If you would like additional information, please contact: U. Apple Association, P. Box , McLean, VA , University of Illinois Extension. Backyard Fruits. The exception to this principle is young trees on the very low-vigour rootstocks such as M27, G65, M9, Bud. Trees on these rootstocks really need to be allowed to reach their full size before you allow fruiting, otherwise they may 'runt out' and stop growing altogether.
The rule of thumb with these rootstocks is you should prevent fruiting in the first and second year by removing any fruitlets, so that the tree can continue to grow. We are often asked why we only sell very young fruit trees.
Many customers would like to buy a 5-year old mature fruit tree that would be guaranteed to fruit the following summer. The main reason we don't sell trees this old is because fruit trees can only be transplanted reliably from the nursery to your garden or orchard when they are immature. In fact the younger the tree the better - a 1-year 'maiden' tree will invariably establish quicker and grow away better in the spring than an older tree. Even if mature fruit trees were available, they would almost certainly not fruit straight after planting, and without specialist planting and care in the first year after planting might not survive at all.
Customers often say that they have heard of mature ornamental trees being transplanted, and wonder why mature fruit trees can't also be transplanted. Part of the answer is simple market forces and supply and demand, but it is also partly because ornamental trees are usually not grafted on to size-controlling rootstocks and therefore reach maturity later, so the check to growth from the transplanting process is less.
We always state the age of the tree when we supply it - usually this will be a 1-year maiden or 2-year tree. If you can't remember how old your tree was, just contact us and we will have the details.
To keep it simple you can assume all trees have a 'birthday' in November, and the tree's age is basically the number of summers which it has been growing. So to work out the age of your tree just add the age of the tree when purchased to the number of whole years since the November of the year in which you purchased it.
There are several approaches you can take if you want to plant a tree and get fruit off it in the same year - although it is by no means guaranteed. Firstly, you can plant 2-year old apple trees grafted on the M27 rootstock. These trees always remain very small, not getting much beyond about 1. Some apple varieties are precocious, producing fruit a year or so earlier, and reaching full production a year or so earlier.
Most require pollen from a different cultivar apples are self-incompatible that flowers at the same time. A few apple trees are self-fertile but they produce better in the presence of a pollinator. Apples are grouped into 7 pollination groups based on their bloom season: very early season, early season, early midseason, midseason, late midseason, late season and very late season.
Choose two different cultivars in the same or adjacent pollination groups and plant them within 60 ft. Certain apple cultivars do not produce fertile pollen triploids and cannot fertilize other apples such as Gravenstein , Jonagold or Mutsu.
Most apples ripen between late summer and late fall, depending on climates and varieties early, mid or late harvest season. Training, Pruning Apple Trees Young apple trees are suitable for all training forms: classic bush tree with a clear trunk, espaliers against a wall or fence, cordons trees grown as a single upright or oblique stem, or as multiple upright stems growing from a single leg at the base , pyramid small, neat cone-shaped trees or stepovers horizontal cordons on a short leg.
If size is an issue, consider a dwarf bush, pyramid, cordon or stepover. These all can be grown in a small space, or even in a pot. Apples should be pruned every year to get the best crop. They also need to be thinned to about 8 in. Apple trees trained as free-standing bushes are best pruned every winter, when the tree is dormant, to ensure a good cycle of fruiting wood and create an open goblet shape with a framework of four to five main branches.
Apple trees trained as cordons, espaliers and pyramids should be pruned in summer to allow sunlight to ripen the fruit and ensure good cropping the following year. Watch for apple scab, apple canker, powdery mildews, blossom wilt and honey fungus. The easiest way to control diseases such as powdery mildew, scab, and fire blight is to plant a resistant variety such as Cortland , Honeycrisp , McIntosh or Red Delicious.
General Care Water young trees regularly, especially those on semidwarfing or dwarfing rootstocks, to ensure that the root system becomes well established. Apple trees require initial training to nurture a strong frame of branches so the trees can carry heavy apple crops.
Dwarf plants must be supported with posts or trellis and trained to a central leader system. Standard and sem-dwarf trees should also be trained to a modified leader. Pest control measures will be an important part of care. Correct timing is critical to avoid harming the bees and affecting pollination. When used, pesticides are applied at a specific stage of flower and fruit development, not according to the calendar.
If you wish to avoid pesticides, it is possible, though apple trees are the one of the most pest-susceptible fruits. For example, you can place paper bags around each apple of your tree, though this takes some time and labor.
There are also organic pesticides. For example: Rub off misplaced buds before they grow into misplaced branches. Bend a stem down almost horizontally for a few weeks to slow growth and promote branches and fruiting. Tie down with strings to stakes in the ground or to lower branches.
Prune your mature tree when it is dormant. Completely cut away overly vigorous, upright stems most common high up in the tree. Remove weak twigs which often hang from the undersides of limbs. Shorten stems that become too droopy, especially those low in the tree. After about ten years, fruiting spurs stubby branches that elongate only about a half-inch per year become overcrowded and decrepit.
Cut away some of them and shorten others. When a whole limb of fruiting spurs declines with age, cut it back to make room for a younger replacement. Thinning Apples Apples are often grown without any thinning other than what nature provides in the annual spring drop.
This seems hard but this practice evens out production, prevents a heavy crop from breaking limbs, and ensures better-tasting, larger fruit crop. Soon after fruit-set, remove the smallest fruits or damaged ones, leaving about four inches between those that remain.
Harvesting Apples Harvest patiently. Pluck your apples when their background color is no longer green. The stem should part readily from the branch when the fruit is cupped in the palm of your hand and given a slight twist around, then up do not yank on the apple. Different apple varieties mature at different times, so the harvest season can stretch from August to October. If the apple is overripe and soft, use for cooking! Storing Apples Only store mid or late season apples. Mid season varieties should keep for a few weeks, while late season varieties will stay in good condition for anywhere up to five months in a root cellar.
Apples destined for storage must be perfect, with no bruises or blemishes that could provide entry points for rot. Store apples by wrapping up individual fruits in newspaper or tissue paper.
Place the wrapped apples onto trays that allow air to circulate. You can also store them unwrapped, but the fruits should not touch. The ideal store is somewhere cool, dark, and well-ventilated. Most garages and sheds are ideal, while attics and basements should be avoided due to either excessive heat, lack of ventilation or low humidity.
Check stored apples regularly and remove any that are going soft, brown or rotting. Check out this video to learn more about how to harvest and store apples.
Maintenance is easier, too. You need to choose a rootstock. For dwarf trees, make sure that the rootstock is specified. The M9 is probably the most widely planted rootstock, though it could die in frigid winters. Buy dormant, bare-root, 1-year-old nursery trees with good root systems. Dwarfs and semi-dwarfs will bear in 3 to 4 years, yielding 1 to 2 bushels per year. Standard-size trees will bear in 5 to 8 years, yielding 4 to 5 bushels of apples per year. The variety of apple selected should be based on fruit characteristics, bloom time, and pollen compatibility.
Consult a local nursery to see which trees are potential cross-pollinators in your area. These varieties are known pollinators. Crabapple trees can also be used as pollinators if they bloom at the same time as the desired variety. Nursery catalogs will provide pollination charts. Most apple varieties do not pollinate themselves or any flowers of the same apple variety; this requires planting at least two different apple tree varieties close to one another so that the bees can pollinate.
There are actually some self-pollinating apple tree varieties if you are really short on space. However, even these apple trees will bear more fruit if cross-pollinated. If you have no particular culinary goal, try planting one each of different varieties that ripen over the entire harvest season. Seek out the advice of local orchardists about the varieties that will do well in your area. Do the bulk of your planning from an easy chair, with a half-dozen nursery catalogs in your lap!
March 11 is Johnny Appleseed Day, celebrating John Chapman, legendary American pioneer and folk hero who planted apple trees across the American Frontier. Did you know that apples and aged cheeses can reduce tooth plaque?
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