Malus Domestica Pinova Apple

Malus Domestica Pinova is a late-season dessert apple tree. Developed in 1986, in Germany, at the Institute of Fruit Resistance of Dresden Pillnitz, this fruit tree cultivar is a cross between Clivia and Golden Delicious varieties. Apple Pinova produces prolific crops of juicy fruit with red flushed skin.

The spreading, loosely branched crown is covered with masses of tiny pale pink to white blossoms that open in the spring. The flowers have a pleasant, fruity scent and are followed by fruit. This variety bears apples that are a yellow-gold colour, deeply flushed with bright red. The crisp, firm flesh has a sweet flavour with a slight hint of acidity that only enhances the taste. Delicious when eaten straight off the tree, these apples can be stored for months, and their aroma only improves with time. Apples should be picked in mid-October. 

Easy to grow and to care for, Apple Pinova is most successful of the Pillnitz varieties and it is widely grown commercially. This apple tree needs well-drained soil, rich in nutrients, and preferably loamy. Choose a spot in full sun for planting. A self-sterile tree, Malus Domestica Pinova needs a pollination partner to produce fruit. Growing Elstar, Golden Delicious or Gloster variety in the tree’s proximity would be ideal, but any apple variety will serve the purpose. In case you lack the space for more apple trees in your garden, you can rely on the cultivars from neighbouring gardens or insects to pollinate this variety.

Not unlike most hybrids from the Institute of Fruit Resistance, Apple Pinova is a sturdy, resilient cultivar that was specially developed to have a low susceptibility to common diseases that affect apple varieties. Fully hardy in the United Kingdom, this cultivar can survive even in the severest European climates.

Considered undemanding, this robust apple variety needs little when it comes to maintenance, and simple annual pruning will keep the plant happy and healthy. The time and method of the pruning will depend on the tree’s training form. As a heavy cropping variety, Malus Domestica Pinova requires fruit thinning for regular fruit production. To avoid biennial bearing, remove excess fruit in early to mid-summer. Apart from ensuring a good fruit yield each season, this will also improve the size and quality of the apples.

Medium-sized when compared to its close relatives, this spreading fruit tree will achieve a maximum height of approximately 4 metres.