Description
Dolgo is a Siberian heirloom crabapple, long grown in cold-climate orchards both for its fruit and as a dependable pollinizer. It is self-fertile, so a single tree sets a full crop without a partner nearby.
The fruit is bright red, an inch to an inch and a half across, with a tart-sweet flavor well suited to jelly, cider and syrup. Its bloom lasts three weeks or more, long enough to overlap the flowering window of most apple varieties, which makes Dolgo one of the most effective all-purpose pollinizers to plant in an orchard.
Overview
- Self-fertile; sets fruit without a partner
- Bright red, tart-sweet fruit for jelly and cider
- Long bloom, an excellent apple pollinizer
- Extremely cold-hardy, to about -40°F
- Good resistance to fire blight, cedar-apple rust and mildew
Growing Details
Latin Name: Malus ‘Dolgo’
Site and Soil: Full sun; well-drained soil
Hardiness:Hardy to USDA Zone 2 or 3, about -40°F
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: Extended bloom, three weeks or more
Ripening Time: Early season; August into September
Pollination: Self-fertile; sets fruit alone and pollinates many apple varieties
Pests & Diseases: Good resistance to fire blight, cedar-apple rust and mildew
Additional Notes
- Grower’s Insight: The fruit’s tart astringency mellows after the first frost, when it is at its best for fresh eating straight off the tree.
- Regional Insight: Hardy to about -40°F, Dolgo is an easy choice across the Upper Midwest, the Mountain West and New England, regions where many crabapples struggle.
- Explore more apple trees in our collection: Apple Trees



