Planting And Caring For An Apple Tree

Scientifically known as Pyrus malus, the apple tree is indigenous to Britain. It is also where all the varieties today descended from. It was where new varieties were grafted from when brought in from Europe.

The fruit tree came from the temperate zones and grows best in regions that are cooler. Even before the time of the Norman Conquest, apple trees have been grown.

It has multiplied in its wild state in nearly all countries of Europe and even going as far as the Caucasus. In Norway, you can find trees in the lowlands as far as Drontheim.

Choosing Your Tree

Before you go and buy your apple tree, you have to think about the size of the tree that you want to cultivate in your garden. The size and the strength of the apple tree are revealed by the rootstock.

The next thing to consider is the taste of the apples. You have to know if you want the desert type or an acidic cooking type for dishes. Do you want your dessert apples to be soft or crisp, sweet and mild or full-tasting and more acidic?

The last thing you have to think about is pollination. Nearly all variety of trees are self-pollinating and need the pollen from other trees so they can produce fruit.

Normally, they are sold and 1 or even 2 year old trees. The 2 year old tree, of course, will bear fruit soon after you plant it. You can find potted and bare-rooted trees.

If you don’t plan on planting right away, you should get a potted tree because keeping the tree will be easier that way until you decide on planting it.

Once you’ve considered the point above, you’ll be ready to go to your local nursery and buy an apple tree.

After selecting your tree, you should plant them under the full sun. They’ll also need proper air circulation and soil drainage. It is vital to plant them in a place where they will get early morning sun so the dew on the leaves can be dried. This helps lessen plant diseases that flourish in damp environments.

Soak the roots in water for about 30 minutes before you plant the tree in the ground. While the roots are still soaking, dig a wide and deep hole that can hold the root system. Before you cover the hole, spread the roots and then hold the tree in position so that it won’t slant within the hole.

Plant the young tree at a similar depth it was grown in its pot. For grafted apple trees, be care that the ground union is beyond ground level.

Before you backfill the hole completely, pour a couple water gallons to it so the tree can settle in its new home. Help your new apple tree develop by ensuring that it gets a lot of moisture.

Adding 2 or 3 gallons of water on each tree every couple of week s would usually be enough. Sandy soils lose water faster. Trees grown in sandy soil should be watered more often. The soil should remain moist, but never soggy.

If you’re planting your tree in heavy clay soil which doesn’t drain well, you should make sure it is planted a little higher than it was planted in the nursery. This will allow the root system to get more air.

Your trees should have plenty of room so that proper air circulation is guaranteed. If you’re planting dwarf trees types, they should be spaced around 8 feet apart and 10 feet apart if you’re planting semi-dwarf apple trees. If planting in numerous rows, you should space the rows around 15 feet apart from each other.

Pruning

To make sure your trees grow strong and beautifully shaped, you have to prune them well. Doing this also helps in air circulation and fruit production. Apple trees that are grown in containers require light pruning.

Their limbs may also need to be trained so they’ll grow at a proper angle. Tree branches, which develop at angles lesser than 35 degrees, have more possibility of breaking from the tree when they are with fruit and are heavy. Training tree branches to a correct angle can be done on young trees using clothespins.

Fertilizing

The trees should be applied with fertilizer every spring so they’ll remain healthy. The recommended fertilizer for these trees is one with an NPK of 10-10-10.

The fertilizer should be applied early in the spring when all the snow already melted but earlier than the trees budding out. Evenly spread out the fertilizer on the ground under every tree’s canopy.

Approximately half a pound of the fertilizer should be used for every inch of the tree’s trunk diameter. If your trees are planted on your lawn and you often fertilizer your lawn, lessen the fertilizer you apply to your trees so you won’t over fertilize them.

More is definitely not better with fertilizer. Don’t use the weed-and-feed type of fertilizer because this can cause harm to your trees.

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Top of Apple Tree

Listed under Landscape Plants