Science Helps To Produce A Better Apple

One simple question always comes up in the discussion of growing apple trees. It is: why can’t I just take a seed out of an apple and grow an apple tree from seed? And the answer is that you can. But the rest of the answer is that the apple tree you’ll grow will be an awful one that will be prone to diseases, could grow 30 to 40 feet tall and the fruit won’t be at all what you’d had in mind.An incredible amount of research has gone on for eons on growing apples and the science is quite mature. The modern apple tree comes from three resources. The first is exploration. Pomologists or plant scientists who specialize in apple culture have traveled the world to find new and superior apple varieties. And while crab apples are native to North America, our eating apples probably come from Kazakhstan, where exploration continues. But that’s only one part of the puzzle.

Pomologists and nurserymen have also learned that by choosing the correct root stock and grafting it to the chosen shoot stock (scion), you can control the height, width and hardiness of an apple tree as well as give the tree virus and disease resistance. And when you graft the right root stock to the right shoot stock you can have a variety like Gala that can be grown as a standard tree that can be 15 to 25 feet tall and 20 feet wide. But use a different root stock and that Gala can be grown as a semi-dwarf tree that will only grow 12 to 15 feet tall and wide. Then again, use yet another root stock and you can grow a Gala that’s a dwarf tree only getting 9 to 10 feet tall and wide.

I’m only intending on getting you interested in planting a few apple trees, but somewhere out there in Hamptonland someone will get the itch and will learn the art and science of grafting and budding and will begin to create his or her own exceptional trees. If that interests you, then drop me a line and I’ll give you some great reading material to get the addiction started.

But, as the man on TV says, but wait ... there’s more. Root stock can also provide cold-hardiness, so that a Gala can be grown in Georgia and on another root stock in New York. And on yet another root stock the Gala can be grown on a tree that grows like a grape vine in what we call a pedestrian apple orchard, where no ladders are needed and all the trees are grown on wire trellises and harvesting can be done simply by walking down the row and picking without the need for a ladder.

This is why I mentioned last week that you want to buy your apple trees (in fact all fruit trees) from reputable retailers, because discounters (both mail as well a big box store) rarely use the best root stock and it can be three or four years later when your apple tree doesn’t perform as intended because the root stock was essentially a cheap knock-off and not the root stock that will give you a great tree. So yes, you can plant the same variety of apple tree in your yard as your neighbor and if you bought a premium tree and your neighbor bought a bargain special … guess whose will produce faster, longer and with fewer problems?

There are other benefits to growing apple trees aside from their wonderful fruits. The flowers can be magnificent, with petal colors in splashes of pinks and whites in mid-spring. The flowers support an ecology of insect pollinators, not the least of which is our endangered honey bee. The trees provide shade and can be worked into the landscape and used for their ability to cool the surrounding areas. The branches and twigs that are pruned in the winter can be saved and when dried added to a barbecue for that wonderful apple-smoked flavor. In the winter the same twigs and branches make great kindling in the fireplace, imparting the scent of apples.

And apple trees are long-lived. You can travel the countryside and see apple trees on old homesteads indicating where the old orchards and farm houses were scores to hundreds of years ago. Apple trees were an important part of our history when drinking water sources couldn’t be trusted and apple trees provided the goods for cider. In the fall the cider was pressed and drunk fresh, and hard cider was stored in barrels, then decanted through the year as needed with some spirituous side effects.

How long can an apple tree live? The longest-lived apple tree in this country was reportedly planted in Manhattan in 1647 by Peter Stuyvesant in his orchard. The tree is said to have lived and produced apples until 1866, when a train derailed and downed the tree.

Now, don’t expect to get your apple tree, plant it and simply harvest fruit four to six months later. It’s possible, but not advisable. Unless you’re buying a 20-year-old tree that’s being planted with a five-foot root ball (yes, you can find these, but they are rare), you should inhibit fruiting for at least the first year for potted apples and for the first two or three years for bare-rooted trees. Simply pinch off the buds or the tiny fruits when they appear. This allows the tree to “concentrate” on establishing itself, and all the tree’s energies go into shoot and root growth. This pays big dividends in later years.

Remember and learn to prune. Many of the trees from Starks will arrive per-pruned, but potted trees may need some light pruning this year. Initial pruning can be critical, as you are establishing the tree’s growth and habit for years to come. Improper pruning can lead to what is called perennializaiton of the apple tree and that results in the tree fruiting every other year instead of every year. Don’t be timid or nervous, but do read up either in books or online.

No feeding the first year, and follow the planting directions carefully. Remember it’s always safer to plant high and usually fatal to plant too low or in a pit. Keep the tree well watered during the growing season but don’t drown it. Next year you can begin feeding, but I have mixed feelings about this. I have 134 apple trees in the orchard at work. They haven’t been fertilized in over 10 years. We never have a shortage of apples.

Spraying is almost a necessity but it doesn’t have to be a chore. The simplest and most important spray of the year is the dormant oil application in later March to early April. This spray controls scale and a few other insects and diseases. Then it’s a good idea to get on a spray schedule. Small trees, small sprayers, and for dwarf trees you can probably get by with a one-gallon compression sprayer. You’ll be spraying for both insects and diseases and there are organic as well as traditional chemical ways of doing this. But again, and I can’t stress this enough … a schedule is critical. Certain diseases and insects occur at certain times and the proper schedule will work wonders. And again, all the information is available online by using a Google search or calling the Cornell Cooperative Extension office in Riverhead.

Also keep in mind that unless you are buying a self-fertile variety (see last week’s column), you’ll need a pollinator. That means you’ll need two apple trees and you’ll need to make sure that one is an acceptable pollinator for the other. Crab apples can often be pollinators, and Golden Delicious is also a pretty reliable pollinator, but the trick is that the pollinator needs to be flowering at the same time your target apple is flowering. Again, not rocket science, and any good nursery person should be able to help. And remember, all the information is online and easily accessible.

Lastly, remember that you can be harvesting from August to October as long as you choose the right varieties, and some of those apples (again the right varieties) will store for months.

Need more help? Just drop me a line. I’ve got a ton of links to selecting varieties, general apple care, grafting and budding, apple nurseries for bare-rooted trees, books and lots more. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to get planting. Keep growing.