How to grow Apple

Malus domestica · apple tree, domestic apple

The domestic apple is a deciduous fruit tree grown worldwide for its fruit, which ripens in late summer and autumn. Its height depends on the rootstock, from under 3 m on dwarfing roots to about 5.5–7.5 m or more as a standard tree. Dormant wood is very hardy, but open blossom is damaged at −2 °C.

Quick facts

Type	Fruit tree
Family	Rosaceae
Light	Full sun
Soil pH	6–6.5
Frost	tolerates light frost
Sowing to harvest	1095 days
Where it grows	Open ground

When to plant

Planted as a young plant from a nursery while it is dormant — in early spring before the buds open, or in autumn after leaf fall.

Harvest from August to October (northern hemisphere).

Care

Open ground

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Growth	every 7 days	—	balanced (NPK), at the start of the stage
Flowering	every 7 days	—	—
Fruiting	every 7 days	—	balanced (NPK), at the start of the stage
Harvest	every 7 days	—	—
Winter rest	—	—	—

Growing notes

Light

Full sun gives the most flowers and fruit; choose a sheltered spot that is not a frost pocket.

Soil

Deep, fertile, well-drained soil that never waterlogs, ideally pH 6.0–6.5.

Care

Plant bare-root trees while dormant and stake them. For the first three summers water a young tree once a week in dry weather, 40–55 litres slowly at the base, and mulch each spring with compost. Feed from the second year, half at the end of April and half at the end of May. Prune free-standing trees in winter, pick off the fruitlets in the first year and thin the rest to one per cluster after the June drop.

How to tell it is ripe

The fruit has swelled to full size and taken on its variety's colour.
The ground colour, the skin without red blush, turns from leaf green to yellowish-green or cream, and golden in yellow varieties.
Windfalls start to appear on the ground under the tree.
Cup the apple, lift it and give a slight twist: a ripe one comes away easily with its stalk.
Cut one open: the seeds are brown to dark brown.
Taste one: it is sweet.
Pick by cupping the fruit and lifting it with a gentle twist so the stalk stays on, and store only unblemished apples in a cool, dark, airy place.

Pests and diseases of Apple

Sources

Figures checked against these sources.