Description
Lucy Glo is a red-fleshed apple bred to bring genuine eating quality to a novelty most growers only see in a photo. The flesh is red-colored, crisp and very juicy, with a sweet-tart flavor that Chelan Fresh describes as tart with a hint of sweet.
It was bred by plant pathologist Bill Howell in Prosser, Washington, from a 2001 cross of Airlie Red Flesh and Honeycrisp, and released in 2018 alongside its sibling Lucy Rose as the first two commercial Lucy apples. Glo carries a yellow ground color with mottled red overcolor, where Rose instead carries a fuller red blush across most of the skin.
Overview
- Red flesh throughout, crisp and juicy
- Sweet-tart flavor
- Late-season ripening
- Needs a different apple variety nearby to bear fruit
- Bred from Airlie Red Flesh and Honeycrisp
Growing Details
Latin Name: Malus domestica ‘Lucy Glo’
Site and Soil: Full sun; well-drained soil
Chill Requirement: Estimated 500 to 600 hours
Hardiness:Hardy to USDA Zone 4
Rootstock: M-106 (semi-dwarf)
Bearing Age: 1 to 3 years
Size at Maturity: 12-15′ tall and wide – easily maintained smaller with pruning.
Flowering Group: Group 3 (mid-season bloom)
Ripening Time: Late season; September into October
Pollination: Self-incompatible, unable to fruit alone; plant a different apple variety nearby
Pests & Diseases: Standard apple pest and disease considerations; good airflow helps
Yield: Reliable producer once established
Additional Notes
- Grower’s Insight: The skin can look under-ripe even at full maturity, since the mottled red sits over yellow rather than covering it, so judge ripeness by background color rather than red coverage.
- Regional Insight: Hardy to USDA Zone 4, Lucy Glo suits cold-winter regions such as the Upper Midwest, the Mountain West and the Northeast as well as it does the Pacific Northwest.
- Explore more apple trees in our collection: Apple Trees
