Growing Apples

Planting Apple Trees and Harvesting Apples

By Catherine Boeckmann
Apple Tree

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How are your apple trees growing? Don’t forget to water young trees as they establish their root systems! Here’s more advice on planting, growing, and harvesting apples.

Apples trees aren’t just for people with acres upon acres of land. Even in a small space, you can plant a hedge of dwarf apple trees or an apple espalier and yield a successful crop.

Planting

Spring planting is recommended in central and northern areas. Fall planting can also be successful but only in areas where autumn and winter weather is generally more mild and moist.

Climate Considerations

  • Not every apple grows everywhere. Each variety has a specific number of days needed for fruit maturity.
  • Tree tags don’t always tell you where the variety grows best, but many catalogs do. Also check with your local Cooperative Extension Service for a recommendation specific to your area.
  • As a general rule, if a tree is termed hardy, it grows best in Hardiness Zones 3 to 5. If termed long-season, apple quality will be best in Zones 5 to 8. Check your zone here.
  • Each variety has a number of chill hours needed to set fruit (i.e., the amount of time temperatures are between 32 and 45 degrees F). The farther north you go, the more chill hours an apple variety needs to avoid late spring freeze problems. Check tree tags for chill hour information or ask the seller.

Site and Soil

  • Take a soil test prior to planting your apple trees. Your local Cooperative Extension Service can instruct you in collecting the soil sample, help you interpret the results, and provide valuable information about the soil in your county. Results from the soil test will determine the soil amendments necessary to correct nutrient deficiencies and adjust soil pH. The amendments should be worked into the soil to a depth of 12 to 18 inches where the tree will root, not just the planting hole. 
  • Apple trees need well-drained soil, nothing too wet. Soil needs to be moderately rich and retain moisture as well as air; mulch with straw, hay, or some other organic material to keep soil moist and provide nutrients as they decompose. 
  • Choose a sunny site. For best fruiting, an apple tree needs “full sunlight,” which means six or more hours of direct summer sun daily. The best exposure for apples is a north- or east-facing slope.
  • Tree spacing is influenced by the rootstock, soil fertility, and pruning. Seedlings or full-size trees should be planted about 15 to 18 feet apart in a row. A dwarfing rootstock might be 4 to 8 feet apart in a row.
  • Dwarf apple trees are notoriously prone to uprooting under the weight of a heavy crop, so you should provide a support system for your hedge. You can grow your trees against a fence, or you can provide free-standing support in the form of a trellis.
  • Make sure the tree will not be planted in a “frost pocket” where cold air settles in low-lying areas. Choose a higher site with a slip if possible so that cold air will flow away from the trees.
  • Do not plant trees near wooded areas or trees. 

Planting the Tree in the Ground

  • Before planting, remove all weeds and the grass in a 4-foot diameter circle. 
  • After you purchase the tree, protect it from injury, drying out, freezing, or overheating. If the roots have dried out, soak them in water about 24 hours before planting.
  • Dig a hole approximately twice the diameter of the root system and 2 feet deep. Place some of the loose soil back into the hole and loosen the soil on the walls of the planting hole so the roots can easily penetrate the soil. Spread the tree roots on the loose soil, making sure they are not twisted or crowded in the hole. Continue to replace soil around the roots. As you begin to cover the roots, firm the soil to be sure it surrounds the roots and to remove air pockets.
  • Do not add fertilizer at planting time, as the roots can be “burned”. Fill the remainder of the hole with the loose soil, and press the soil down well.
  • Most apple trees are grafted. The graft union must be at least 2 inches above the soil line so that roots do not emerge from the scion. The graft union (where the scion is attached to the rootstock) can be recognized by the swelling at the junction. 

See our video to learn how to plant a bare-rooted fruit tree.

Care

Apple Tree Care

  • Water young trees regularly, especially those on semidwarfing or dwarfing rootstocks, to ensure that the root system becomes well established.
  • Renew mulch periodically, but pull it away from the tree in the fall so mice don’t nest over the winter and eat the bark.

 

Training Young Trees

When trees are young, it’s important to nurture a strong frame of branches so the trees can carry heavy apple crops. Dwarf apple trees are trained to a central leader system. Standard (and sem-dwarf) trees should also be trained to a modified leader.

Minimize Pruning of a Young Tree

Pruning slows a young tree’s overall growth and can delay fruiting, so don’t be in a hurry to prune, other than removing misplaced, broken, or dead branches. There are several techniques to direct growth without heavy pruning. For example:

  • Rub off misplaced buds before they grow into misplaced branches.
  • Bend a stem down almost horizontally for a few weeks to slow growth and promote branches and fruiting. Tie down with strings to stakes in the ground or to lower branches.

Prune a Mature Tree Annually

Once an apple tree has filled in and is bearing fruit, it requires annual pruning. Pruning reduces disease by letting in more light and air. Large trees may need more pruning (and a ladder!). 

  • Prune your mature tree when it is dormant. Completely cut away overly vigorous, upright stems (most common high up in the tree).
  • Remove weak twigs (which often hang from the undersides of limbs.
  • Shorten stems that become too droopy, especially those low in the tree.
  • After about ten years, fruiting spurs (stubby branches that elongate only about a half-inch per year) become overcrowded and decrepit. Cut away some of them and shorten others.
  • When a whole limb of fruiting spurs declines with age, cut it back to make room for a younger replacement.

Thinning Apples

  • Apples are often grown without any thinning other than what nature provides in the annual spring drop.
  • However, to avoid potential disease and insect problems, it’s helpful to thin after the natural fruit drop (about 4 to 6 weeks after bloom) to one fruit per cluster, or about 6 to 8 inches between fruit.
  • This seems hard but this practice evens out production, prevents a heavy crop from breaking limbs, and ensures better-tasting, larger fruit crop.
  • Soon after fruit-set, remove the smallest fruits or damaged ones, leaving about four inches between those that remain.

Pests/Diseases

Apples are prone to insect and diseases—including apple maggots, plum curculios, green fruitworms, and codling moths. Many gardeners who swear off pesticides find they need to find, at minimum, an acceptual annual spray treatment for a decent crop.

One idea to avoid pesticides is to select disease-resistant varieties such as ‘Prima’, ‘Priscilla’, ‘Liberty’, and ‘Freedom’. They do not require spraying for apple scab, cedar-apple rust, and other common diseases, while most other varieties require periodic spraying every spring and summer after planting. Check with your extension service to find approved pest prevention programs for your area.

You can also try an anti-insect oil, found at garden stores. Spray it in the spring when your apple trees are in the tight cluster stage: after the leaves have unfolded from the fruiting cluster, but before the buds begin to show pink.

Other pests such as scales, mites, and aphids should be controlled by natural parasite and predator populations if you haven’t used a lot of sprays. 

The apple maggot  can be trapped simply enough by hanging one or two round, softball-size balls—painted red and coated with sticky “Tangle-Trap”—from a branch in June through the summer. Reapply the sticky goo a time or two, as necessary.

Keep deer at bay with repellents, fencing, or deer-resistant plants; deter mice and rabbits with wire-mesh cylinders around the base of the tree.

To keep insects away from apple trees, make a solution of 1 cup of vinegar, 1 cup of sugar, and 1 quart of water. Pour this mixture into a widemouthed plastic jug. Hang the jug, uncovered, in your apple tree.

Fend off diseases by raking apple leaves, burying them beneath mulch, or grinding them with a lawnmower at season’s end

Harvest/Storage

Harvesting Apples

Harvest patiently. After all this pruning and caring, be sure to harvest your apples at their peak of perfection.

  • Pluck your apples when their background color is no longer green.
  • The stem should part readily from the branch when the fruit is cupped in the palm of your hand and given a slight twist around, then up (do not yank on the apple).
  • Different apple varieties mature at different times, so the harvest season can stretch from August to October.
  •  
  • If the apple is overripe and soft, use for cooking!

Storing Apples

  • Only store mid or late season apples. Early season varieties don’t keep and are best eaten soon after picking. Mid season varieties should keep for a few weeks, while late season varieties will stay in good condition for anywhere up to five months in a root cellar. Apples destined for storage must be perfect, with no bruises or blemishes that could provide entry points for rot.
  • Store apples by wrapping up individual fruits in newspaper or tissue paper. Place the wrapped apples onto trays that allow air to circulate. You can also store them unwrapped, but the fruits should not touch. Different varieties store for different lengths of time, so keep them separate and eat those that won’t store as long first.
  • The ideal store is somewhere cool, dark, and well-ventilated. Most garages and sheds are ideal, while attics and basements should be avoided due to either excessive heat, lack of ventilation or low humidity. Check stored apples regularly and remove any that are going soft, brown or rotting.

Recommended Varieties

Choose the Right Varieties

  • Look for disease-resistant trees, such as ‘Liberty’, ‘Jonafree’, ‘Macfree’, and ‘Williams Pride’, which will give you the ability to grow organic fruit or to use fewer chemicals. Maintenance is easier, too.
  • You need to choose a rootstock. All apple trees sold have 2 parts: a “rootstock” or foundation and a “scion” or top portion which determines the fruit variety. A rootstock can be “seedling” or “standard” (which produces a full-size tree) or it can be “dwarfing” or “size-controlling” (which produces a smaller tree for easier care and harvest).  
  • For dwarf trees, make sure that the rootstock is specified. A Bud 9 is a common, hardy tree that’s easy to train for USDA Climate Zones 3 to 5. The M9 is probably the most widely planted rootstock, though it could die in frigid winters.
  • Buy dormant, bare-root, 1-year-old nursery trees with good root systems. Dwarfs and semi-dwarfs will bear in 3 to 4 years, yielding 1 to 2 bushels per year. Standard-size trees will bear in 5 to 8 years, yielding 4 to 5 bushels of apples per year.
  • The variety of apple selected should be based on fruit characteristics, bloom time, and pollen compatibility. Consult a local nursery to see which trees are potential cross-pollinators in your area. For best results, include a ‘Grimes Golden’, ‘Golden Delicious’, ‘Red Delicious’, or ‘Winter Banana’ in your planting. These varieties are known pollinators. Crabapple trees can also be used as pollinators if they bloom at the same time as the desired variety. Nursery catalogs will provide pollination charts.
  • Most apple varieties do not pollinate themselves or any flowers of the same apple variety; this requires planting at least two different apple tree varieties close to one another so that the bees can pollinate. (There are actually some self-pollinating apple tree varieties if you are really short on space. However, even these apple trees will bear more fruit if cross-pollinated.)

Also consider how you will use your apples: Do you love to bake apple pies? Or, perhaps you just want apples that taste far better than what you could buy in a grocery store. See Best Apples for Baking for more information.

  • A young dwarf tree produces about 1 ½ bushels of fruit—and even less when the tree is part of an apple hedge. So, if you’re interested in baking lots of ‘Cox’s Orange Pippin’ apple pies, you’ll need to plant several trees of that variety to get enough fruit.
  • If you have no particular culinary goal, try planting one each of different varieties that ripen over the entire harvest season. Then you can enjoy regular apple tastings and still have enough fruit on hand for a “mess” of cooked apples.
  • Seek out the advice of local orchardists about the varieties that will do well in your area. Do the bulk of your planning from an easy chair, with a half-dozen nursery catalogs in your lap!

Wit & Wisdom

  • March 11 is Johnny Appleseed Day, celebrating John Chapman, legendary American pioneer and folk hero who planted apple trees across the American Frontier.
  • Did you know that apples and aged cheeses can reduce tooth plaque? (Eat them together!)
  • A bad woman can’t make good applesauce. –proverb
  • Does an apple a day keep the doctor away? Find the answer and learn more about the health benefits of apples, apple cider, and cider vinegar.
  • This fall, try your hand at making an apple head or try one of our Top 10 Apple Recipes!

Recipes

Cooking Notes

  • You can freeze apples by stewing washed chunks with a dash of water until they soften. Once ready, sieve and pour the stewed apples into containers, leaving a small space at the top as they will expand slightly when frozen, and pop into the freezer.
  • You can also cut your fruits into thin slices then dry them out in a dehydrator to make a deliciously chewy and healthy snack.
  • Planning to bake or cook your apples into an apple pie or meal? See our chart on the best baking and cooking apples in North America.

“Baked apples have an excellent effect upon the whole physical system, feeding the brain as well as adding to the flesh, and keeping the blood pure; also preventing constipation and correcting a tendency to acidity, which produces rheumatism and neuralgia.” –The 1898 Old Farmer’s Almanac

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Reader Comments

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fruit trees

Submitted by joseph burke on

i bught 5 trees apple pear cherry plum and cooking apple 3 years ago i got small apples from 1 but one of the trees low growing and branches are spreading out wide and not gowing high have you any ideer what this tree could be never got any flouwers from it i am lost do not know what it is can you help me find out thank you cheers joe burke

What is the area of a apple tree, usually?

Submitted by Bob Stone on

I have a apple tree in my backyard and I want to know where to place a apple catcher i'm building, thanks!

Thanks for the topic, I was

Submitted by Password Manager on

Thanks for the topic, I was looking for something similar on how to grow apple tree. Is the planting calender a software I can download for free?

Almanac Garden Planner

You can try the Almanac Garden Planner for free on your PC or Mac for seven days! Here’s a link with more information: https://gardenplanner.almanac.com/

Growing apple

Submitted by Analou on

I've heard apples can thrive in tropical countries. If its true, what variety grows best in tropics?

planting of apple in the tropics and how to plant it.

Submitted by NWANKWO, PATRICK O. on

Planting of apples

how can i grow apples here in Zambia, savanna hot region?

Submitted by Fredrick mungowa on

Need assistance, like your platform!

Answer

Submitted by Shafique Khan on

You have a refrigerator.

Apple planting in the tropics

Submitted by Andrew Murithi on

Is planting apples in the tropics possible?

planting apples in the tropics

Submitted by Andrew on

Can I grow juicy apples in the tropics and where is this possible.

Do I Remove Blossoms on a Newly Planted Tree

Submitted by Christina Vander Pol on

Hello -

I just planted two Honeycrisp trees and they are in full bloom! Do I need to pinch the blooms to promote growth or just leave them?

pinch the flowers?

Leave the flowers alone.

Transplanting Apple Trees

Submitted by Chris on

I have two espaliered apple trees each with six types of apples and I need to transplant them and relocate them to another part of the yard.
They are in good shape and are bearing fruit with some blossoms still remaining. My question is should I cut them back hard and remove all the fruit before I transplant?

transplanting fruiting trees

We’ve seen these type specimens and they are lovely! It’s unfortunate that you need/want to move them when they are doing exactly what was intended: bearing fruit. If you transplant them carefully, disturbing them as little as possible by lifting them large (making the removal hole as wide and deep as possible) and resettling them in a similarly large hole, you might be able to save the fruit and the season. Cutting them back is not what we would recommend. Per above: Pruning slows a young tree’s overall growth and can delay fruiting, so don’t be in a hurry to prune, other than removing misplaced, broken, or dead branches.

Transplanting dwarf espalier trees

Submitted by Janet Reese on

Hello, I have a similar situation. When is the best time to transplant and how should we prune and prepare it first? Thank you!

What about watering?

Submitted by Stefanie on

I have three dwarf apple trees currently in very large pots. How much and how long should I keep watering them over the winter? Here in the southwest we still get very warm daytime temperatures and all three are still fully leafed out in early November.

How to identify the type of apple

Submitted by Karen Anderson on

We recently purchased on the South West shores of Nova Scotia. 2 acres are completely overgrown brush but we counted at least 17 fruit bearing apple trees . How do we determine what type they are? When clearing the brush next spring how far apart should these fully grown trees be? How far should they be from a spruce or pine or maple?

what variety of apple tree?

If you have fruit on any of the trees, Karen, pick one or two good specimen pieces and take them, with a few leaves, to a local fruit grower, orchardist, or nurseryman. Maybe all three. You can try your luck (or compare opinions) on this British web site that invites you to examine, taste, and evaluate the fruit, then try to narrow it down as you click through: http://www.gardenappleid.co.uk/index.php/how-to-use-this-website  (We can not vouch for this site, but it tries hard to determine the varietyl) There are others. Here in the States many of our colleges and universities are home to “cooperative extension societies” where volunteers and academics provide information. This one, from the University of Maine, not too far from you, has advice on recovering an orchard: https://extension.umaine.edu/publications/2409e/ and may be able to answer other questions. About distance between trees, try the chart on this page: https://www.fedcoseeds.com/trees/planting_guide.htm#four

Finally, we can not find conclusive advice on the distance apples should be from the three other trees you name. However, the folks who help you to identify the trees/fruit or other people in your area who have apple trees may be able to shed some light.

How to plant and grow apple tree.

Submitted by Quett Make on

I have tried to plant using seeds ,they germinate and grown into long single branch . What should I do so that the stem becomes thick and strong ?

I have a very sentimental apple tree that is growing weird

Submitted by Jessica Rudolph on

I started this tree from a seed in college and have since planted it in my patents backyard. They have another store bought tree that is doing rather well but is a bit older. My tree seems to be growing more than one tree. The main tree is covered with wart like bumps. I want to save this tree can I splice it or trim it once it goes dormant? I'm very green and apppericate any advice!

apple tree

Submitted by Hardly on

Me too i have tried to plant apple from the seed it growing and i want to know how to start bearing the fruit and is 4years

Growing your own

Submitted by joanofark06 on

Like it said above, if you bought conventional apples from a grocery store, the seeds will turn into a tree, but won't bear any fruit. I've been growing "organic" trees from "organic" seeds, from "organic" apples, lol....and they've been growing for about 4 or 5 years now, and the trees have grown nice, but no apples as of yet.

growing apple trees from seed

Submitted by Linda Coulthard on

My 5 year old son planted a Macintosh apple seed in a pot in the house. A few years later we transplanted it outside. My son and the tree grew for many years; when he left to get his PhD, the tree produced a single apple and has been producing ever since, one year producing just under 1000 apples. Almost 20 years wait for the 1st apple.

May I ask if apple can grow in Philippines?

Submitted by Geno on

May I ask if apple can grow in Philippines,cause we only have 2 seasons dry season and rainy season..

Honeycrisp won't thrive.

Submitted by planethill on

Hi!
I planted a Honeycrisp apple tree almost three years ago. It was about 3 feet tall from the local nursery. I dug a big hole, and did all the things I should. The first year deer almost killed it be eating all the new growth. Last Spring we got some stinky deer spray and the have left it alone, but ever since it's not thriving. It looks exactly the same as the day we planted it. It has some small branches with leave leaves (2-3" long) and is definetly alive, but that's about it. I water, I fertilize anfd it just sits there! What could it be missing? Do young trees take a few years to get established before the take off?
Thanks!

honeycrisp

Sorry to hear about the deer. They (and squirrels) seem to consume more tree fruit than many home fruit growers! We really do not know enough about your situation to give you proper guidance here—where you are, the site, the soil, etc. Numerous readers of this page have expressed challenges with honeycrisp and we have provided our best advice and insights (see below; search “honey”). You might find some of this existing information useful to you.

We would also suggest that you talk to the nursery from whom you bought the tree. They have specific advice about this plant in your locale. Additionally, you might consult your local cooperative extension service. You can find it here: https://www.almanac.com/content/cooperative-extension-services

In answer to your last question, yes, honeycrisp trees can take years to become established. All the more reason that you should find out what, if anything, to expect.

We hope this helps.

 

Volunteer grown fruit trees

Submitted by Rita Boyles on

A neighbor had some fruit trees cut down on his property a couple of years ago due to bee allergy and to thin them out. I received some of the mulch from the cut down trees. I now have several trees growing, which look like apple trees, where some of the left-over mulch had been. Is it safe to separate and move them now that they have grown so much? By the way, I have small pine trees that came up and grew the same way.

transplanting small apple trees

Interesting. We’re guessing plant seeds sitting below mulch germinated well thanks to the extra nutrients? In any case, you can certainly transplant small apple trees. In USDA zones 6 to 8, apple trees can be successfully transplanted during the early spring, before leaves begin to sprout, or in late fall, once the tree has gone dormant for winter. Apple trees in areas north of zone 6 should be planted in the spring after danger of frost is over.

Harden off Apple seedlings?

Submitted by bonnie on

I have 3 apple seedlings that are growing well. Bought the apples from a farmers market last fall and planted indoors in Jan. or Feb. and grew under lights. Do they need to be hardened off before planting in ground? And, its been chilly (60's day, mid 40's at night) and windy.
Also, if I get apples in the future, will it be one of the parents of the apple I grew seed from?

growing store bought apples

Submitted by jean on

are all store bought apples fruitless? do seeds lay dormant, and for how long? because I planted about a dozen apple seeds from 2 different kinds of store bought apples last fall (to make applesauce) 4-6 grew, 1 died then others also. this spring maybe 4-6 plants came up in the same pot. could they be apples? did the seeds lay dormant over the winter? the leaves look like pictures of apple plants!

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Growing Apples

Botanical Name Malus domestica
Plant Type Fruit
Sun Exposure Full Sun
Soil Type Loamy
Soil pH Neutral
Bloom Time Summer, Fall
Flower Color
Hardiness Zones 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
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