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Binet Rouge Apple (Spring 2027)
$74.99
Reliable shipping
Flexible returns
Pollination
Needs a partner
Bloom group
7 of 7 (Very Late)
Ripening
Will it finish before your first hard freeze?
Check it on the Ripening Map (opens in a new tab)
Disease resistanceResists 1 of 4
- 4 Apple scab : Resistant, 4 of 5
- ? Cedar-apple rust : Unknown, no published data yet
- 1 Fire blight : Highly susceptible, 1 of 5
- 3 Powdery mildew : Moderate, 3 of 5
Scored 1 to 5. Higher resists better, and ? means no published data yet.
See it on our apple disease chart (opens in a new tab)At a glance: Binet Rouge Apple is an apple tree rated hardy to zone 3 from other growers' reports (winters to -40°F), not self-fertile, so it needs a different variety nearby as a pollenizer (bloom group 7 of 7, very late for an apple or crabapple), and it ripens about Oct 16 to Oct 29 in Missoula (our Missoula estimate).
| Hardy to | Zone 3 to 8. A bare number means the whole of zone 3, colder half included (winters to -40°F). Find your zone with our cold hardiness calculator. |
|---|---|
| Chill hours | About 900 hours (700 to 1,300). Our estimate. No published figure exists for this variety yet. Montana winters give it plenty. In milder climates, make sure your winters average at least this much. Check your chill hours or see our sources. |
| Pollination | Needs Cross-Pollination. Bloom group 7 of 7 (very late), late spring here. Plant a different apple or crabapple variety that blooms in groups 6 to 7. It has good pollen, so it can also pollenize other apples blooming at the same time. Good partners we carry: Ellis Bitter Apple, Brown Snout Apple. Apple Pollination Map. |
| Ripens | About Oct 16 to Oct 29 in Missoula (a Missoula estimate from published sources). Real years swing about a week either way. See the date for your town. |
| Rootstock and size | Bud 118: semi-dwarf in our dry Montana soils, semi-standard on paper, about 12 to 18 ft tall unpruned. Stands on its own, few suckers. Our rootstock guide. |
| Good for | Hard cider (7/10), brandy and liqueurs (7/10). Scores are our 1 to 10 ratings, but we're still new to this one, so they lean on published descriptions and other growers rather than our own harvests. 8 and up makes our Best Of lists. |
| Deer | A deer favorite. Fence it or cage it. |
| What you get | Bare root, 5-7 ft. Shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring, roots wrapped in moist sawdust. Guaranteed to bud out. |
Overview
Binet Rouge is a traditional French cider apple from Normandy, long valued for its aromatic, bittersweet fruit and exceptional pollination qualities. The small to medium apples are greenish-yellow with red striping, producing firm, fine-grained flesh that is sweet, slightly bitter, and distinctly flavorful. It's excellent for cider but unsuitable for fresh eating.
Tree Characteristics
The tree is moderately vigorous, frost-tolerant at bloom, and known for heavy biennial crops, though it is prone to scab, mildew, and fire blight. Used historically in Calvados production, Binet Rouge remains a highly regarded cider variety.
Cold Hardiness
In terms of hardiness, Binet Rouge surprisingly bounced back after a cold 2024 winter in which the Western Agriculture Research Station experienced near -40F. Not sure whether it can tolerate much colder than that.
Note on Our Experience
This is our first year growing Binet Rouge in Montana; information provided is from established sources rather than firsthand experience.
Western Ag Research Center Notes (Corvallis, MT)
According to Western Agriculture Research Center in Corvallis, MT, "Binet Rouge is a small stature tree that produces prolifically in bearing years and must be thinned to reduce fruit load and biennial bearing. It is highly susceptible to fire blight and should be managed carefully to reduce risk of infection. Binet Rouge, while not extremely vigorous, does produce several branches with good angles for training on either a trellis or as a standalone tree. Four years after planting, it has yet to reach the top wire in WARC’s high density trellis system on both G935 and M26 rootstock."
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Questions we get about Binet Rouge Apple
Does Binet Rouge Apple need a pollenizer?
Yes. Binet Rouge Apple needs pollen from a different variety that blooms at about the same time. Plant a different apple or crabapple variety that blooms in groups 6 to 7. It has good pollen, so it can also pollenize other apples blooming at the same time. Partners we carry include Ellis Bitter Apple, Brown Snout Apple.
How cold hardy is Binet Rouge Apple?
We list Binet Rouge Apple at zone 3, which means winters down to about -40°F. We're still new to it, so that rating comes from the Western Ag Research Center and other growers' reports rather than our own winters. We'll adjust it as our own trees go through more Montana winters.
How many chill hours does Binet Rouge Apple need?
About 900 hours of winter chill (we count hours at or below 45°F), likely somewhere between 700 and 1,300. Nobody has published a chill figure for it, so that's our estimate from its relatives and origin. Late bloomer and strongly biennial, so thin hard in heavy years. No measured chill figure; plan on about 900 hours. Our chill hours guide has a calculator for your winters, and our research page lists the sources.
When does Binet Rouge Apple ripen?
About Oct 16 to Oct 29 in Missoula, Montana (an estimate built from published sources and our climate). Warmer places run earlier and cooler places later; our ripening map converts the date to your town.
How big does Binet Rouge Apple get?
We graft Binet Rouge Apple onto Bud 118 (semi-dwarf in our dry Montana soils, semi-standard on paper), which makes a tree roughly 12 to 18 ft tall if you never prune it.
What is Binet Rouge Apple good for?
Our top use scores for Binet Rouge Apple are hard cider (7/10), brandy and liqueurs (7/10). Since we're still new to it, those scores lean on published descriptions and other growers rather than our own harvests.
Is Binet Rouge Apple disease resistant?
For some diseases, yes. It's resistant to apple scab. It holds up moderately well against powdery mildew. It's very prone to fire blight. Nobody has published solid data on it for cedar-apple rust yet, so we list that as unknown. Our apple disease resistance chart has every rating, the notes and the sources.
Will deer eat Binet Rouge Apple?
Yes, deer love it. Protect Binet Rouge Apple with a fence or a cage, especially while it is young.
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Pollination partners
Trees that will pollenize Binet Rouge Apple
Binet Rouge Apple needs a different apple or crabapple nearby to set fruit. Every tree below blooms at the same time and has pollen that works for it. Plant partners within about 100 feet.
Bloom group
7 of 7 (Very Late)
Pollination
Needs a partner
Pollen
Good pollenizer
