The rock-star, cold-hardy apple from Minnesota.
Yellow Transparent Apple on G.935 (Spring 2024)
A classic early-season, cold-hardy baking apple. Also known as Glass Apple, Russian Transparent.
Coming from Russia, this tree is extremely cold hardy; we have rated it to zone 3, but some reckon that it is hardy to zone 2! It is vigorous, upright-spreading, precocious, and productive. Thinning will be needed to maintain annual bearing. Yellow Transparent is susceptible to fireblight but resistant to scab.
This is the very first apple to ripen in our U-pick orchard, and every year a handful of loyal followers come specifically for the Yellow Transparents. Many of these customers are Russians who remember similar apples from their childhood. The apple is smallish, with a thin, tender, waxy, pale yellow skin. The white flesh is meltingly tender with a fresh, citric flavor. Old timers like to eat them sliced with a sprinkle of sugar. Yellow Transparent does not store well and it browns quickly after cutting. You have two choices: eat it quick or make a delicious, smooth sauce.
Yellow Transparent was among the first apples to come to America from Russia. It was imported along with a number of other varieties, including Duchess of Oldenburg and Alexander, by the USDA in 1870. The goal was to find apples that would do well in the colder northern states, and Yellow Transparent was one of the most successful of these transplants. My father, Dr. Jim Cummins, had a special connection with his own Yellow Transparents, which he has chronicled for us in a touching story that spans the generations of my family.
The Fruit
Fruit Type
Category: Apple
Subcategory:
Heirloom, Cold-Hardy
Fruit Uses & Storage
Uses: fresh eating, sauce
Storage duration: less than one month (approximate, depending on storage conditions)
Fruit Appearance
Skin color: yellow
Flesh color: white
Fruit Origins
Parentage: unknown
Origin: Russia
Introduced in: 1870
Introduced by:
The Environment
Calendar & Geography
USDA zones: 3 - 7
Chill hours: Not yet determined
Ripening date: Jul 12 (approximate, in New York State) 65 days before McIntosh
Tree Height & Spacing
glossary
Rootstock: G.935 Rootstock
Rootstock size class: Semi-Dwarf (40% of Standard)
Tree spacing (natural spread of tree): 12'
Good for wildlife planting? N
Diseases & Pests
glossary
Fireblight: Susceptible
Apple Scab: Resistant
Pollination
Pollination Factors
glossary
Bloom group: 2
Is it self-fertile? N
Is it fertile? Y
Ploidy: Diploid
Rootstock size class:
Semi-Dwarf (40% of Standard)
Pollination Partners
This table shows the first few results from a full search for pollenizers of Yellow Transparent Apple on G.935. Please see our Pollenizer Search to run other queries and read how the application uses various factors. Also read more about fruit tree pollination.
See all pollination matches for Yellow Transparent Apple on G.935
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