KATY APPLE TREE

Katy is truly multi-purpose apple tree. Not only is it a good eating apple but it is also a cooker, juicer and makes top quality cider. Is it top class for any of those purposes? The answer has to be no but it definitely does a good job at all three.

We thoroughly recommend it as a choice for newcomers to growing apple trees because disease resistance is high and it requires only minimal pruning. It grows well all over the UK but is especially valuable in cooler parts where it shrugs off late frosts with ease.

PARENTAGE OF KATY APPLE TREE

This is a Swedish bred variety from Balsgrad and dates back to 1947 although it was not released for sale until 1966. The parents are James Grieve and Worcester Pearmain.

APPEARANCE, TASTE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF KATY

A very rosy red apple which is one of the most attractive looking of all. The fruits are medium sized but some thinning may well be required to avoid production of small apples. The apples are produced early in the season (see below for specific dates) and the white blossom is well known for standing frost better than most other varieties. This makes it especially useful for cooler parts of the UK.

This variety is an excellent pollinator of other varieties because the blossom lasts longer than average allowing for a longer pollination time.

The overall tree size is average and it grows fairly vigorously. Disease resistance is good especially as far as canker is concerned.

Taste does seem vary depending on the soil and other growing conditions. On average though this is a sweet tasting apple with a good background acidity. Most people find Katy a very pleasant tasting apple but the apples will be acidic if picked too early. Only harvest when the slightest twist of the stem leaves the apple in your palm.

This apple does not store well and is best eaten fresh from the tree. It doesn’t deteriorate in storage for a week but much longer than that and it slowly begins to soften loosing its characteristic crunch and juiciness.

The skins are slightly thicker than the average apple but not enough to concern most people. It reliably produces a large crop of apples each year. This is an easy tree to prune because it produces large amounts of fruiting spurs without any special techniques at all. Follow the normal pruning procedures.

Katy apple

Overall tree size is of course primarily dependent on the rootstock but also on the growing conditions. On average the following tree sizes by rootstock are for a fully grown tree after 7 years:

M9 rootstock – pruned height 1.8m / 6ft, unpruned height 2.5m / 8ft
M26 rootstock – pruned height 2.2m / 7ft 6in, unpruned height 3m / 9ft 6in
MM106 – pruned 3m / 9ft 6in unpruned height 4m / 13ft

PESTS, DISEASES OF KATY APPLE TREES

Katy is one of the best apple tree varieties for disease resistance with no particular weak areas. The tree grows strongly so even scab is unlikely to seriously affect its health.

BUYING A KATY APPLE TREE

This apple tree variety is common in garden centres, online fruit specialists and occasionally the supermarkets / DIY stores. The supermarkets / DIY stores clearly sell these trees much cheaper compared to the specialist but you run the risk of two main problems if you buy from them. The first is that in a year or two disease problems may become apparent which were not visible at the time of purchase. This is very disappointing after such a long time. The second problem you may encounter is that the variety is not as specified on the pack.

If you are buying online from a specialist supplier then we can recommend Blackmoor who are competitive on price, quality, delivery and after sales service.

SUMMARY CHARACTERISTICS OF KATY

USE: Eating, juicing, cider and cooking

SKIN COLOUR / TEXTURE: Rosy red, slightly thick skin

FLESH COLOUR: Creamy white

TASTE AND TEXTURE: Only pick when fully ripe. Sweet with an acidic background. Crunchy and very juicy.

FRUIT SIZE: Average

STORAGE: One to two weeks at most

SUITABILITY FOR CORDON / ESPALIER GROWTH: Excellent

TREE SIZE: Average

REGULARITY OF CROPPING: Very reliable producer of apples each year

READY FOR PICKING / HARVEST:

First to second week of September

POLLINATION: Group 3, self-sterile and requires a pollination partner. Excellent pollinator of most other apple tree varieties

AWARDS: None known

SSPECIAL FEATURES: Very easy to grow. Especially suitable for cooler areas of the UK

FLOWERING AND HARVEST TIMES

The average flowering time (optimum time for pollination) and date when fruits are ripe for harvest in the UK for Katy are set out below. If you have set your home town we can give you a more accurate estimate, if you have not set your home town (do it now by clicking here) the dates below will be the average for the UK.

Your town has not been set, the average main flowering time for Katy in the UK is the first to second weeks of May. Fruit will be ready for harvesting in the first to second week of September. Click here if you want to set the dates to your home town.

Flowering and fruit picking dates vary according to the weather in any particular growing season so the above dates may well change slightly from one year to the next. The flowering date above is when the apple tree produces the maximum number of blossoms, it will also produce blossom, although less, a week or two either side of the date given.

KATY APPLE TREE POLLINATION

Katy is self sterile and in pollination group 3. We list below varieties which are suitable pollination partners.

Alkmene – pollination group 2, self-sterile, eater
Arthur Turner – pollination group 3, self-sterile, cooker
Beauty of Bath – pollination group 2, self-sterile, eater
Bountiful – pollination group 3, self-sterile, cooker
Braeburn – pollination group 4, self-fertile, eater
Charles Ross – pollination group 3, partially self-fertile, cooker and eater
Court of Wick – pollination group 3, self-sterile, eater and cooker
Devonshire Quarrenden – pollination group 2, partially self-fertile, cooker
Discovery – pollination group 3, self-sterile, eating and cider
Dumelows Seedling – pollination group 4, self-sterile, cooker
Egremont Russet – pollination group 2, partially self-fertile, eater and cooker
Ellison’s Orange – pollination group 4, partially self-fertile, eater
Falstaff – pollination group 3, self-fertile, eater
Fiesta – pollination group 3, partially self-fertile, eater
Gala – pollination group 4, partially self-fertile, eater
Golden Delicious – pollination group 4, partially self-fertile, eater and cooker
Granny Smith – pollination group 3, self-fertile, eater and cooker
Greensleeves – pollination group 2, self-fertile, eater, cooker, juice
Grenadier – pollination group 3, partially self-fertile, cooker
Honeycrisp – pollination group 4, self-sterile, eater
Howgate Wonder – pollination group 3, partially self-fertile, cooker and eater
Idared – pollination group 2, self-sterile, eater
Katy – pollination group 3, self-sterile, both
Kidds Orange Red – pollination group 3, self-sterile, eater
King of The Pippins – pollination group 4, self-fertile, eater and cooker
Lanes Prince Albert – pollination group 4, self-sterile, cooking
Laxtons Fortune – pollination group 3, partially self-fertile, eater
Laxtons Superb – pollination group 4, partially self-fertile, eater
Lord Derby – pollination group 4, self-sterile, cooker
Lord Lambourne – pollination group 2, self-fertile, eater and cooker
Newton Wonder – pollination group 4, partially self-fertile, cooker
Peasgoods Nonsuch – pollination group 3, partially self-fertile, cooker
Rajka – pollination group 4, self-sterile, eater
Red Falstaff – pollination group 3, self-fertile, eater
Red Windsor – pollination group 2, self-fertile, eater
Reverend W Wilks – pollination group 2, self-fertile, cooker
Scrumptious – pollination group 3, self-fertile, eater
Sops in Wine – pollination group 3, self-sterile, eater
Spartan – pollination group 3, self-fertile, eater
Sunset – pollination group 3, self-fertile, eater
Tydemans Late Orange – pollination group 4, self-sterile, eater
Waltz – pollination group 3, self-sterile, eater
Winston – pollination group 4, self-fertile, eater

The full list of apple tree varieties which we have reviewed is listed below. Select any one of them and then click the “More Information” button to be taken to the in depth review:

MORE PAGES ABOUT GROWING APPLE TREES:

HOW TO GROW APPLE TREES

HOW TO PLANT AN APPLE TREE

CARING FOR APPLE TREES

PRUNING APPLE TREES

HARVESTING AND STORING APPLES

APPLE TREE PESTS AND DISEASES

APPLE TREE POLLINATION GROUPS