Spartan x Mac Apple Seedlings | Bare Root, Zone 3

A Spartan x McIntosh seedling apple ripening on the branch

Spartan x Mac Apple Seedling (Bundle of 2) | Spring 2027

$59.99

Reliable shipping

Flexible returns

Pollination Needs a partner

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)

Disease resistanceNot tested yet

Apple scab : Unknown, no published data yet
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)

On video

At a glance: Spartan x Mac Apple Seedling is an apple tree rated hardy to zone 3 in our ratings (winters to -40°F), and not self-fertile, so it needs a different variety nearby as a pollenizer (bloom group 4 of 7, mid for an apple or crabapple).

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 850 hours (700 to 1,100). Seedlings vary, so this is based on the parent tree. 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 4 of 7 (mid), late spring here. Not self-fertile. Every seedling is a different tree, so plant a different named apple or crabapple nearby that blooms in groups 3 to 5 on our chart to be sure of a good pollenizer. Good partners we carry: Otterson Crabapple, Trail Crabapple, Alexander Apple, Burgundy Apple and 103 more. Bloom group is our estimate from the variety's origin and relatives. Apple Pollination Map.
Good for	Sauce and butter (6/10), juice and sweet cider (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, 3-4 ft. Shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring, roots wrapped in moist sawdust. Guaranteed to bud out.

These trees were propagated from Spartan apple seeds. We know certainly that Spartan was the seed parent. However, in terms of the pollen parent there is a very high (although not definitive) likelihood that McIntosh is the pollen parent. Assuming that these seedlings share equal traits from both the seed and pollen parent (which we know is extremely unlikely given that not only are we not exactly sure of the pollen parent, but that there is also a ton of genetic variability in apples) they should be fairly cold hardy, around -40F, have decent sugar to acid ratio, come on fairly late in September/early October (in Western MT), and can be used for not only fresh eating but also for canning, baking, drying, pressing, etc. However, if these seedlings do not produce great apples, then they could either be used for cider, top worked (i.e. grafted onto with something else), or used as animal feed.

Questions we get about Spartan x Mac Apple Seedling

Does Spartan x Mac Apple Seedling need a pollenizer?

Yes. Spartan x Mac Apple Seedling needs pollen from a different variety that blooms at about the same time. Not self-fertile. Every seedling is a different tree, so plant a different named apple or crabapple nearby that blooms in groups 3 to 5 on our chart to be sure of a good pollenizer. Partners we carry include Otterson Crabapple, Trail Crabapple, Alexander Apple.

How cold hardy is Spartan x Mac Apple Seedling?

We rate Spartan x Mac Apple Seedling hardy to zone 3, which means winters down to about -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.

How many chill hours does Spartan x Mac Apple Seedling need?

About 850 hours of winter chill (we count hours at or below 45°F), likely somewhere between 700 and 1,100. That's based on the parent, Spartan. Both parents run about 800 to 850 hours, so expect roughly 850. Seedlings vary. Our chill hours guide has a calculator for your winters, and our research page lists the sources.

What is Spartan x Mac Apple Seedling good for?

Our top use scores for Spartan x Mac Apple Seedling are sauce and butter (6/10), juice and sweet cider (6/10).

Is Spartan x Mac Apple Seedling disease resistant?

We don't know yet. Nobody has published solid disease data on Spartan x Mac Apple Seedling for apple scab, cedar-apple rust, fire blight and powdery mildew, so we list it as unknown instead of guessing. That doesn't mean it's weak. Plenty of the plants we grow have never been through formal disease trials. Our apple disease resistance chart has every rating, the notes and the sources.

Will deer eat Spartan x Mac Apple Seedling?

Yes, deer love it. Protect Spartan x Mac Apple Seedling with a fence or a cage, especially while it is young.

What arrives, and when does Spartan x Mac Apple Seedling 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: 3-4 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.

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Pollination partners

Trees that will pollenize Spartan x Mac Apple Seedling

Spartan x Mac Apple Seedling 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 4 of 7 (Mid)

Pollination Needs a partner

Pollen Not tested yet

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