Orange Pippin logo
All about apples, pears, plums, and cherries - and orchards where they are grown

Sweet Sixteen Apple tree

Owner: JSchreiber

Location:  West Concord, MN, United States

Age:Planted in about 2010
Age of this tree:18 years
Climate at this location:cold winters
Pruning:Yes.
Tree form:Central leader (widest at bottom)
Height:Up to 6ft / 2m
Cropping:Not specified
Growth:This tree grows easily here
Herbicides:Manual treatment (hoeing and weeding)
Pesticides:Organic treatments
Local pests:codling moths and apple maggots

Owner's comments

I use apple maggot barriers to stop the maggots and codling moth traps to kill the moths (sugar, apple cider vinegar, banana peel in jug of water). Nearly 100% maggot prevention and about 90% prevention on codling moths.

Season records for this tree

  • 2016

    Harvest: 3rd week September  4kg / 9lbs
    Size: 3.5m / 11.7ft high   1.5m / 5.0ft wide
    Cedar-apple rust: Mild attack
    Codling moth: Mild attack
    Plum fruit moth: Mild attack
    This year I picked the southern sweet 16 a week earlier than the northern tree. Taste (unlike last year) between the two trees were similar. I believe last year I picked them at the same time; I believe the northern tree ripens a bit later. The thicker apple footie (maggot barrier) did better at keeping the codling moths from getting to the fruit.

  • 2015

    Harvest: 3rd week September  2kg / 4lbs
    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: Mild attack
    Woolly aphid: Not present
    Codling moth: Not present
    Plum fruit moth: Not present
    Silverleaf: Not present
    Using apple maggot barriers to keep pests away. Very effective! I actually have two sweet sixteens--same age. Southern apple tree tastes very much like a sweet sixteen; the northern apples are tarter. I wonder if that one was mislabeled at the nursery.

  • 2014

    Harvest: 2nd week September  1kg / 2lbs
    Size: 2.0m / 6.7ft high   1.0m / 3.3ft 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