Jonagold apple trees
- Picking season: Late
- Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
- Flowering group: 4
- Awards: RHS AGM (current) 1993
Jonagold is a popular American apple variety with an excellent rich aromatic flavor which appeals to European tastes - and is widely-grown in Europe.
Jonagold stores well, a quality it inherits from one of its parents, Golden Delicious. However it gets its excellent flavour from its other parent, the very well-respected old New York apple variety Jonathan. It has the combination of good sweetness and good sharpness that often denotes a high quality apple.
Jonagold is a very versatile apple. As well as being excellent for eating fresh, it is a popular for all kinds of culinary uses, and good for juice and cider. The apples can be picked over several weeks - pick earlier if you want to store them.
Red Jonaprince® is a sport of Jonagold with a much deeper red colouring but the same flavour.
Jonagold apple trees for sale
Bare-root
BR1Spindlebush bare-root treeM9 rootstock£44.25
Small tree
(1.5m-2.5m after 10 years)
(Red Jonaprince)
Out of stock
Please try next season
Need help? Ask our fruit tree experts
Call us on 01759 392007 or fill in our contact form.
Tree specification
Photos of trees as supplied |
Tree sizes and forms
Delivery charges
Delivery for a single tree starts at £9.95, it is calculated based on your postcode.
Growing and Training
The main horticultural issue is that Jonagold is a triploid apple variety and therefore needs two separate pollination partners nearby (or one self-fertile one). If you have apple trees in neighbouring gardens, they may be suitable. Golden Delicious is a reliable pollinator of many apple varieties but Jonagold is an exception and cannot be pollinated by Golden Delicious.
Like most triploid apple varieties, Jonagold produces a fairly large tree and the apples are also fairly large. Cropping is generally good and there is no need to thin the fruit.
Jonagold is susceptible to a number of apple diseases, but its vigorous triploid nature seems to help it keep going.
Jonagold likes a warmer climate but can be grown across quite a wide climate range - including the cooler climates of northern Europe where it is grown commercially on a small scale.
Recommended pollinators for Jonagold apple trees
Jonagold is not self-fertile and is also a poor pollinator of other varieties. Ideally you need two other different but compatible varieties planted nearby in order to produce fruit, or one compatible self-fertile variety.
The following varieties are good pollinators for Jonagold.
If you are not sure about pollination requirements don't hesitate to ask us.
More pollinators >
BraeburnBraeburn is one of the best-flavoured supermarket apple varieties.
GalaGala is popular supermarket apple - but better when home-grown, with a sweet pleasant flavour.
Newton WonderA traditional English cooking apple, a good alternative to Bramley.
Wedding BouquetMalus Wedding Bouquet features ivory-white blossom and tiny red berry-like fruitlets.
Golden HornetMalus Golden Hornet is a traditional white blossom crab apple, with persistent yellow fruits.
Ellison's OrangeEllison's Orange is a well respected Cox-style apple which can achieve very good flavour.
John DownieJohn Downie is a traditional crab apple for making crab apple jelly. White blossom and orange-red fruits.
Peasgood's NonsuchPeasgood Nonsuch is a highly-regarded old-fashioned English cooking apple.
History
Jonagold is a cross between two classic American apple varieties, Golden Delicious and Jonathan. Developed by the famous Geneva research station in New York State in 1943.
As with many commercial apple varieties, a number of "sports" or clones have been discovered over the years. These are natural bud mutations arising in the orchard, which have been spotted by a keen-eyed orchard owner and then propagated because of their commercial value. Red Jonaprince® is one of the best known, and as with most sports the main difference is the stronger red colouration and tendency to produce larger fruits, which are considered desirable by consumers. Genetically the sports are identical to the original variety (and like Jonagold they are all triploid).
Jonagold characteristics
- Gardening skillAverage
- Self-fertilityNot self-fertile
- Flowering group4
- Pollinating othersPoor
- Fruit bearingSpur-bearer
- Climate suitabilityTemperate climatesWarm climates
- Picking seasonLate
- CroppingHeavy
- Keeping (of fruit)1-2 months
- Food usesEating freshCulinaryJuiceHard cider
- Disease resistancePoor
- CankerSome susceptibility
- Scab (Apple and Pear)Some susceptibility
- Fire blightSome susceptibility
- Country of originUnited States
- Period of origin1900 - 1949
- Blossom colourWhite
- Fruit colourOrange flush
- AwardsRHS AGM (current)
British-grown trees 
Unlike many garden centres and online retailers, the vast majority of our fruit trees are grown in the UK.
Find out more.
In addition, all our trees are certified under the Plant Healthy scheme, supervised by the Plant Health Alliance.
Other stakeholders include Defra and the RHS. The scheme aims to improve UK biosecurity by setting standards
for all growers and retailers involved in selling plants in the UK.
Find out more
Guaranteed fruit trees
When you buy your fruit tree from Orange Pippin Fruit Trees we guarantee it for the first season in your garden whilst it gets established. If it doesn't grow successfully, we'll either replace it the following season or offer a refund - subject to some conditions.
Find out more.
More about apple trees
Towards the end of September and into October we see late-season apple varieties beginning to ripen. Their longer ripening period typically means these varieties have the most interesting flavours.
Unlike mid and early season apples which are generally best eaten straight from the tree, many late-season varieties need to be stored in a fridge for a few weeks to mature before their flavours are at their peak. So if you want to be able to eat home-grown apples through the winter then late-season varieties are your best choice.
Some of the most famous English apple varieties fall into this category - including the classic Adams Pearmain, and the ancient Ashmead's Kernel with its peardrop flavours. We also find popular modern varieties such as Spartan, Red Falstaff, Fiesta, and Kidd's Orange Red all coming to perfection at this time of year.
