The number of years it takes for an apple tree to ripen and bear fruit depends on the variety of apple you planted. When you grow an apple tree from an apple tree seedling, it takes many years to become a fruit tree.
Standard apple trees take six years to begin bearing fruit and can grow up to 30 feet in height. Dwarf apple trees can begin bearing fruit after three years. However, although the dwarf tree yields fruit faster, it produces less than the standard tree when both are mature.
When an apple tree grows a tree from seed, it can take 5 to 10 years for the apple tree to begin bearing fruit. A standard apple tree can grow and bear fruit for a little longer than a dwarf tree.
Time Required for Apple Trees to Bear Fruit
Besides the growth rate of the apple tree, another important question for the home gardener is how long it takes for a tree from the nursery to bear fruit. A standard-sized tree can take up to eight years to begin bearing fruit. An experienced gardener will tell you that you can usually expect the tree to take 6-10 years to grow if you start from seed.
While you may have to wait a year to three years to start enjoying the fruits of your labor, once you get into growing a fruit tree or plant, you can enjoy your harvest.
If you want to plant a tree and get fruit from it in the same year, you can do it in a number of ways, although this is by no means guaranteed. You can plant a tree that blooms at the same time as your tree for more fruit, or a tree that blooms at a different time to pick fresh apples at different times of the year.
Planting more trees of different varieties will help increase the amount of fruit your tree produces each year. Your local nursery may also instruct you to plant fruit trees specific to your climate zone that will grow 2 to 3 feet per year until they reach maturity.
Where to Acquire Apple Trees
Traditionally grown common trees such as Gala, Honeycrisp and Fuji are available year-round in large retail stores, while more unique varieties (Ambrosia, Pink Lady) and certified organic trees may only be available in the off-season. If you want to grow more trees, this may affect the specific types of trees you buy. This applies to both purchased and grafted trees, and grown from seeds. So if the space you need has prevented you from growing from seed, you can always buy a seedling and continue.
This means that if possible, you should plant a couple of trees to stimulate pollination, giving them about 50 feet of space between trees. The likelihood that neighboring trees of other fruit varieties (peach, plum, cherry) may not be so high, so check with your neighbors or play it safe and plant a couple.
Unfortunately no, some tree species are not worth trying to plant from seed, although you or your children may be tempted to try. If you choose to grow trees from seeds, start with seeds that you have collected from local organic apples that you think were delicious.
According to Paul Wheaton, the chance of your new tree producing delicious apples is about 20%, and the probability of having normal apples on the tree is 60%.
Apple Tree Size and Yield
Among the larger apple trees, they can produce a large number of apples within 2-5 years after planting and grow well in almost any winter hardiness zone. Some of these fruit trees only take two or three years to take root and bear fruit. This is part of the time it takes for other trees to grow fresh fruit. Most importantly, citrus trees begin to bear fruit within a year after planting, and a full harvest occurs three years after planting.
Not all apricot trees grow fast, but you can look for varieties known for their fast growth. So when we talk about ways to grow fruit trees faster, we are still talking about a process that takes 6 months to 3 years depending on which tree you buy. Fruit trees take seven to ten years to harvest, and no one wants to wait that long to eat fresh home grown fruit. Growing from seed can take 8-10 years to produce fruits, but it is much cheaper.
Larger fruits are obtained when there is more than one tree, regardless of the type of tree. Figs are self-fertile, so you just need to grow the tree to get the harvest.
Apple Tree Yields and Rootstocks
It takes them several more years after planting to grow and mature before they begin to bear fruit. Apple trees and pears grown on dwarf or semi-dwarf rootstocks will bear fruit much earlier, Iowa State University’s Outreach and Extension said.
All transplanted trees take about two years to develop a root system strong enough to support the weight of the growing fruit. While you will still have to wait for your tree to reach its production age, choosing a tree that is at least two years old will get you to this fruiting stage much faster.
For the first two years, flowers and young fruits are manually harvested, preventing them from developing; this will give the tree more energy to root. In subsequent years, when the tree begins to bear fruit, pruning may be easier. Keep the smaller tree pruned annually in late winter or early spring when it is dormant. The tree usually begins to produce edible fruits between 4 and 6 years of age, although some unappetizing small fruits may appear earlier.
The Early Years of an Apple Tree
However, it quickly reaches maturity and can begin bearing fruit at 3-4 years of age. So, if you buy a dwarf apple tree that has been growing for two years, it can start bearing fruit very quickly. If all the apples reach maturity so quickly, the tree will soon dry out and yield much lower yields in the years to come.
One of the advantages of grafted trees is that they bear fruit much faster than trees grown from seed – with grafted trees, you can even get a tree that will bear fruit in its first year. You can help these trees grow faster by taking good care of them, protecting them from pests, and applying fertilizer at the right time. Young trees will bear fruit 3-5 years after planting in order to develop fruit buds, but buds can produce for many years, so don’t prune them.
During the summer months, you can stimulate the tree to produce more fruit buds by tying new branches horizontally. When choosing to plant an apple tree, keep in mind that apples need to be cross-pollinated to bear fruit, so you’ll want to have partner plants nearby.
