Robert’s Crabapple Cider Apple

bare-root trees
Check for new listings in early August
Notify me when back in stock
This item is currently unavailable.
Would you like us to e-mail you when it's back in stock?
Malus spp.
Fall, deep purple skin, red flesh.

Bittersharp cider apple. One of the darkest-colored apples you will ever see, both outside and in. Large for a crab with deep purple skin covered in a pinkish bloom. Intense velvety red flesh is too bitter and tart for fresh eating but squeezes into a vivid cerise juice that is great for making rosé cider. Also good for jams and jellies or adding red pigment to sauce and baked goods. Rich in anthocyanins.

Scionwood courtesy of professor Steven Van Nocker from Michigan State U. Robert’s Crab is one of the four red-fleshed varieties used in MSU’s PureRed Breeding Project. Also called Robert’s Red and known in the UK as Dr. Campbell, in honor of scientist Dr. Ian Campbell from the famed Long Ashton Research Station. 

Precocious heavy cropper. Blooms midseason. Z4.

(Semi-dwarf: 2½–5' bare-root trees)

Limited supply—order early!

Maine Grown. BACK!
ships in spring

Related Items

Hole-Istic Spring Planting Mix
Orchard Tools and Supplies
Quick Details
Skin Color
deep purple
Flesh Color
red
Harvest Season
fall
Maine Grown
Yes
Hardy to Zone
4
Compare
Compare with other Cider Apples
Variety Product Type Skin Color Flesh Color Harvest Season Maine Grown Hardy to Zone
Bramtot bare-root trees russeted green creamy white fall Yes 4
Cellar Hole Bitter bare-root trees pink-spotted yellow fall Yes 4
Cranberry bare-root trees dark red fall Yes 4
Dabinett bare-root trees red-striped late fall 4
Fuel Service bare-root trees yellow fall Yes 4
Harrison bare-root trees yellow yellow mid-late fall Yes 4
Harry Masters Jersey bare-root trees red-striped fall Yes 4
Hewe’s Virginia Crab bare-root trees red fall Yes 4
Kingston Black bare-root trees russeted red fall Yes 4
Major bare-root trees pinkish rosy red early fall Yes 4
Medaille d’Or bare-root trees russeted yellow late fall Yes 4
Otterson bare-root trees dark red red fall Yes 4
Piel de Sapa bare-root trees russeted gold-green cream fall Yes 4
Porter’s Perfection bare-root trees red-blushed late fall Yes 4
Redbyrd Bitter bare-root trees red-blushed Yes 4
Shavel Sharp bare-root trees red-striped fall Yes 4
Shire’s Everlasting bare-root trees bright green early fall Yes 4
Vilberie bare-root trees green late fall Yes 4
Yarlington Mill bare-root trees red-striped fall 3
Robert’s Crabapple bare-root trees deep purple red fall Yes 4
Gnarled Chapman scionwood russeted yellowy-green fall 4
Shavel Sharp scionwood red-striped fall 4
Additional Information

Apples

Choosing the Right Apple

Not sure where to start? Check out our Apple Chart!

Choosing a variety: Not every variety may be right for you. All-purpose apples are just that—they’re good for a bunch of jobs. If you're planting just one tree, perhaps start there. However, if you’re a history buff, consider the historical varieties and maybe plant one that originated nearby. If you don’t eat many apples but love pies, go for the pie apples. If you’re a dessert connoisseur, skip all the others and go for the highly flavored dessert varieties. Some are strictly for cider. Some are great to put out at the camp for summer use. Some are perfect for those who want fall fruit but don’t have a root cellar. Others keep all winter and into the following summer.

  • Summer apples ripen in summer, are generally crisp only for a short period, do not store well, and are often best for cooking.
  • Fall apples store longer and are useful for a wide variety of purposes.
  • Winter apples ripen mid to late fall, store well, and reach their best flavor after weeks, or even months, of storage.
  • Dessert apples are delicious eaten raw.
  • Crabapples are less than 2" in diameter. Some crabs bear edible or culinary or cider-making fruit. Some have persistent wildlife fruit that hangs on the tree for weeks or even months. Others have hardly any fruit at all. Some are beautiful ornamentals.
  • Cider apples are especially suited to making fermented “hard” cider. Some cider apples are also good dessert fruit, but most are not.
  • Subacid means tart!
  • Russet or russeting is a skin texture (fairly common on apple varieties and on a few pears and potatoes) which looks and feels somewhat like suede.
  • Bloom is a naturally occurring dust-like yeast film on the skin of some varieties of apples, plums, grapes and blueberries.

Cider Apples

Each year we offer a different assortment of the best European and American cider varieties, including new wild apple introductions from local fruit explorers and cidermakers. Many of these are NOT for fresh eating. They do however possess qualities that make them very desirable for fermented cider production.

Seedling Apples

These trees were grown from seeds, rather than grafted onto rootstock like the other apple varieties we offer. These standard-sized trees will grow to 20–30'.

Flowering and Culinary Crabapples

A crabapple is any apple with fruit smaller than 2" in diameter. All crabs bear edible fruit, some more favorable for culinary use than others. Some fruits are persistent, hanging on the branch through winter and providing forage for robins, jays and waxwings in the early spring. The flowers, tree form and even the shape of the leaves can vary subtly or profoundly. Most are magnificent in bloom and ornamental year round, especially in winter when the leaves drop and the trees show off their interesting forms.

Growing Apples

  • Soil: Adaptable, but prefers well-drained fertile soil.
  • Sun: Full.
  • Pollination: Requires a second variety for pollination. Any apple or crabapple blooming within a quarter mile will probably do.
  • Planting and Pruning: See our planning and planting and pests and diseases pages for more information about soil prep, planting, pruning, and pest control.
  • Spacing:
    • For trees on Malus domestica (standard) and Bud 118 rootstock, 20–25' apart.
    • M111 semi-dwarf, 15–20' apart.
    • G890 semi-dwarf, 10–15' apart.
    • Bud 9 dwarf, 5–10' apart.

Choosing an Apple Rootstock

Rootstock determines the size, longevity, hardiness and growth habits of a tree. After enthusiastic response from customers, we continue to offer an assortment of dwarf and semi-dwarf rootstocks in addition to the standard.

Looking for rootstock to graft your own trees? See: Rootstock for grafting.

  • Standard rootstock: Standard trees are now grafted onto Malus domestica. (We can no longer get Antonovka because of the war in Ukraine). Standard trees have deep, substantial—and therefore hardier—root systems. By selecting the varieties appropriate to your district, grafted on standard rootstock, you may well be planting a tree that will be picked by your grandchildren’s grandchildren. Standard trees will grow to be large, but you can manage the size with pruning. The largest trees in our orchards are now about 30 years old, yet the tallest are well under 20' due to careful pruning. Although standard-sized apple trees may be planted as close as 10–15' apart, they were typically planted 30' apart in 19th-c. orchards. We generally plant standard trees 20–25' apart with good results. (Trees on standard stock are shipped at 3-6'.)
  • Semi-dwarf and dwarf rootstocks: We offer an assortment of semi-dwarf and dwarf apple trees on Bud 118, M111 and Bud 9 rootstocks. Each has great advantages for some growers, but these size-controlling rootstocks also have their limitations. Please read on and decide if they are what you want. If you are uncertain, stick with the good old standards, which are extremely rugged, hardier, more tolerant of drought and poor soils, very long-lived, and more capable of thriving under a regime of benign neglect.
    • Bud 118 semi-dwarfing rootstock produces a tree about 85–90% of standard size or even larger. Sometimes Bud 118 trees are called semi-standards or even standards. Considered to be more precocious (fruiting at a young age) than standards, and probably more productive. Very hardy, though not as hardy as a standard. Plant about 20–25' apart.
    • M111 semi-dwarfing rootstock produces a tree about 65–80% of standard size. Sometimes M111 trees are called semi-standards. More precocious than standards. M111 has a relatively shallow spreading root system, does well in light soils, and is relatively drought tolerant. Prone to suckering; not as long-lived or hardy as a standard tree. You can plant them closer together than standards, about 15–20' apart.
    • G890 semi-dwarfing rootstock produces a tree about 55–65% of standard size. Adaptable to different climates and soil types, deeply rooted and hardy. Highly resistant to fireblight—the varieties we offer on G890 are ones we’ve found to be susceptible to fireblight in some locations. Plant trees 10–15' apart.
    • Bud 9 dwarfing rootstock produces a small dwarf tree, 25–55% of standard size. This makes it easy to spray, prune and pick. It requires less space in your yard and will fruit at an early age. Trees should be staked or trellised for support. These trees are hardy, though not as hardy as a standard, and they won’t live as long. You can plant trees 5–10' apart.

Shipping

Items from our perennial plants warehouse ordered on or before February 20 will ship from March through early May, starting with warmer areas and finishing in colder areas.

Orders placed after February 20 will ship from April to May.