Falstaff Apple tree

Owner: J

Location: Birmingham, WEST MIDLANDS, United Kingdom

Age:	Planted in about 2011
Age of this tree:	15 years
Rootstock:	MM106
Soil:	Clay
Pruning:	Pruned all round quite severely in summer as it seemed to have really grown past 12 to 18 months,
Tree form:	Bush (wider at top than bottom)
Height:	Not sure
Cropping:	Heavy crops
Growth:	Not specified
Herbicides:	Manual treatment (hoeing and weeding)
Pesticides:	Un-treated

Owner's comments

We bought and planted our Falstaff on 20 March 2011 - MM106 2 yr old bush type. Bought for £26.99. Planted in a centre circle border on our lawn on its own. Settled well with plenty of watering during dry spring weather, settled and came into blossom 2nd week of April 2011, full of blossom. This is our first apple tree in our garden. Have had a good first crop and picked first week in October lovely juicy sweet fruit. Couldnt be happier with our Falstaff. 2012 - beautiful pink buds opening to pink and white blossom all over looking forward to a good crop again 2013 - great harvest again although some smaller apples, lovely red and green colouring this year, slight scab but we are very pleased. 2014 - best harvest yet, some lovely big apples, lovely red hue to them all, slight scab again but very pleased with Falstaff this year. 2015 - average harvest with late blossoming , think having a rest year, apples beautiful red colour, no disease but still happy with our Falstaff 2016 - bumper year of apples 19 pounds 7 ounces, blossom took a while to come so surprised at harvest! 2017 - slow to blossom and not as much as previous years, early harvest 10.09.17 6 pounds 12 ounces but apples are really big this year. 2018 - slow to blossom but eventually blossomed well, harvested apples 22.09.18 as branches were bending, best harvest, lots of apples 30 pounds and 7 ounces 2019 - not as much blossom, fruit was not as much but what apples we got were big and healthy. 2020 - good blossom early this year. Best harvest 30 pounds of apples! lovely and red from late summer/early autumn. Thank you Falstaff! 2021 - average blossom but still proud of this apple tree! 7 pounds in apples but at least half again thrown away due to squirrel/pest damage! So would probably had about 20 pounds. Apples not as red as last year.

Season records for this tree

2021
Spring blossom: 6 May
Harvest: 3rd week September 3kg / 7lbs
Size: 2.0m / 6.7ft high
Scab: Mild attack
Lovely pink blossom turning white this tree is a good one and never fails. 7 Ilbs in apples although a lot thrown away due to squirrel damage or insect attack due to not greasebanding in autumn 2020! Will do this, this year.
2020
Spring blossom: 15 April
Harvest: 2nd week October 15kg / 33lbs
Size: 3.0m / 10.0ft high 1.5m / 5.0ft wide
Canker: Not present
Scab: Not present
Mildew: Not present
Fireblight: Not present
Cedar-apple rust: Not present
Woolly aphid: Not present
Codling moth: Not present
Plum fruit moth: Not present
Silverleaf: Not present
Blossomed well after a slight prune late summer/early autumn last year. Best harvest! 30 pounds exactly, lovely big apples that got redder through the late summer/early autumn.
2019
Spring blossom: 1 May
Harvest: 4th week September 3kg / 7lbs
Size: 2.5m / 8.3ft high 1.5m / 5.0ft wide
Silverleaf: Mild attack
Poor blossom the first since we had Falstaff. Apples very few but what we got were huge apples, all in good condition.
2018
Spring blossom: 8 May
Harvest: 3rd week September 15kg / 33lbs
Size: 2.5m / 8.3ft high 1.5m / 5.0ft wide
Slow to come into blossom, think because spring was late and it was a cold spring, but eventually blossomed well, loads of apples this year, harvest seems early as they were starting to drop. Beautiful colour red and green. Some lovely big apples too. Falstaff has never let us down yet. Weight of apples this year 30 pounds and 7 ounces!
2017
Spring blossom: 14 April
Harvest: 2nd week September 6kg / 13lbs
Size: 2.5m / 8.3ft high 1.5m / 5.0ft wide
Canker: Not present
Scab: Not present
Mildew: Not present
Fireblight: Not present
Very slow to come into blossom and blossom not as much as previous years Early harvest 10.09.17, not much weight in apples but apples a lot bigger this year (6 pounds 12 ounces)
2016
Spring blossom: 12 May
Harvest: 1st week October 9kg / 20lbs
Size: 2.5m / 8.3ft high 2.0m / 6.7ft wide
Canker: Not present
Scab: Not present
Mildew: Not present
Fireblight: Not present
Cedar-apple rust: Not present
Woolly aphid: Not present
Codling moth: Not present
Plum fruit moth: Not present
Silverleaf: Mild attack
Blossom took a while to come out, lovely pink and now snowy white past few days. Bumper harvest 19 pounds 7 ounces!!
2015
Spring blossom: 27 May
Harvest: 1st week October 4kg / 9lbs
Size: 2.0m / 6.7ft high
Cedar-apple rust: Mild attack
Late this year to blossom, but still beautiful. Not as many apples took a while to get growing, but beautiful red in colour with no markings. Still a good year for our Falstaff.
2014
Spring blossom: 5 May
Harvest: 4th week September 7kg / 15lbs
Size: 1.5m / 5.0ft high 1.0m / 3.3ft wide
Scab: Mild attack
Cedar-apple rust: Mild attack
Silverleaf: Mild attack
Was in bud early but took ages to bloom usually when buds are pink they only take a couple of weeks to open but seemed this year to take ages to open to lovely white blossom. Harvest the best yet 15 pounds! Some big apples and a lovely red hue this year to them.
2013
Spring blossom: 15 May
Harvest: 2nd week October 3kg / 7lbs
Size: 1.5m / 5.0ft high 1.5m / 5.0ft wide
Scab: Mild attack
Lovely pink blossom turning pale as the days pass, healthy so far. Latest its blossomed. Lots of apples, smaller and redder in colour, some scab but still a good harvest again. We planted some annuals around the centre circle where our Falstaff is and we think we will not do the same next year as we think Falstaff prefers to be alone in centre circle.
2012
Spring blossom: 1 May
Harvest: 4th week September
Pale pink buds opening to pink and white blossom all over, good crop of apples much bigger than last year as crop thinned mid to late June
2011
Spring blossom: 18 April
Harvest: 1st week October
Beautiful blossom all over, good crop of perfect apples lovely and sweet