Apple (backyard tree)

About Apple (backyard tree)

A backyard apple tree on a dwarfing rootstock can start bearing 2 to 3 years after planting. Most apples need a second variety nearby for pollination, and the trees need regular care to fight pests and diseases.

NC State lists zones 4-9 and University of Minnesota recommends extra-hardy varieties for zone 3; each variety needs a certain number of chill hours below 45 F (NC State advises 750 or more there), so choose one rated for your area.

When to plant

Timing is counted from your average last spring frost (and first fall frost). Sow & Tell works out the actual dates for your ZIP code.

• Set out plants: from 4 weeks before to 2 weeks after the last frost

In cold areas plant bare-root trees as soon as the soil can be worked and potted trees after frost (University of Minnesota); in North Carolina late fall or early winter is best. Dwarf trees (6-8 feet apart) bear 2-3 years after planting; standard trees (20-25 feet apart) can take up to 8. Plant two varieties, or a crabapple, for pollination.

Soil

Most soils work if there is no standing water; good drainage is essential.

Test the soil first and aim for a pH of about 6 to 7; you can mix up to one-third compost or peat into the backfill, but most of it should be the native soil.

Feeding

• Late winter or early spring, from the second year on, only if last year's shoots were short (dwarf trees often start bearing in 2-3 years, standard-size trees can take 6-10): compost, or a balanced fertilizer such as 10-10-10 if a soil test calls for it. Follow a soil test; without one, NC State suggests about 3/4 to 1 lb of 10-10-10 per year of tree age, spread on the soil inside and outside the drip line and kept 6 inches from the trunk.

Skip feeding when young trees grow more than about 12-18 inches a year (bearing trees 8-12 inches), because too much growth cuts fruiting and invites fire blight.

Harvest

Watch for the background skin color to change from green to greenish-yellow, then taste: an unripe apple is starchy, while a ripe one has aromatic flavor even if tart.

Apples give one crop a year, from mid-August to October depending on variety. Thin fruit to one or two per cluster (or 4-6 inches apart) when marble-sized in late June to early July to avoid heavy crops only every other year.

Varieties (64)

Pests to watch for

Aphids, Stink bugs, Tarnished plant bug, Potato leafhopper, Leafhoppers, Eriophyid mites (rust, bud, blister and gall mites), Boxelder bugs, Opossum, Ground squirrels, Porcupine, Spongy moth (formerly gypsy moth), Periodical cicadas, Granulate ambrosia beetle, Roundheaded appletree borer, Flatheaded appletree borer, Obliquebanded leafroller, Pear sawfly (pearslug, cherry slug), European red mite, Codling moth, Plum curculio, Apple maggot, Oriental fruit moth, Spotted lanternfly, Rose chafer, Eastern tent caterpillar, Green June beetle (fig-eater), Leaffooted bugs, Deer, Rabbits, Tree squirrels, Birds, Winter moth, Cankerworms (fall and spring cankerworms), Dogwood borer

Diseases and problems

Apple scab, Fire blight, Cedar apple rust, Powdery mildew, Summer fruit rots, Winter injury, Nitrogen deficiency, Black walnut toxicity, Crown gall, Sunscald, Herbicide injury, Frost and freeze injury, Cedar-quince rust, Bitter rot, Sooty blotch and flyspeck, Armillaria root rot, Gray mold (Botrytis), Tomato and tobacco ringspot

In the kitchen

Eaten fresh or cooked, and pressed for cider.

Keeping it: Keep apples cold: in a sealed bag in the refrigerator they last about 3 weeks, and longer in a cool, dark cellar. Store them away from onions and other strong smells.

Pets: Toxic to dogs, cats and horses (ASPCA): stems, leaves and seeds contain cyanogenic glycosides, especially as leaves wilt; signs include brick-red gums, dilated pupils and trouble breathing