Apple

Apples grow best in well-drained loam near pH 6.0-7.0, with fertilizer guided by soil testing and annual shoot growth. Choose a rootstock suited to your space and a compatible pollinizer, then train young branches and thin fruit to prevent overbearing.

Sun

Full sun

Water

Water deeply during establishment; adjust to rainfall and soil

Spacing

180 in

First harvest

2–5 years

Tips

• Plant with the graft union several inches above soil and stake dwarf-rootstock trees with permanent support if required.
• Water deeply through the first two seasons and keep mulch a few inches away from the trunk.
• Avoid fertilizer in the planting hole and excess nitrogen, which promotes fire blight-susceptible shoots.
• Remove early fruit while the framework establishes, train wide branch angles, and later thin fruit to about 6 inches apart.
• Monitor for apple scab and codling moth, and harvest when the cultivar's background color changes and fruit separates with a gentle lift.

Plant grafted bare-root trees while dormant in early spring or container trees in spring or fall.

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