DIY Network

Road Trip: Hillcrest Orchards More growing tips, courtesy of apple experts From "Fresh From the Orchard" episode DFFO-112

A trip to Hillcrest Orchards gives valuable insights on the ins and outs of growing apples.

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Fertilizing and Watering

Figure A

The first few years of an apple tree's life is the most important time to give it the right amount of fertilizer and water. Fertilizer applications are ideally based on the results of a soil test, but a general rule of thumb is to apply one pound of 10-10-10 fertilizer, per tree, per year (figure A).

You can sometimes gauge how much fertilizer is needed by looking at the tree's growth. Young apples should grow 12" to 18" per year, then 6" to 12" per year once they reach about six years of age. If your tree isn't growing that much, apply more fertilizer; if it's growing more than that, apply less.

In general, apple trees don't need a lot of extra watering. When your trees are young, make sure they get 1" or 2" of water a week for the first two years. After that you may need to add supplemental water only during dry summers.

Pruning

Proper pruning is essential with any fruit tree. Pruning will be done throughout the life of your tree to keep it healthy and fruiting.

When pruning, you're trying to accomplish several things: you're trying to give the tree good air circulation and good light penetration, and you've trying to make it easy on yourself when you pick the fruit in the fall.

Figure B

When you're making the cuts, make sure to make them on an angle (figure B). You don't want what is called a "table cut," a flat cut that collects and holds water, which is a prime source not only for disease but also for insects.

Heavy pruning is usually done in the winter, when trees are dormant, and involves training a tree to the Central Leader System or another recommended system. Some summer pruning is required as well, typically to let sunlight into the canopy. To learn the best way to prune an apple tree for your climate, ask for a free brochure about fruit-tree pruning from your local cooperative extension service.

Thinning

For the first two years after you have planted an apple tree, you should remove all the immature fruit. Removing the young fruit rather than letting it mature allows all of the sugars produced by the leaves to go into making the tree's root system stronger and into developing a good tree structure.

Starting in year three and thereafter, you should do an annual thinning. Thinning refers to the practice of removing some of the immature fruit each spring. This practice allows the remaining fruit to grow well. Generally, it is best to thin apples when the fruit are about dime-sized, or about three weeks after bloom. Fruits are usually thinned to one fruit per 4" or 6" of branch.