Ribston Pippin Cider Apple Tree | Bare Root, Zone 4

A ripe Ribston Pippin apple cupped in the hands

Ribston Pippin Cider Apple

$49.99

Reliable shipping

Flexible returns

Pollination Needs a partnerTriploid

Bloom group 4 of 7 (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)

At a glance: Ribston Pippin Cider Apple is an apple tree rated hardy to zone 4 in our ratings (winters to -30°F), not self-fertile, so it needs a different variety nearby as a pollenizer (bloom group 4 of 7, mid for an apple or crabapple), and it ripens about Sep 25 to Oct 7 in Missoula (our Missoula estimate).

Hardy to	Zone 4 to 8. A bare number means the whole of zone 4, colder half included (winters to -30°F). Our notes have it taking -40°F. Find your zone with our cold hardiness calculator.
Pollination	Needs Cross-Pollination. Bloom group 4 of 7 (mid), late spring here. This is a triploid, so its pollen is poor and it can't pollenize other trees. Plant two different apple or crabapple varieties with good pollen that bloom in groups 3 to 5. Good partners we carry: Otterson Crabapple, Trail Crabapple, Alexander Apple, Burgundy Apple and 104 more. Apple Pollination Map.
Ripens	About Sep 25 to Oct 7 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	Fresh eating (9/10), juice and sweet cider (7/10), pies and baking (7/10), cooking and roasting (6/10), hard cider (6/10), canning and freezing (6/10). Scores are our own 1 to 10 ratings; 8 and up makes our Best Of lists.
Deer	A deer favorite. Fence it or cage it.
What you get	Bare root, 3-5 ft or 4-6 ft. Shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring, roots wrapped in moist sawdust. Guaranteed to bud out.

Overview

Perhaps the most famous apple variety from Yorkshire, England, Ribston Pippin was a Victorian favorite prized for its strong, aromatic flavor. It remains a standout for fresh eating and cider, with a rich history and excellent character.

Luke’s 2023 Tasting Notes (Missoula Harvest)

“Honey flavor with hints of grape. Dense apple with an interesting woody texture that makes you continually want more. Decent acidity and good sweetness. Medium thickness in terms of the skin.”

This is one of our favorite apples for fresh eating.

Flavor & Uses

Flavor profile: Honeyed, with subtle grape notes; aromatic and complex

Texture: Dense with a unique, slightly woody bite

Skin: Yellow, flushed orange, streaked red, with russeting at the base and apex

Best after: A month or so of storage to reach full flavor

Uses: Excellent for fresh eating, culinary applications, and sweet-sharp hard or soft cider

Heritage & Parentage

Ribston Pippin is most likely the parent of Cox's Orange Pippin, one of the world’s most famous apple varieties. It’s a classic example of English heirloom apples bred for complexity and depth of flavor.

Cold Hardiness & Growing Conditions

Fairly hardy, but not among our most cold-hardy apples
Likely hardy to about -40°F, but may struggle in parts of Eastern Montana where temperatures drop below that
Grafted onto Bud 118, a super-hardy semi-dwarf rootstock, which adds resilience and size control

Image Credit

Image courtesy of Markus Hagenlocher under CC 3.0.

Questions we get about Ribston Pippin Cider Apple

Does Ribston Pippin Cider Apple need a pollenizer?

Yes. Ribston Pippin Cider Apple needs pollen from a different variety that blooms at about the same time. This is a triploid, so its pollen is poor and it can't pollenize other trees. Plant two different apple or crabapple varieties with good pollen that bloom in groups 3 to 5. Partners we carry include Otterson Crabapple, Trail Crabapple, Alexander Apple.

How cold hardy is Ribston Pippin Cider Apple?

We rate Ribston Pippin Cider Apple hardy to zone 4, which means winters down to about -30°F. Our notes have it taking -40°F. Our ratings come from real winters at our two Montana sites and from trusted growers across the North, not from a catalog average.

When does Ribston Pippin Cider Apple ripen?

About Sep 25 to Oct 7 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 Ribston Pippin Cider Apple get?

We graft Ribston Pippin Cider 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 Ribston Pippin Cider Apple good for?

Our top use scores for Ribston Pippin Cider Apple are fresh eating (9/10), juice and sweet cider (7/10), pies and baking (7/10), cooking and roasting (6/10). Anything scored 8 or higher makes our Best Of lists.

Will deer eat Ribston Pippin Cider Apple?

Yes, deer love it. Protect Ribston Pippin Cider Apple with a fence or a cage, especially while it is young.

Pollination partners

Trees that will pollenize Ribston Pippin Cider Apple

Ribston Pippin Cider 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.

Ribston Pippin Cider Apple is a triploid. Its pollen is poor, so it can't pollenize these back. Plant two of them so every tree in the planting gets pollenized.

Bloom group 4 of 7 (Mid)

Pollination Needs a partner

Pollen Poor (triploid)

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