned by Jerry in Point Reyes Station, United States

    2019 season

    • 3rd week August  2019  - tree owned by Jim in Hallstead, United States
    • 2nd week July  2019  - tree owned by Jerry in Point Reyes Station, United States

    2018 season

    • 3rd week August  2018  - tree owned by Jim in Hallstead, United States
    • 3rd week July  2018  - tree owned by Jerry in Point Reyes Station, United States

    2017 season

    • 3rd week August  2017  - tree owned by Jim in Hallstead, United States

    2015 season

    • 4th week August  2015  - tree owned by Jim in Hallstead, United States
    • 3rd week July  2015  - tree owned by Gil in Snohomish, United States
    • July  2015  - tree owned by Roger in Madison Heights, United States

    2014 season

    • 2nd week August  2014  - tree owned by Gil in Snohomish, United States
    • June  2014  - tree owned by Dave in Santa Barbara, United States

    2013 season

    • 3rd week August  2013  - tree owned by Jim in Hallstead, United States
    • 1st week August  2013  - tree owned by Florian in Brush Prairie, United States
    • August  2013  - tree owned by Dave in Santa Barbara, United States

    2012 season

    • 1st week August  2012  - tree owned by Nathan in Tualatin, United States
    • 1st week August  2012  - tree owned by Peter in Bridgetown, Canada

    2011 season

    • September  2011  - tree owned by Karen in Quilcene, United States

    2009 season

    • 2nd week September  2009  - tree owned by David in Middle Lahave, Canada

    Origins

    • Species: Malus domestica - Apple
    • Parentage: PRI 1018-101 x NJ 50
    • Originates from: United States
    • Introduced: 1988
    • Developed by: PRI (Purdue, Rutgers, Illinois Co Op)

    Identification

    • Annual cycle: Deciduous
    • Flowering duration: Long
    • Fruit size: Large
    • Fruit shape: Conical

    Using

    • Picking season: Very early
    • Keeping (of fruit): 1-3 days
    • Flavour quality: Good
    • Flavour style (apples): Sharper
    • Cropping: Good
    • Fruit persistence: Ripens over a period
    • Food uses: Eating fresh
    • Food uses: Juice
    • Picking month: July
    • Picking period: early August
    • Wildlife: RHS Plants for Pollinators

    Growing

    • Gardening skill: Average
    • Flowering group: 2
    • Pollinating others: Good
    • Ploidy: Diploid
    • Vigour: Slightly large
    • Bearing regularity: Biennial tendency
    • Fruit bearing: Spur-bearer
    • Organic culture: Suitable
    • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
    • Growth habit: Upright-spreading / Vase

    Climate

    • Climate suitability: Temperate climates
    • Climate suitability: Mild damp climates
    • Cold-hardiness: Cold-hardy
    • Summer average maximum temperatures: Cool ( 20-24C / 68-75F)
    • Summer average maximum temperatures: Warm (25-30C / 76-85F)
    • Summer average maximum temperatures: Hot (>30C / 86F)

    Other qualities

    • Disease resistance: Good
    • Scab (Apple and Pear): Very resistant
    • Fire blight: Very resistant
    • Cedar apple rust: Very resistant
    • Powdery mildew: Some resistance

    Where to buy trees

    The following tree nurseries offer William's Pride apple trees for sale:


    Where to buy fresh fruit

    The following orchards grow William's Pride:

    United States


    Canada




    References

    • Cedar-Apple Rust  
      Author: Stephen Vann, University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture (FSA7538)
      Rated as susceptible - control usually needed where CAR is prevalent.

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