Spurred apple trees produce apples on short stalks along branches on 2-year-old wood, and non-spurred apple trees, also known as ‘type bearers’, produce apples on the tip of new branches.
Apple trees grow in many countries around the world, and they perform best in temperate climates. Apple trees grow well when the winters are cold, the summers are hot, and an intermediate period exists between the two. The standard season cycle describes an ideal climate for apple trees.
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. Depending on tree density (the number of trees planted per unit area), mature trees typically produce 40–200 kg (90–440 lb) apples each year, although yields can be close to zero in bad years.
Dwarf apple trees typically grow to a height of four to eight feet, while full-sized trees grow significantly taller, about twenty to thirty feet in height. If you plant grafted apple trees on a dwarf rootstock (such as M26 or B9), they will only grow to 7 feet at maturity.
Choosing Apple Trees to Plant
You’ll need to estimate the size of your planting area to determine which apple variety is best, and keep in mind that in most cases, you’ll need room for at least two apple trees, if not more. Equally important, what and where will be planted, you need to decide what kind of apples you want to harvest.
It depends on several factors, including climate and stabilization zone, landscape, how many apple trees you want to plant, and what variety. So once you’ve chosen a dedicated fruit tree nursery, check out their catalog to see what climate the trees will live in.
The cold hardiness of fruit trees is the result of the combination of rootstock and scion. Dwarf rootstocks can be used to produce very small trees (less than 3.0 m in height at maturity) that bear fruit many years earlier in their life cycle than full-sized trees and are easier to harvest.
Rootstocks were first used on apple trees to control hairy apple aphids, a soil insect that kills the roots of sensitive trees; some of these rootstocks have the advantage of reducing the size of the bearing shaft. The advantages of dwarf apple rootstocks are that they start to be produced at a young age, can produce better quality fruit, use space more efficiently, and produce fruit that can be easily harvested.
The Advantages of Grafting Trees on Rootstocks
Trees grafted on dwarf rootstocks can produce approximately 10-80 kg (20-180 lb) of fruit per year. In exchange for a decent harvest, you’ll need ladders and pole clamps to prune these trees, and fruit pickers like this one are available on Amazon for most apples.
However, most apples require not only a second apple tree for pollination, but also a second tree of a different variety (for example, Pink Lady apples should be combined with Gala, Fuji, Granny Smith, or McIntosh apples to obtain fruit). Since apples are highly cross-pollinated, multiple varieties with overlapping flowering times need to be planted for a good harvest (similar cooling requirements).
While some apple varieties can be produced with moderate refrigeration, all moderately refrigerated varieties perform best for many years with above average refrigeration hours. The further north you go, the more cold hours an apple variety needs to avoid frost problems in late spring. Apple varieties selected for a specific growing area should have a refrigeration requirement within 150 hours of the average winter cooling. Of course, spring is best, but make sure the soil is good and thawed.
Best Practices for Planting Apple Trees
You’ll know when to plant your apple tree and when you can dig the holes you need to plant the tree. Plant trees in a well-drained, sunny location with good air circulation. Keep the area around the tree very clean and free of fallen fruit and leaves, debris and weeds. If the tree is in a home landscape, it can be pruned into shape in the spring.
Apples tend to ripen from the outside of the tree to the center and from the top of the tree to the bottom. Like most fruit plants, apples need as much sun as possible to grow at their best. Like most fruit trees, apple trees like a lot of sunlight and need at least 6-8 hours of sunshine per day during the growing season. Apples require at least six hours of direct sunlight a day to bear fruit best, so plant them in full sun.
While some apple varieties are self-pollinating, they also produce more fruit if another variety is nearby. 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. The only thing better than eating a good apple is planting your own tree. Planted, watered correctly, and you and your apple tree will be off to a great start.
Or, you can plant your apple tree the hard way, run to the garden center today, buy a potted tree, plant it, and hope for the best. 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. Whether for growing fruit or just for a beautiful tree, apples require regular pruning.
How Long t Wait for Apple Trees to Bear Fruit
Standard apple or full-sized trees can start producing fruit 4 to 8 years after planting. If all the apples reach maturity so quickly, the tree will soon dry out and yield much lower yields in the years to come. This is necessary because apple trees grown from seed will not grow the same as their parent fruit.
Grafting is an amazing process when the stem of the apple variety you choose is attached to the trunk (young roots and trunk) of another tree. When a fruit tree is grown from a rootstock, a part of the plant, in this case an apple tree, will be grafted into a specific type of rootstock in order to grow according to certain characteristics.
Trees can form root grafts with adjacent trees of the same species. Rootstocks for grafting the bottom can be selected to produce trees of various sizes, as well as changing winter hardiness, insect and disease resistance, and the preferred soil for the final tree. They are then grafted onto rootstocks with more beneficial properties, such as disease resistance and acceptable size, that affect the tree’s ultimate productivity. You can plant a tree next to a fence, or use a trellis to create a freestanding support.
Consider a new cultivar like columnar apple trees designed to grow vertically without branching horizontally, ideal for small spaces and even patios or balconies. There is nothing better than picking sweet organic apples, pears, cherries or apricots from the tree. Apple trees and fruits can be severely damaged by many harmful insects, including apple grubs, plush moths, mealybugs, misted insects, flat-headed apple moth, and several species of stink bugs.
