Crabapples that bloom at the same time as your apple trees work perfectly well as pollenizers. Apples also need bees to carry out pollination. Do not use insecticides near apple trees during flowering. As varieties are grown, people are always looking for strains that might be earlier ripening, better colored, earlier coloring, spur type, etc. For example, Red Delicious apple has over 40 strains currently available on the market.
Some strains are better than others.
This guide cannot include all of the possible strains and so the fruit are described according to what would typically be expected for a variety. All we can suggest is to read a variety's description carefully and don't hesitate to contact a nursery to get a more complete description. The tables included in this publication present many popular apples that are grown in Missouri. These tables are not in any way designed to be all-inclusive. It is hoped that they will help you choose an apple to plant or help guide you in purchasing fruit.