With the decision for a specific apple variety, parameters such as size and growth rate are sometimes already determined. Nevertheless, with the right care, every tree can be influenced during the growth phase.

Slower growth in early life

If you are thinking of growing an apple tree from a core yourself, you will need to be patient. Apple trees grow relatively slowly when they are young, even when they revert to wild forms. On the other hand, a commercially available tree that is already grafted as a half-stem or standard is usually around four to six years old. You can also harvest apples from such a tree correspondingly earlier if it has been selected appropriately for the respective location.

Wrong locations and varieties complicate development

Only a tree that is climatically adapted to a specific location will be able to develop optimally. Many varieties from the food trade would be rather unsuitable for cultivation in this country, which is why collecting the cores from these apples is not really worthwhile. If your garden is surrounded by high thuja hedges or something similar, you should use standard apple trees for light and well-ventilated treetops. These lie with the crown of the trees above the hedges and can therefore be dried well by the wind after a rain. In shady and humid locations, varieties with resistance to powdery mildew and other fungal diseases can be useful, including:

  • Rhenish bean apple
  • Striped cardinal
  • Gdansk Cantapple
  • melba
  • Golden Delicious
  • James Grieve

The evolution of the seasons

The best time to plant an apple tree is in autumn, when all the leaves have fallen. After the winter, the apple blossoms appear in March and April, before the leaves sprout on the branches. If there was insufficient pruning in February and March, this can be corrected with the summer pruning.

tips and tricks

Targeted pruning can influence the development of an apple tree so much that it becomes a trellis or bonsai.

Category:

Trees