Apple tree idenification

[Megandylan]

Hi all

Just a quick question regarding an Apple tree I bought on a whim from Asda in the spring. It has produced a number of apples which look totally different from the label. I was under the impression I had bought a Jonagold but the apples themselves look totally different. As a disclaimer I am not green fingered at all so I'm totally clueless about these things!!! The apples have been picked and I was thinking about making a crumble or something rather than waste them but wanted to identify them first! All help appreciated- please see pic!

[FB.]

Growing conditions can make fruit look very different when grown in different parts of the country with their different soils and climates.

But it isn't unknown for discount trees to be something completely different. There's a reason they're cheap and sometimes it can be because the grower messed up and didn't want to sell them to their usual customers, so the trees ended up being bought by a discounter.

edited to add:
I've even seen discounted trees with the same label clearly not the same; some had double-grafts (interstems) while others were single grafted.

But there are also one or two unscrupulous nurseries who charge full prices but will substitute without telling you.

[Megandylan]

Growing conditions can make fruit look very different when grown in different parts of the country with their different soils and climates.

But it isn't unknown for discount trees to be something completely different. There's a reason they're cheap and sometimes it can be because the grower messed up and didn't want to sell them to their usual customers, so the trees ended up being bought by a discounter.

edited to add:
I've even seen discounted trees with the same label clearly not the same; some had double-grafts (interstems) while others were single grafted.

But there are also one or two unscrupulous nurseries who charge full prices but will substitute without telling you.

Thanks for your reply- Realised that my phone had auto corrected what should have said "Jonagold" to "month-old"! sorry about that- i meant I was under the impression I had bought a Jonagold variety. (annoyingly it won't let me correct it!)

If it is a case of the wrong label then, do you have any idea what type they could really be from looking at the photo?

[yummersetter]

What does it taste like? Before you cook it, I mean . .

[FB.]

Thanks for your reply- Realised that my phone had auto corrected what should have said "Jonagold" to "month-old"! sorry about that- i meant I was under the impression I had bought a Jonagold variety. (annoyingly it won't let me correct it!)

Yes, I suspected it was a phone-related miskate.
I noticed the label in the picture said Jonagold.
The apple might be a Jonagold.

If it is a case of the wrong label then, do you have any idea what type they could really be from looking at the photo?

It might not be incorrectly labelled. Young trees and the usual weird growing seasons in the UK might just make it look a bit different. In my soil and climate, Russet apples don't have much russet. Egremont Russet has only 10-25% of its surface russeted, mostly near the bottom (eye).
Ashmead's Kernel has less than 10% russeted and sometimes none at all - just thin broken orange stripes over a yellow-green skin.
But if you look at pictures in a book both ER and AK will be shown as apples with skins looking like fine sandpaper.

Whatever you have, it seems to be a reasonably attractive, fairly large, mostly umblemished fruit. So it's worth keeping.
It's also worth mentioning that fruit from young trees often tastes nasty and it's only once the tree is several years old or more that you can conclude that it really is a nasty-tasting apple.
Even then, you need to be aware that some early-season apples have to be picked at just the right time (often best if picked up and eaten within a few hours after falling off the tree!), and some late-season apples ripen after several weeks in storage.