Malus domestica 'Rainbow' (D)

Synonyms

Malus domestica [Eric's Rainbow]

Fruit Edible Trees

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A late-season Croatian variety of dessert apple, up to 2m in height, with slightly variegated pale and dark green leaves, with a gold spot in the centre of each leaf and multi-coloured, streaked bark. The fruit is red with green and pink stripes and white flesh which is crisp with lots of flavour. Harvest in November. Stores well, becoming more mellow and sweet from January to April

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

1.5-2.5 metres

Max Spread

0.5-1 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 10–20 years
Max Spread: 0.5-1 metres
Max Height: 1.5-2.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Clay Loam Sand

Moisture: Moist but well–drained or Well–drained
pH: Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun

Aspect: East–facing or South–facing or West–facing
Exposure: Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20): H6

Colour & Scent

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Rosaceae
Native to GB/Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Columnar upright
Genus: Malus are small to medium-sized deciduous trees with showy flowers in spring and ornamental or edible fruit in autumn; some have good autumn foliage colour
Name Status: Accepted
Horticultural Group

Horticultural Classification Codes

Horticultural Classification Codes are often given to genera which have a large number of species or cultivars. They are used to categorise cultivated plants based on specific, shared characteristics such as shape, colour, size or flowering time, and can be displayed as letters or numbers

For example:
Dahlia ‘Sunset Kate (Sin) = Single flower
Rosa ‘Marigold’ (HT) = Hybrid Tea: Dessert apples are sweet and juicy and are best eaten fresh and raw

How to Grow

Cultivation

Prefers a deep, fertile, moist but well-drained, neutral soil in a sheltered, sunny position. Will not thrive on very acid soils, shallow chalk soils or with shade for more than half the day. See apple cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by grafting in midwinter or Chip budding in late summer on clonal rootstock for fruit. The rootstock will largely determine the vigour of the tree. Fruit grown from pips will not resemble the parent

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Wildlife gardens
Edible fruit
Wall side borders

Pruning

Prune according to chosen training method. See apple pruning. Thin fruit in late spring or early summer to improve size and quality. See fruit thinning

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids including woolly aphid and rosy apple aphid, fruit tree red spider mite, codling moth and other caterpillars

Diseases

May be susceptible to apple canker, apple scab, blossom wilt, brown rot, fireblight, honey fungus and Powdery mildews