Malus domestica ‘Arkansas Black’
Zones: 4–9 | Height: Up to 20 ft | Spread: 12–18 ft
Growth Rate: Fast | Light: Full Sun
Soil: Well-drained, loamy to slightly sandy
Fruit Ripening: Late October–Early November
The Arkansas Black Apple Tree is a hardy, late-producing apple variety that brings valuable soft mast to your property when many other fruit trees are wrapping up for the year.
Ripening from late October into early November, Arkansas Black helps extend the available food on your property deeper into hunting season. Its distinctive dark fruit provides an attractive food source for whitetails and other wildlife while adding long-term diversity to your habitat plan.
Late October through early November fruit ripening
Provides a valuable late-season food source
Attractive to whitetails and other wildlife
Excellent addition to food plot edges and wildlife orchards
Cold hardy and well suited for long-term plantings
Distinctive dark-skinned apples with firm flesh
Excellent storage life
Fruit can also be used for fresh eating, cider, and baking
A well-designed wildlife orchard isn't about planting one variety. It's about creating multiple food sources that become available at different times throughout the fall.
Arkansas Black fills an important late-season role. Pair it with August, September, and early-October producing varieties to create a soft mast program that provides attractive food across a much larger portion of the season.
Arkansas Black requires another compatible apple variety nearby for proper cross-pollination and fruit production. Planting multiple compatible apple varieties also gives you the opportunity to diversify fruit and drop times throughout your orchard.
Plant Arkansas Black in full sun with good airflow and well-drained soil. Space trees approximately 15–20 feet apart to provide room for mature growth.
Protect young trees from deer browse and rubbing, control competing vegetation around the base, and provide adequate water during establishment.
When other fruit trees are finished, Arkansas Black is just getting started.
Add it to your wildlife orchard to help extend your property's available soft mast deeper into the fall and build a food source that can produce for years to come.
Late fruit. Long-term attraction.
THIS IS YOUR LAND.
