Liberty Apple
Pollination & Compatibility Guide
Liberty apple pollination guide: diploid, bloom group 2, scab-resistant, with Macoun as a parent. Compatible partners and low-spray orchard notes.
Liberty is Self-Sterile (Needs 1 Partner)
Liberty needs at least one compatible pollinizer from bloom group 1–3 to set a reliable crop.
- Chromosome Ploidy
- self sterile
- Required Companions
- 1 Diploid Partner
- Bloom Group
- Group 2 (Mid-Spring)
- Harvest Timing
- Mid (-15d from Golden Delicious)
Flowering Period & Overlap Window
Apple flowering periods are classified into numbered bloom groups (1 through 6). A variety reliably cross-pollinates with cultivars in its own group or adjacent groups (±1 group).
Any compatible diploid apple flowering within Group 1 to 3 provides matching blossom overlap.
Compatible Pollination Partners (64)
| Cultivar | Bloom Group | Overlap Type | Harvest | Primary Uses | Interactive Test |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group 2 | Full Overlap | Late ±5d delta | All-Purpose | Test Cross | |
Jonamac | Group 2 | Full Overlap | Early ±10d delta | All-Purpose | Test Cross |
| Group 2 | Full Overlap | Mid ±10d delta | All-Purpose | Test Cross | |
| Group 2 | Full Overlap | Late ±15d delta | Cider, All-Purpose | Test Cross | |
| Group 2 | Full Overlap | Early ±15d delta | Fresh Eating | Test Cross | |
Winter Banana | Group 2 | Full Overlap | Late ±15d delta | All-Purpose | Test Cross |
| Group 2 | Full Overlap | Late ±20d delta | All-Purpose, Storage | Test Cross | |
| Group 2 | Full Overlap | Early ±20d delta | Fresh Eating | Test Cross | |
Summerred | Group 2 | Full Overlap | Early ±20d delta | All-Purpose | Test Cross |
| Group 2 | Full Overlap | Early ±20d delta | Fresh Eating | Test Cross | |
Mollie's Delicious | Group 2 | Full Overlap | Early ±25d delta | Fresh Eating | Test Cross |
Sansa | Group 2 | Full Overlap | Early ±25d delta | Fresh Eating | Test Cross |
Jersey Mac | Group 2 | Full Overlap | Early ±30d delta | Fresh Eating | Test Cross |
| Group 2 | Full Overlap | Early ±30d delta | Fresh Eating | Test Cross | |
Duchess of Oldenburg | Group 2 | Full Overlap | Early ±45d delta | Cooking | Test Cross |
Incompatible Varieties & Exclusions (13)
These varieties overlap in flowering time with Liberty but cannot fertilise it due to sterile pollen (triploids) or shared genetic incompatibility alleles.
Baldwin produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Belle de Boskoop produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Blenheim Orange produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Bramley's Seedling produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Fall Pippin produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Gravenstein produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Karmijn de Sonnaville produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
A direct parent (Macoun × Purdue 54-12) — roughly half the pollen is non-functional, so it is not a reliable partner.
Mutsu (Crispin) produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Ribston Pippin produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Roxbury Russet produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Spigold produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Tompkins King produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Grower Commentary: Liberty Scab Resistance and Cropping Habit
Liberty is a diploid, self-sterile apple from the Geneva programme in New York, a cross of Macoun and an unreleased Purdue selection, introduced in the late 1970s. It carries scab resistance from Malus floribunda breeding and flowers in bloom group 2, so choose partners that genuinely overlap in the first half of the apple window. Pollen is viable, which makes Liberty a useful donor in an organic block.
Macoun is a direct parent, so do not rely on it as the only companion; the compatibility list on this page sets parentage exclusions aside for you. Harvest runs roughly two weeks ahead of Golden Delicious in maritime north-west European conditions, and the fruit suits both fresh eating and cooking.
Liberty crops heavily and readily, which is the main management job. Thin early and hard to protect fruit size and next year's flower buds, otherwise the tree drifts toward biennial bearing. Scab resistance cuts the spring fungicide programme, but it does not remove the need to watch other pests.
Key Orchard Considerations for Liberty
Moderate vigour; a semi-dwarfing stock with a trellis keeps cropping heavy without crowding the canopy.
Scab resistance suits low-spray blocks, but keep scouting for mildew, codling moth and other pests.
Thin at petal fall to avoid biennial bearing; pick mid-season for farm gate, juice or fresh sale.
Take Liberty from Planning to Planting
Use Kropigo's free browser tools to model your block density, tree counts, and pollinizer rows, then maintain permanent orchard records row by row.
Pollination Checker
Check Liberty against supported cultivars with compatible flowering and pollination data.
Commercial Block Planner
Calculate high-density tree spacing, row geometry, and establishment costs.
Block Record Keeping
Track pruning, chemical thinning, and harvest tallies block by block from the orchard.