Correct apple varieties

[Speed Gardener]

What do you do when the apples growing on a tree bought last year don't bear any resemblance to what you thought you were buying? I bought a Pitmaston Pineapple cordon last year and it set fruit this year..great I thought, but looking at the fruit now, they are several times bigger than the ones growing on the trees at Wisley, they're a different colour and shape - in fact, they don't look anything like Pitmaston Pineapples! I'm going to get them ID'd at Wisley so I should know what they are but do I have a case with the suppliers?

[Nicos]

Hmm...well I'm useless with apple ID- but when I Googled images all sorts of colours and sizes came up

I'd go along with your idea of taking one to be ID'd- along with a few leaves- at Wisley.
Good excuse for a day out!

They'd know for sure- and yes- if you have been supplied with the wrong plant, then you should contact the suppliers.

I wonder if rootstock would make a difference????

[FB.]

Older trees produce smaller fruit.
Young trees produce inferior quality fruit.
Different rootstocks can affect fruit size and colour, with M9 being more likely to improve size and colour.
Different parts of the country and climate will affect trees and their fruit in different ways. In the North, a dual-purpose apple may be excessively sharp and only suitable for cooking, while in the South it may not have enough acid to cook wel, so only suitable for eating.
My various types of "russet" apples are only partialy russeted, unlike the brown and rough skins we're used to seeing in shops.

Pitmaston Pineapple isn't ripe for some weeks yet. See how they look when they're ready to pick.

Even though it's not the correct variety, the fruits look fairly healthy - always useful!