Pinkabelle Apple Tree

Robert starts with ...
Has anyone had much to do with the Pinkabelle apple tree? i have become very interested in them since seeing them on better homes and gardens and in several magazines.

Are they low chill? Has anyone tasted one? if you have, how do they compare to your regular pinklady apple?

Thanks.

Peter Allen says...
web searchs say this is pink lady on a dwarf roostock other say it s a pink lady type dwarf apple growing 2m h x 1m wide.
you can graft normal Pinklady or any other apple on dwarf rootstock say M9 and it will stay small , even varieties with T3 vigour should stay under 2.4mtr.
even smaller if you can get hold of some M27.
These will all grow in a pot or will need a stake in very windy exposed sites.
My Blenheim Orange on M9 has not been watered since the day after i planted it and produces 55kg of large apples each year, after 10 years it is still only 2mtr high.
you can learn to graft and get dwarf trees at free grafting workshops in Vic see www.heritagefruits.org for locations
cheers "Peter the Permie"

melissa says...
Yes I have heard the same thing about Lotsa Lemons too.I grow the pink lady and have no Granny Smith but it must have crossed with the crabapple ...because it did fruit which was a surprise as I was off to buy a Granny Smith....and found it was ok without it.

melissa says...
Thanks Peter great idea! :^)

Kath says...
I spoke to our supplier of the Pinkabelle apples today and they tell me it will set on its own although they will produce more fruit if they are cross pollinated with either another Pinkabelle or a suitable pollinator, which is any apple that will pollinate a pink lady. I am waiting to hear back on the chill requirements for the Pinkabelle.

Trevor says...
I've got a dwarf Jonathon and Granny Smith, and would love to graft some Pink Lady onto the Jonathon. Where can I buy some cuttings, pls?

Craig Perring says...
Hi all,

My name is Craig Perring and i work for PlantNet, the company that is selling the Pinkabelle apple.
I am sorry that i did not see this post earlier as i could have helped a few people by the sounds of it.
The first point i would like to make is that is a dwarfing tree NOT on a dwarfing rootstock as per other "dwarf varieties". It is fact on 106 rootstock which is considered to be vigourous (some are on Nothern Spie rootstock too).
The apples are full size and are, and taste wise are the same as Pink lady apples. The only difference that we have found is that they crop approximately 2 weeks before a normal Pink Lady. The taste is beautiful (admittedly i am a bit bias as Pink Ladies are my favourite apple). I think the apples are tiny bit bigger too (may need glasses?), although that comes down to my own judgement.
Pinkabelle is partially self fertile, but benefits from cross pollination - i.e. it will set fruit if have one tree, it will set more fruit if you have two and will set an abundance of fruit if you have a cross pollinator. There are many pollinators - most of which come in a dwarf form (i.e grafted on a dwarf stock) such as granny smith, gala varieties, red delicious, crab apple and others - as long as it is flowering at the same time as Pinkabelle. Grannies are being recommended as a good cross simply as they are a longer flowering apple than most and cover early and mid season apples (and even some later fruiting varieties).
Pinkabelle is a temperate apple which equates to chilling hours as about medium chill.
Pinkabelle is different to normal dwarf Pink Lady apples due to its form - as mentioned it is a dwarfing tree not on dwarfing rootstock. It is a spur bearing apple, partially self fertile, fruits approximately 2-3 weeks earlier, been proven in a pot, heavy cropper (once mature and it is being cross pollinated you can expect up to approximately 35-40kg of fruit) - the price tag being heavier does not come down being trademarked. Pinkabelle is PBRed and therefore royalties to the owners of Pinkabelle have to be paid which drives the price up.
I hope this helps with some of your questions and i am happy to answer more if anyone would like more information.
cheers,
Craig Perring
w: (02) 9838 1909

Pictures - Click to enlarge
Picture: 1

Craig Perring says...
Hi again,

In response to Pete the Permie's comments, please see below:

Pinkabelle is a diploid and any pollinator suitable for Pink Lady will work for Pinkabelle. I do not have access to the "Book of Apples", so i can not comment on the Pollination Number. (see PDF chart attached)

On a MM 106 or Northern Spy rootstock Pinkabelle will get to approximately 2 metres tall. (see attached image of owner/breeders with a 7 year old field grown tree - the tree is planted on a mound, but it bascially stands at 2 mts)

A few extra comments on the difference between Pinkabelle (being a naturally occuring dwarf tree) and other apple varieties grown on dwarfing rootstocks:

Pinkabelle is propagated on strong rootstocks which means it will have have far less problems with pests and disease. The MM series, including Northern Spy are resistant to attacks from woolly aphids and soil pathogens and will tolerate a wider range of soil types than standard trees on dwarf stocks.

Strong stocks have better drought tolerance and require less water and have no need for support.

The spur growth habit of Pinkabelle on a strong rootstock means a robust compact fruitful tree that needs minimal to no pruning - unless you are trying to achieve a specific shape!

As Pete has correctly pointed out - being a PBR protected variety means you can not propagate this variety under PBR laws. For more info on PBR laws you can visit this site:
http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/pbr/index.shtml

I hope this helps with some more of the enquiries in this forum. I would be happy to answer any further queries about Pinkabelle, so please do not hesitate to contact me on (02) 9838 1909.

regards,
Craig Perring
PlantNet

Pictures - Click to enlarge
Picture: 1	Picture: 2

ben silver says...
Apples are so forgiving that you can use either or none but more demanding fruit eg persimmons ,I would use wax . There is talk that you can introduce infection to the wound but that may be just talk

Trevor says...
Thanks, Ben. I just used a cleft graft, a sharp knife, and grafting tape in the end - looks ok. Also got keen and grafted some Tahitian lime cuttings onto a Eureka lemon - it will be interestin to see how this goes too.

Jenny says...
Hi, I Bought male and female pinkabelle plants last winter which have flowered and borne what I think are baby pinkabelles. The fruit does not seem to be developing well and is now falling off. I water everyday. Does anyone know why this is happening? Thanks

Samantha says...
Hi, I'm so glad to have found this thread, and thanks to all for the great info. I bought my pinkabelle last week and it's flowering beautifully. I'm just wondering how long between flower and fruit appearing. Some of the flowers are starting to die off and I'm wondering how long before fruit will appear.

Craig Perring says...
HI Bob,

Glad you like the Pinkabelle. The company that released it is PlantNet - the reason i know is because i work for PlantNet!!

We are releasing a new "donut peach" this winter so keep you eyes peeled. I am hoping Plants Plus will stock them as they did with our Pinkabelle.

Take this as a scoop regarding the Donut Peach as we have not made any announcements as yet and will more than likely launch the donut peach in April, as we did with the Pinkabelle last year.

It is a sweet white fleshed donut shaped peach. Very sweet. Only grows to 3m and if you really wanted to you could put it in a pot (would have to be a large pot), although we recommend it goes in the ground, however i am going to put one in large pot myself to see how it goes. It is 100% self pollinating and like Pinkabelle will only be released in limited numbers for the first year. More info to come.....

I have attached the label, and as i say, take this as a first as no-one has seen this label except us and the printers!

We will be updating our website soon with more information, images and of course stockists.

Little note for Samantha regarding flowering - Fruit should already be visible. Fruit matures around April (ANZAC dayish). If there is no fruit do not stress as all fruit trees when young can take a season or two to fruit. Although partially self fertile Pinkabelle will do better with a cross pollinator (see Daley's website!) and increase the chance of more fruit. We can certainly help Daley's obtain (in Winter) some of the dwarf cross pollinators such as dwarf granny smiths and dwarf crab apples if they are low on stock.

Hope this helps. feel free to contact me if you have any more questions.

Cheers,
Craig Perring
PlantNet
(02) 9838 1909

Pictures - Click to enlarge
Picture: 1

Bob says...
The woman at Wandilla Nsy has had a string of complaints that the trees never fruit, she is putting it down to being completely non self fertile despite the label.

Customers have to purchase a full size tree to pollinate, which is pretty silly marketing according to her.

Bob says...
Anna and Dorset being low chill early
flowerers, flower too early but otherwise are compatible with pinkabelle.

Mine had fruit in the nursery when I bought it, so have to wait til next year to see if it will fruit.

Bob says...
Yes, but us poor buggers in WA can't
get the dwarf apples.

Leona says...
I know what you mean Bob, apart from the Pinkabelle, all I have managed to get hold of, in the way of dwarf apple trees, are the Anna and Dorsett...and they were from Wondawest, which is now closed. I suspect it would cost a fortune to get only one or two trees sent over now because of the spraying etc.

Bob says...
Flemings won;t sell the apples as they are not allowed in. They license the ballerinas to Olea Nsy for growing but they are not very nice to eat I'm told and need lotsa chill.

Bob

Anonymous says...
Bob & Leona,
Wow, Pinkabelle must have gone to a lot of trouble to be available for sale in WA considering most other apples aren't.

WA quarantine officials use this reasoning why they have strict conditions regarding apple tree quarantine:

"... Western Australia is the only region free of both apple scab and codling moth.... One of our inspectors will never forget an orchard owner crying on his shoulder as they watched the orchard go up in flames."
http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/content/pw/q/QFruit_DLsheet.pdf

If you are passionate about this it might be best to contact W.A Quarantine with your concerns or even your local member of parliment to get the laws relaxed for backyard orchardists like yourself.

Correy says...
I would be interested to know the finer details of how the pinkabelle apple tree was developed if you knew?

Liz says...
We bought 2 pinkabelle apple trees Last year after reading an article in the paper. Cost $40ea. They were just a stick and through summer have flourished. There are 2 apples on 1 tree. Jenny of Sydney 31st October said she bought a male and female. How do you tell that especially when they are a stick and is it imperative that they be male and female when you only have 2 pinkabelles because from what I've read on here, living in Perth I'm going to have buckleys of getting a good pollinator.

Liz says...
Thanks for that info Bob. Haven't had any luck seeing the pollination article at Woodbridge Fruit Trees website. Is it possible to talk to you by phone since we both live in Perth. If so I'm happy to put my mobile number on here and if you were willing to give me your mobile or private number, you could call me to give me your number and I would call you straight back.
Thanks,

Regards Liz

aNON says...
www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/horticulture/pomes/apples/crabapple-pollinators

Valerie Son says...
I am so excited about this new tree and would appreciate so much some advice.

I grew up in Northern California where I could literally walk out into my backyard and pick any variety of fruit. Maybe its my version of a mid-life, but I am wanting very much to go back to that lifestyle. We are looking at a piece of property where we can grow many trees (zone 7/8-north of Dallas). It has a gradual slope down one side (with a large pond). It also has a very large flatter area on top.

Because pinkabelle's grow so well in this zone, I was wondering if you had any advice on where to plant a small orchard (on slope?). Where to get the best (strongest-most resistant) trees and should I have any concerns planting them alongside (or below) a peach orchard?

Thank you and I am so excited to hear back!!
Val
val@son.org

aNON says...
www.davewilson.com is the best site in USA for your needs.

aNON says...
Pinkabelle can fruit on 1 year tissue but more likely on spurs 2 years or older.

I think Brissy would be too warm but the sellers reckon its a goer there.

Anonymous says...
hello sophie. first the whole needs to be about a meter square dug to about 2 inches above the root line. the loosen all that area up. deep water it let it soak place the tree in the middle and file in. Resoak the whole and do this every 3 days for 2 weeks. you can put some seasol at the begining. after 2 weeks use a fruit fertizer. never use fertilizer with a fresh planted tree.

Sophie says...
Thankyou very much, much appreciated it doesnt have any special instructions on the plants tag about planting.

aNON says...
Get it in ASAP, roots grow better in ground than pot, that way it's settled before winter.

Extra water if hot in a trough around plant.

aNON says...
Dudes, great news. Ladybug garden centre has heaps of pinkabelles left in stock, they did not have the flashy promotional signs like Waldecks, so looks like the public was not aware how good they are.

They are on Albany Hwy, Maddington, WA.

They are also $10 cheaper than anybody else!

Liz says...
Libby, As far as I know you just need to get a Granny Smith tree and plant it. I wouldn't think you need to graft. I am no expert, just learnt things on here. Bob is the expert. He'll probably tell you. He is very helpful. I also have a query for anyone who may know. Our 2 pinkabelles are in pots, one is in a bigger pot than the other and consequently is a bit bigger than the other tree but the smaller one has 2 apples on it. We are going to get some half beer barrels to plant them in. Would that be the best and can someone tell me when to transfer them. Do we need to wait till all the leaves are off? We live in Perth. Thankyou to all the people who help out people like me who don't know much about growing fruit trees.

Joe says...
I have just purchased a pinkabelle apple tree, I was wanting to know how long it takes before it starts to set fruit as my 3 year old daughter keeps asking me??? I have planted it directly into the ground and I live in melbourne. Please help me!!!!

Joe says...
Hello. I was just wandering if there was any difference between the apple "Delicious" and "Red Delicious" as I have found a "Delicious" tree at my local market. I want to use it as the pollinator to my pinkabelle, will this work??????

Craig Perring, PlantNet says...
Hi all,

My name is Craig Perring and i am from PlantNet, the company that brings you Pinkabelle.

Sorry about the lack of correspondence of late. I have not been blogging since January, but have not been too concerned as Bob seems to be steering the Pinkabelle ship in the right direction with regard to queries. There is a few questions that I want to answer and few comments to clarify. I have covered most topics listed here, but If i have not addressed your issue it means Bob has already correctly answered it!!

* Wandilla Nursery (4th Feb post by Bob) have got it wrong regarding pollination. Pinkabelle IS partially self fertile, but will benefit from cross pollination. This means if you have one Pinkabelle you get small amounts of fruit i.e. a couple - if you have a cross pollinator (granny smith, crab apple etc) you will get an abundance of fruit compared to if you don't have a cross pollinator. Im not sure what Wandilla are basing their assumptions on. Wandilla should also be telling their clients that most fruit trees will take a few years to set their first crop so not to panic if there is no fruit in the first year. I know many people who have bought Pinkabelle's last year (would have bought a 2 year old tree) and got fruit. On trials conducted, we have averaged 9-10kg of fruit on a three year old trees - this is in an orchard where the NEAREST pollinator (a fuji in this case) is 100 metres away. In other words it is in a low pollination area. Fruit amounts will increase each year as the plant matures. The lady at Wandilla should also note to her customers that being in WA is different to other states as there is a lack of dwarf varieties - only in WA - and at no stage has our marketing even suggested that "Customers have to purchase a full size tree to pollinate Pinkabelle". All we are saying and all our marketing says is that it benefits from cross pollination. What size trees people buy is up to them! I would not call it silly marketing, i would call it unfortunate that WA does not have access to the range if trees we have in the eastern states. Apart from all else i have not had any contact from Wandilla to clarify any questions they may have had regarding Pinkabelle which is disappointing as they are mis-informing their customers.

* With reagrd to pollination check out my post from 1st August 2007. There is a pollination chart there which will show you which apples are available to cross pollinate Pinkabelle's. Pinkabelle is a mid season flowering apple so there is plenty of varieties (many which do come in dwarf form)to choose from - except of course in WA, where there are limited varieties for the home gardener. Always ask your local nursery to order particular plants in for you if they are not on the shelf or you can not source them anywhere else. Many nurseries put their deciduous plant orders in now (and through the earlier months of the year) so if you want a dwarf granny, dwarf crab apple or similar now is the time to mention it to your nursery so they can get one in for you. Winter may be too late as many dwarf forms sell out from the wholesaler early in the peace. I have just checked with one of our nurseries (wholesaler) that he has 7 dwarf apple varieties (Golden delicious, Red Delicious, Red Fuji, Pink Lady all of which have sold out and Jonathon (60 left), Gala (40 left) and Granny Smith (45 left)). So to avoid disappointment get in now and reserve whatever dwarf plants you may want as these plants are becoming more popular and move through the retial nurseries fairly fast. Another good tip is if you are unsure of which pollinator to buy for your area make sure you pop into a nursery at the same time your Pinkabelle is flowering and pick a variety that is flowering at the same time!

* To answer Bob's question YES - we can line up some dwarf pollinators in WA and are in the process of doing so. As you know plants do take time to propagate and grow so it is still some time away but it will happen!! Like all things in the garden, patience is a virtue! As we are able to discuss this more we will certainly post some information about it. One thing for certain for WA gardeners is you will not have to buy 25 trees from Olea Wholesale Nursery as these trees will be made available to the public and should be available in most nurseries - if not all - where Pinkabelle is sold.

* For those interested in how Pinkabelle was dicsovered, Bob was right in saying it was discovered as a sport. For those of you who think i am talking about a game of some sort i will explain what a sport is, with the help of the Royal Horticulural Society www.rhs.org.uk ): "A sport is a spontaneous mutation from the plant that bears it, differing in one or more characteristics. It might have a different flower colour, double instead of single blooms, variegated instead of all-green leaves or a dwarf habit, ...."
If you look at my post at the top of the blog (August 1 2007) you will see a picture of the clever apple orchardists who discovered Pinkabelle (in 1999) as a sport in their orchard. They are based in Donnybrook. The tree they are standing next to is 6 years old in this photo and averages about 20kg of fruit each year.
You may be wondering why it has taken 9 years to get to your garden centre? It is because we have to trial and test the trees to see what characteristics have mutated, such as pollination issues(which i touched on above), size of trees, fruit maturity etcetc. We have to do this so we know what we are talking about when we sell and market our products to retail nurseries, their customers and people on blogs!

* To Stuart in Brissy. We have stated that Pinkabelle will only grow in temperate regions. good examples of this are toowoomba, stanthorpe parts of western Brisbane. Depending where you are located in brissy will depend on the succcess of your Pinkabelle. I would be interested to find out more and to see how it goes. All retail nurseries we have sold Pinkabelle trees to, in what we would consider non temperate regions, we have made sure that they understand that there is a risk that the tree may not fruit for some of their customers depending on where they lived....having said all that. Many people i have spoken too in Brisbane are keen to take the risk and give it a go anyway "to see how it goes"!! With regard to your other questions - you should get fruit any time from the 2nd year. Granny Smiths are good pollinators as their flowering period is longer than most other apples, however it comes down to personal choice as to what you like. In terms of helping Pinkabelle fruit there is probably no difference. Both are very suitable for Pinkabelle pollinators.

* Valerie in the US - Pinkabelle has been sent to the USA and i am 99% certain it has just been release from quarantine over there. The best person to speak to is Lynnell Brandt. He will be able to tell you about the development status at the moment. Contact him through this website: http://www.ewbrandt.com/contact-us.htm
With reagrd to your other questions. Planting on a slope if fine. Planting next to a peach orchard will have no detrimental effect on your apple orchards. Many apple orchardists in Australia grow some sort of stone fruit too. You will limited where you will be able to get your trees from as we have restricted who is allowed to grow Pinkabelle outside of Australia. Lynnell will be able to supply you the best and "strongest-most resistant" trees in the USA, but i dare say that is a few years away as yet as budwood numbers would be very limited at the present time.

I hope this answers all questions. Sorry it is such a long winded post - it wil teach me to not leave it so long next time. Any other questions please feel free to contact me direct on (02) 9838 1909 or continue to run them through this Daley's forum so everybody can learn. Our website www.plantnet.com.au ) is currently being updated with some new information - with pollination being included in that - as it seems an area of confusion for some people who are new to fruit growing. Website should be finalised by mid May with an updated list of stockists.

Cheers,
Craig Perring
PlantNet
(02) 9838 1909

aNON says...
Craig

Here is what gardeners want

Dwarf cherry on gisela 5 or zee stem interstock

Low chill cherry eg Royal Lee % Minnie Royal.

Dwarf Apricot eg genetic dwarf or Pumiselect or pixy rootstock.

Dwarf peaches/nectarines that fruit earlier or later than pixzee/nectazee we want a mini orchard that fruits over an extended period. eg www.davewilson.com vaieties.

I realise a lot aof the above are pateneted to others but ANFIC or bradfords copy whatever Zaiger release within a year or two, so you should be able to do the same or get the wholsale nursery to grow them and you sell them eg Flemings ahave a 50 tree min order.

aNON says...
Pete

Totall irrelvant comment.

Elizabeth says...
Andrew,

I've done a fair amount of research lately on this issue so I think I can help.

I'm in Sydney so (too few) chill hours are a factor. However, in Nowra I presume you get colder winters and some frosts?

Pinkabelle I think is a sport (a naturally occuring variation) of a normal Pink Lady tree. It may be a cross-pollinator, but I'm not sure if it would be too close. Pink Lady/Pinkabelle have a variety of appropriate cross pollinators, many of which are available as dwarfs. These include Granny Smith, Gala, Crabapples, Fuji and Lady Williams.

Daleys has dwarf Granny Smith and Pink Lady. You could also try nurseries stocking Flemmings trees - they make dwarf Pink Lady and Gala trees. You can also order many of these dwarf apple trees from Woodbridge Fruit Trees in Tasmania. Flemings and Woodbridge both have website which you can find easily through Google.

PlantNet says...
Hi Andrew,

Elizabeth seems to have covered you queries.

All winter stock will be out in the nurseries in the next few weeks and there is planty of places on the South coast where you can get them.

Go to our website - www.plantnet.com.au to find your list of stockists on the south coast.

we have just updated our website to a HTML format as well as flash player as some people were finding it difficult to access it through the flash player...all info is the same but the flash site is much nicer!!!

There are many nurseries who produce and sell dwarf fruit trees, fleming's just seem to grow the most!! JFT Nurseries and GJ Goodman's (Olea Nurseries in WA) are all excellent nurseries who sell through the retailers.

Andrew (or anyone)if you ave any more queries please call me on (02) 9838 1909 as i could not find your email address to respond too.

Cheers,
Craig

Leona says...
I hope you only ate the fruit, not the tree aNON lol (just kidding) ;) So, did it taste the same as Pink Lady apples from the shops?

Brian & Carole says...
We have two pinkabelles in pots. They are about 1350 cms in height, when purchased last year they were just sticks(from Lena Nuseries Wanneroo)one had has produced two apples, one the size of a medium sized Pink Lady the other is still small but growing. The larger apple tasted better than a Pink Lady, crisp and sweet with just the slightest hint of tartness. Two items we would like help with, how close together should the trees be to maximise pollination ? Cincturing the tree to encourage bushiness how and what do you use ?

aNON says...
Ohh, yeah only go halfway around the trunk or you will ringbark it.

kerri says...
Hi everyone,
Mary-lyn to answer your question you can get the large trees, it all depends on where you are looking, i know that some nurserys around the south west area won't keep them, they say they won't fruit here. Not cold enough. You will have to hunt around or maybe ask for a special order. For those who are interested the pinkabelle apples you can get from bunnings.

aNON says...
Bunnings Albany Hwy Cannington have 12 pinkabelle trees. They are mostly pretty lopsided in growth from being too crowded in the nursery. ...good one Olea. But at 40 bucks each they are cheep!

aNON says...
WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Advanced Nursery WANNEROO WA
Ardess Nursery ALBANY WA
Bandicoot Nursery MOUNT BARKER WA
Banyula Plants & Design DUNSBOROUGH WA
Belvedere Nursery NARROGIN WA
Blyth Garden Centre KATANNING WA
Bridgetown Landscaping Supplies BRIDGETOWN WA
Carlyle Landscapes MOSMAN PARK WA
City Farmers Bedford BEDFORD WA
City Farmers Wembley WEMBLEY WA
Collie Garden Centre COLLIE WA
Dawsons Garden World FORRESTFIELD WA
Dawsons Garden World O'CONNOR WA
Dawsons Garden World SWANBOURNE WA
Dawsons Garden World APPLECROSS WA
Dawsons Garden World JOONDALUP WA
Denmark Nursery DENMARK WA
Dutch Windmill Garden Centre JANDAKOT WA
Eden Garden Centre MERRIWA WA
Ellenby Tree Farm GNANGARA WA
Everbloom Garden Centre SAWYERS VALLEY WA
Everyday Potted Plants MARGARET RIVER WA
Fayes Garden Centre YABBERUP WA
Floraland Nursery MAHOGANY CREEK WA
Forrestdale Garden Centre FORRESTDALE WA
Fraser Garden Centre CANNINGVALE WA
Gidgie Hardware GIDGEGANUP WA
Gildern Tree Farm WATTLEUP WA
Guildford Town Nursery GUILDFORD WA
Hardware Plus MOORA WA
Herbs R Us HENLEY BROOK WA
Its Blooming Good Nursery MANDURAH WA
Jode Rural ESPERANCE WA
Killarney Nursery MANJIMUP WA
Ladybuds Gardens And Gifts MADDINGTON WA
Lake Grace Garden Supplies LAKE GRACE WA
Lena Nursery WANGARA WA
Lush Garden Gallery ALBANY WA
Mitre 10 - Bridgetown BRIDGETOWN WA
Mitre 10 - Busselton BUSSELTON WA
Meadow Springs Garden Centre MANDURAH WA
Nannup Nursery NANNUP WA
Nuralingup Gardens Nursery WITCHCLIFFE WA
Palm City Nursery WANGARA WA
Palms Galore WATTELUP WA
Parkland Garden Centre PICTON WA
Pemberton Hardware PEMBERTON WA
Poppy's Patch MOUNT BARKER WA
Professional Landscape Service HEATHRIDGE WA
SJ Plant Supply SERPENTINE WA
Soils Aint Soils BUSSELTON WA
Tim Eva's Nursery GIDGEGANNUP WA
Tony & Sons Nurseries LANDSDALE WA
Toodyay Garden And Outdoor TOODYAY WA
Trees A Green WATTLE GROVE WA
Waldecks Bentley BENTLEY WA
Waldecks Kingsley KINGSLEY WA
Waldecks Melville MELVILLE WA
Waldecks On Vine MIDLAND WA
Waroona Garden Centre WAROONA WA
Wheatbelt Garden Centre WONGAN HILLS WA
Woody's Nursery PORT KENNEDY WA
Wren's Hollow Nursery BRIDGETOWN WA
WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Advanced Nursery WANNEROO WA
Ardess Nursery ALBANY WA
Bandicoot Nursery MOUNT BARKER WA
Banyula Plants & Design DUNSBOROUGH WA
Belvedere Nursery NARROGIN WA
Blyth Garden Centre KATANNING WA
Bridgetown Landscaping Supplies BRIDGETOWN WA
Carlyle Landscapes MOSMAN PARK WA
City Farmers Bedford BEDFORD WA
City Farmers Wembley WEMBLEY WA
Collie Garden Centre COLLIE WA
Dawsons Garden World FORRESTFIELD WA
Dawsons Garden World O'CONNOR WA
Dawsons Garden World SWANBOURNE WA
Dawsons Garden World APPLECROSS WA
Dawsons Garden World JOONDALUP WA
Denmark Nursery DENMARK WA
Dutch Windmill Garden Centre JANDAKOT WA
Eden Garden Centre MERRIWA WA
Ellenby Tree Farm GNANGARA WA
Everbloom Garden Centre SAWYERS VALLEY WA
Everyday Potted Plants MARGARET RIVER WA
Fayes Garden Centre YABBERUP WA
Floraland Nursery MAHOGANY CREEK WA
Forrestdale Garden Centre FORRESTDALE WA
Fraser Garden Centre CANNINGVALE WA
Gidgie Hardware GIDGEGANUP WA
Gildern Tree Farm WATTLEUP WA
Guildford Town Nursery GUILDFORD WA
Hardware Plus MOORA WA
Herbs R Us HENLEY BROOK WA
Its Blooming Good Nursery MANDURAH WA
Jode Rural ESPERANCE WA
Killarney Nursery MANJIMUP WA
Ladybuds Gardens And Gifts MADDINGTON WA
Lake Grace Garden Supplies LAKE GRACE WA
Lena Nursery WANGARA WA
Lush Garden Gallery ALBANY WA
Mitre 10 - Bridgetown BRIDGETOWN WA
Mitre 10 - Busselton BUSSELTON WA
Meadow Springs Garden Centre MANDURAH WA
Nannup Nursery NANNUP WA
Nuralingup Gardens Nursery WITCHCLIFFE WA
Palm City Nursery WANGARA WA
Palms Galore WATTELUP WA
Parkland Garden Centre PICTON WA
Pemberton Hardware PEMBERTON WA
Poppy's Patch MOUNT BARKER WA
Professional Landscape Service HEATHRIDGE WA
SJ Plant Supply SERPENTINE WA
Soils Aint Soils BUSSELTON WA
Tim Eva's Nursery GIDGEGANNUP WA
Tony & Sons Nurseries LANDSDALE WA
Toodyay Garden And Outdoor TOODYAY WA
Trees A Green WATTLE GROVE WA
Waldecks Bentley BENTLEY WA
Waldecks Kingsley KINGSLEY WA
Waldecks Melville MELVILLE WA
Waldecks On Vine MIDLAND WA
Waroona Garden Centre WAROONA WA
Wheatbelt Garden Centre WONGAN HILLS WA
Woody's Nursery PORT KENNEDY WA
Wren's Hollow Nursery BRIDGETOWN WA

Craig Perring says...
Hi all,

Glad to see that people are answering the questions as they happen. You are certianly making my job easier.

I spoke to Wandilla Nursery the other day and wanted to clarify a few comments.

I had a bit of a rant on the 21st April, about Wandilla Nursery and the mis-representation of our marketing of Pinkabelle and of mis-information that they had been passing on their clients. Speaking to Caroline at Wandilla she explained to me that Wandilla Nursery did not have any trees to sell last year (they do this year) and was worried that Bob had passed on information that was incorrect or not from them. She said she certainly had not spoken to anyone about the marketing of Pinkabelle let alone had a string of complaints, simply because she had none to sell. She said she was also baffled by the comments and could not recall any of her staff saying anything along those lines to her or any customers.

I would like to apologise to Caroline at Wandilla about posting comments before clarifying and double checking with them about what was or wasn't said.

Bob, I am not saying i don't belive you but i was wondering if can you give me a call (or email: craigperring@plantnet.com.au) to clarify some of those earlier comments just say i can set the record straight with the right person about some of the specifications about Pinkabelle. We like to right info to get out the public about all our products and where we can speak to anyone who may have concerns about them.

Cheers,
Craig Perring
PlantNet
(02) 9838 1909

Cheeck out our website for stockists and product info: www.plantnet.com.au

aNON says...
PS Bunnings Maddington WA, have better shaped trees than Cannington.

Anonymous says...
Wandilla must have 200 trees but they are 5 bucks dearer than bunnings, but are potted not bare rooted.

sakeena says...
hi i waas just qwondering when my pinkabelle apple tree will bear fruit and also if i buy a red delicious apple tree will they both pollinate eachother.
thanks, sakeena.

lynne says...
Hi,Can anyone tell me when pinkabelles will be available in sydney.Went to nursery at Wentworthville and Bunnings at Minchinbury (syd ) and told not aavailable yet.(don't want to miss out ).

sakeena says...
hi was also just wondering if the tropical pple fruit tree will pollinate eachother with the pinkabelle

Anonymous says...
So do Ballerina apples definitely pollinate Pinkabelle apples?

Anonymous says...
hi i was also wondering how many apples the pinkabelle apple produce without the second tree for pollination

Anonymous says...
i also i heard that after planting the tree it takes a year to start bearing its first fruit, that is the pinkabelle

Anonymous says...
hi, this is to craig perring, someone told me that my pinklabelle apple tree wont fruit where i live which is in the golcoast. she said that it wont fruit if the weather isnt cold enough here. what should i do.

Anonymous says...
thanks good one
but i really need help

Anonymous says...
for how long

Anonymous says...
With the Pinkabelle on the Gold Coast, try to place it under the shade of another tree during winter as this lowers the overall air temperature around the tree.

Anonymous says...
check out www.davewilson.com and they have all the info youse need.

Anonymous says...
None to my knowledge, you can get ballerina crab apple to cross pollinate.

I will have M27 plants next summer for sale.

Anonymous says...
you mean because it has been grafted by its own tree it doesnt need a pollinator

B says...
Thanks - i will wait and get an M27 pollinator then.... i have only just bought my tree so i wouldn't expect a lot of fruit in the first year anyway. Do you mean summer 2008 or 2009?

B says...
anyone in perth got a granny smith cutting i can graft onto my pinkabelle in the meantime?

B says...
BUGGER!

John says...
Not much less, but a higher chance of mishapen fruit due to non pollinated seeds being inside to keep the hormones ticking as they should.

. says...
I read Craig Perring's post (dated 3rd June'08) with interest.

I have been to Wandilla a few times. It positioned itself as a nursery specialising in fruit trees.
The staff there seems nice enough at greeting customers initially, and they offer rather general 'common sense' advice on gardening and fruit trees.
However, they are virtually 'clueless' if you try to obtain more specific info regarding the variety / specific varieties of the fruit trees that they are selling.
The information given could vary or change from day to day, and from one staff to another - very confusing if you are a novice.
It almost seems like they don't know the products that they are selling, and asked the customer to "check websites in the internet" for more information.
Well, customers who could access and check websites for specific info don't really need to ask/approach them for advice and help, do they ?

So now, I only go there to see what is currently in stock when I happen to pass by, and purchase my trees from other nurseries that offer more helpful advice (and better after sales services).

This is not to discredit anyone person or the nursery and I am only putting my own experience in words.
In a way, I think I understand what Bob and aNON were trying to say.
And for the readers' info, I do NOT know either Bob or aNON personally except I read their posts in this forum.

Cate says...
I would like to purchase a dwarf apple; however, my problem is that I live in FNQLD Townsville. I was initially excited that the "Pinkerbelle" may have been Ok as it has a low chill requirement, but after having read earlier posts here, I see it has only been recommended as far north as Brisbane. Townsville winter tends to hover around 16 - 20 degrees at night (an absolute out of the ordinary temp might go as low as 6 degrees but this is unusual). Day time temps hover around 20 - 23 degrees approx. In recent years the wet has not been starting until Jan and going into Mar.
Any suggestions....

Anonymous says...
Apples will not grow in Townsville I'm pretty sure but who needs apples when you have Jackfruit and mangoes and Durian. Tastebuds need re-alignment and adjustment and everything will taste better than a boring old apple.

Liz says...
We bought our 2 pinkabelles about a year ago or whenever they became available in Perth. Have them in pots as we were led to believe that these trees are ideal to be grown in a pot. We don't have any other apple trees. One pinkabelle got 2 apples I guess around Christmas and a good few weeks ago we picked the apples. They were very small but I knew pinkabelles are small. These apples are nothing like a Pink Lady which we thought they are supposed to be like a miniature version of a pink lady. They were more like the old jonathon variety or a sundowner. They were quite dark in colour, not pink like a pink lady. I am sure we don't have pinkabelle trees. It seems our apples were ready at the wrong time for a pinkabelle. If they aren't pinkabelle trees I will be very disappointed considering what we paid.

Anonymous says...
Yes it will.

John says...
give it a go.