Silver Creek Nursery Ltd.

Ellis Bitter Apple Bareroot

History: The exact origin of Ellis Bitter is unknown but it is believed to have originated on the farm of a Mr. Ellis in the 1800s in England. It was planted commercially, particularly by growers under contract with the cider-making company H.P. Bulmer. Unlike some older cider varieties, Ellis Bitter still remains relatively common today. 

Why We Grow It: Ellis Bitter is an old English cider apple, with good disease resistance, vigour, and production. This variety produces a high quality medium-bittersweet juice with soft, astringent tannins that are suited for blends. It is notable for its early ripening time compared to many cider apples, and therefore adds nicely to an orchard to extend the season. This cultivar has produced very well in the Ontario climate according to trials at the Vineland Research Station.

        $56.50

        Rootstock:
        Size

        40 in stock

        Fruit Traits:

        Recommended Use: Cider

        Fruit Size:

        Storage: Doesn't keep, it is best to use this apple relatively soon after harvesting

        Harvest: September - Late

        Cider Class (if applicable):

        • Bittersweet

        Class: Bittersweet
        Acidity: Low, <4.5 g/L
        Tannins: Medium, >2 g/L
        Recommendations: Best used in cider blends, blends well with Major

        Tree Traits:

        Canadian Hardiness Zone: 5

        Soil Preferance: Sandy loam, loam, clay loam. Prefers average to moist conditions, avoid planting anywhere that floods for more than two weeks in the spring. Generally quite adaptable to different soil conditions.

        Flowering Time: Late

        Bloom Colour: White

        Pollination Requirements: Triploid. This variety is sterile and cannot pollinate other trees. Requires a pollinator of a different apple variety that blooms around the same time in order to produce fruit.

        Sun/Shade Requirements: Full sun (approx. 8-10 hours of sun daily)

        General Growth Habit: Partial tip-bearing, vigorous and precocious, tends to crop biennially. Resistant to canker and brown rot, very resistant to scab.

        Overall Disease Resistance Rating*: Medium

        *this rating is combined with our experience growing in our test orchards combined with already available information on the cultivar.

        Shipping: Every year we ship thousands of plants across Canada. We carefully bag roots in damp sawdust, then box them and send them out via courier. CLICK HERE to see our shipping policy.

        Pick-up: We also have thousands of trees picked up from our nursery each year. The pick-up options is free, though you must wait until you have been emailed a confirmation that your order is ready to pick up, which will have further information such as hours, locations, etc.

        We have simplified our crop inventory for grafted fruit trees into two sizes:

        1m+ Grade: this often has some feathering, and is measured including the rootstock.

        50-80cm Grade: this is like a 'b-grade' tree, sometimes with minor scaring or bent, these trees are priced accordingly.

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