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Representative photo of pale-skinned apples with a crimson blush on the branch, not Lubsk Queen itself
  • Representative photo of pale-skinned apples with a crimson blush on the branch, not Lubsk Queen itself
  • USDA pomological watercolor of the Lubsk Queen apple
  • Representative photo of pale-skinned apples with a crimson blush on the branch, not Lubsk Queen itself
  • USDA pomological watercolor of the Lubsk Queen apple
Lubsk Queen Apple (Spring 2027)

Lubsk Queen Apple (Spring 2027)

$39.99
Rootstock/Size

Reliable shipping

Flexible returns
Pollination Needs a partner
Bloom group 3 of 7 (Early-Mid)
See trees that will pollenize it Apple Pollination Map
Ripening

Will it finish before your first hard freeze?

Check it on the Ripening Map (opens in a new tab)
Disease resistanceNo strong resistance
  • Apple scab : Moderate, 3 of 5
  • Cedar-apple rust : Unknown, no published data yet
  • Fire blight : Unknown, no published data yet
  • Powdery mildew : Unknown, no published data yet

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: Lubsk Queen Apple is an apple tree we've conservatively estimated at zone 4 (winters to -30°F), and not self-fertile, so it needs a different variety nearby as a pollenizer (bloom group 3 of 7, early-mid for an apple or crabapple).

Hardy to Zone 4 to 7. A bare number means the whole of zone 4, colder half included (winters to -30°F). Find your zone with our cold hardiness calculator.
Chill hours About 1,000 hours (800 to 1,200). 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 3 of 7 (early-mid), late spring here. Not self-fertile. Plant a different apple or crabapple variety nearby that blooms at about the same time (bloom groups 2 to 4 on our chart). Good partners we carry: Hewe's Virginia Crabapple, Hyslop Crabapple, Wickson Crabapple, Blue Pearmain Apple and 100 more. Bloom group is our estimate from the variety's origin and relatives. Apple Pollination Map.
Rootstock and size Dolgo: full size, about 20 to 30 ft tall unpruned. Very hardy and well anchored. Plant 18 to 20 ft apart. Our rootstock guide.
Good for Fresh eating (6/10), pies and baking (6/10), sauce and butter (6/10). 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, 2-4 ft or 4-6 ft. Shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring, roots wrapped in moist sawdust. Guaranteed to bud out.

This is our first year with Lubsk Queen, so everything here is secondhand until we have fruited it and watched it through a few winters. We will update it as we learn.

Overview

Lubsk Queen is one of the prettiest apples anybody grows. It is a Russian variety, sometimes listed as Lubskoe, and the fruit is close to white with a clean crimson blush over it. People have been growing it for looks as much as for eating for a long time.

Origin and History

It is an old Russian apple that came west with the wave of Russian material brought into North America in the late 1800s, the same general push that gave us Antonovka, Duchess of Oldenburg and Yellow Transparent. Those imports are the reason apple growing works at all in the northern plains, and Lubsk Queen has stayed around mostly on the strength of how it looks.

Fruit and Uses

Medium sized, round to slightly flattened, with a smooth waxy skin that is nearly translucent white under a bright red flush. The flesh is white, sometimes stained faintly pink near the skin, and it is tender and juicy with a mild, lightly tart flavor. This is an early to mid-season apple and it does not keep, so plan on eating it fresh off the tree or turning it straight into sauce and pies. It is not a storage apple and we would not pretend otherwise.

Growth Habit and Spacing

Ours are grafted on Dolgo full size rootstock, so give it room. Plan on 18 to 20 feet between trees, or tighter if you are committed to pruning it every year.

Pollination

Lubsk Queen needs a pollenizer. It blooms early to mid, so pair it with something in that window. Chestnut, Centennial, Norland, Parkland, Crimson Beauty and Dolgo all overlap well.

Cold Hardiness

We have it listed at zone 4 for now. The Russian background suggests it may well do better than that, but we would rather under-promise than have you lose a tree. Once we have our own winter data we will revise it.

About the photo: this isn’t Lubsk Queen itself. Photos of Lubsk Queen are either under copyright or simply unavailable, so we picked the open-source image that looks closest to the fruit. Photo: “Discovery apples” by Bob Balmer, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY 2.0.

Questions we get about Lubsk Queen Apple

Does Lubsk Queen Apple need a pollenizer?

Yes. Lubsk Queen Apple needs pollen from a different variety that blooms at about the same time. Plant a different apple or crabapple variety nearby that blooms at about the same time (bloom groups 2 to 4 on our chart). Partners we carry include Hewe's Virginia Crabapple, Hyslop Crabapple, Wickson Crabapple.

How cold hardy is Lubsk Queen Apple?

We list Lubsk Queen Apple at zone 4 for now, which means winters down to about -30°F. Its Russian background suggests it may do better than that, but we'd rather under-promise until our own trees have been through a few winters. We'll revise it once we have that data.

How many chill hours does Lubsk Queen Apple need?

About 1,000 hours of winter chill (we count hours at or below 45°F), likely somewhere between 800 and 1,200. Nobody has published a chill figure for it, so that's our estimate from its relatives and origin. Our chill hours guide has a calculator for your winters, and our research page lists the sources.

How big does Lubsk Queen Apple get?

We graft Lubsk Queen Apple onto Dolgo (full size), which makes a tree roughly 20 to 30 ft tall if you never prune it. Plant 18 to 20 ft apart.

What is Lubsk Queen Apple good for?

Our top use scores for Lubsk Queen Apple are fresh eating (6/10), pies and baking (6/10), sauce and butter (6/10). Since we haven't fruited it yet, those scores lean on published descriptions rather than our own harvests.

Is Lubsk Queen Apple disease resistant?

Somewhat. It holds up moderately well against apple scab. Nobody has published solid data on it for cedar-apple rust, fire blight and powdery mildew yet, so we list those as unknown. Our apple disease resistance chart has every rating, the notes and the sources.

Will deer eat Lubsk Queen Apple?

Yes, deer love it. Protect Lubsk Queen Apple with a fence or a cage, especially while it is young.

What arrives, and when does Lubsk Queen Apple ship?

A dormant bare-root plant, roots wrapped in moist sawdust with a vapor barrier, shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring. Sizes offered: 2-4 ft or 4-6 ft. We guarantee our plants bud out. Stone fruits can be slow, so if one still has not budded out by August 15, write to us and we credit you for the following spring.

Pollination partners

Trees that will pollenize Lubsk Queen Apple

Lubsk Queen 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 3 of 7 (Early-Mid)
Pollination Needs a partner
Pollen Good pollenizer

104 trees we carry will pollenize it. Showing the best matches, in-stock first.

See every pairing on the Apple Pollination Map Lubsk Queen Apple's bloom group is our best estimate. Watch it bloom and tell us what you see.

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