How Do You Take Care Of An Apple Tree?

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Last Updated on October 2, 2021 by Cristina

Any gardener will do anything to pick an apple from their tree, but how do you take care of an apple tree to give you a good harvest?

Whether biting into a whole apple or adding it to a pie, apples are such delicious and juicy fruits loved worldwide.

Lots of people grow apple trees so that you can grow yours too.  It is not as difficult to grow and take care of an apple tree as some people think.

Having an apple tree in your garden or yard is a tremendous asset to you and your loved ones.  You will be able to enjoy their beautiful blooms in spring decorating your yard with white and pink flowers.  In the fall, you get to enjoy the delicious ripe apples.

Growing your apple tree requires learning how to take good care of it to give you a good harvest. Let’s know together how to take care of apple trees to get a good harvest at the end.

Learn How To Take Care Of Your Apple Tree – Professional Help

Growing an apple tree, though a straightforward process can do so much better when you get professional advice.  You can get valuable information that will help keep your tree healthy. You also are provided with the necessary means to prevent diseases and pests.

The best time to call in professional help is not when you have a problem rather when your tree is doing well. Preemptive care, as its known, can help you increase the health of your tree and save you from any danger ahead.

How Do You Take Care Of An Apple Tree?

There are several things you ought to do when taking care of your apple tree that include:

Prune Your Apple Tree

Pruning is removing some parts of the tree, such as buds or branches, to help make way for an even healthier tree. Pruning your apple tree is one of the best ways to take care of it.

It gives your apple fruit tree the best chance to flourish and produce flowers and fruits at the right time.  When pruned properly, your apple tree will maintain its health and vigor for the rest of the year.

This procedure also helps promote flower bud development, increase the fruit size, and reduce some diseases.  As much as pruning is the right thing to do, it’s best to do it at the right time and in the right way.

You also have to prune your tree at the right time of the year to enable the tree to produce fruits in its season. Pruning at the wrong time leaves the tree susceptible to diseases and low productivity.  While pruning at the right time helps your tree flourish.

Pruning your apple tree in wintertime allows your tree to flourish in springtime.  If your tree is already fully grown, pruning it in the summertime helps prevent the tree from growing any larger.

It is essential to know how to prune well and cut too much without using proper techniques.  This will result in devastating your tree. You can consult a certified arborist to help you prune and answer all your questions.

Fertilize

To get a good harvest from your tree, you will need to fertilize it to have the proper nutrients necessary to grow healthy and produce fruits.

This is especially important if your soil lacks some essential macronutrients like phosphorous, nitrogen, or potassium. Though the soil may have all these nutrients, as it feeds, it will require you to add to maintain its growth.  You can choose to use organic or chemical fertilizers. If you are unsure what your soil needs the most, carry out a soil test to help you get more answers.

You can also fertilize the soil around your apple trees yearly just before the flower buds start to break.

Protect Your Tree From Pests

You are not the only one attracted to these fruits.  Many pests are also drawn to this tree that includes.

Apple maggot flies are some of the most notorious pests known for laying their eggs on apples in the summer months. When these eggs have been hatched, larvae dig into the apples, burrowing themselves there.  Prevent this from happening by placing red sphere traps on your tree.

Olson Products Inc. Disposable Apple Maggot Trap Kit 25 Apples,

Codling moths are also common apple tree pests that you should look out for. These moths and their larvae are notorious for feeding on the apple fruits, making them inedible for humans. Spray these moths with a pesticide early before they multiply or trap them using a tent-shaped waxed paper trap that can be hung in the tree. You can also prevent these moths from infesting your tree by ensuring no apples on the ground.  Apples that have fallen under the tree attract pests to breed there.

Watering

Your apple trees need water, but it varies depending on how old your tree is.

Young apple trees need plenty of water and need to be watered frequently and intensely. Freshly planted trees need to be watered up to 3 times a week with at least 3 large buckets of water each time. That’s about 15 gallons of water each week.  If you have sandy soil, you may need to water your trees more frequently.

3 or 4 months after planting, reduce the water to at least once a week or so.  The plants will have settled in and started to grow more independently.

The older, well-established apple trees are more independent since they have massive root systems with lots of water and nutrients from the soil. You will need to water these older trees only during the dry season or when the weather is scorching and dry.

Conclusion

Now that you know how to take care of a tree with apples, you can quickly grow your own and enjoy the yummy fruits it gives you faithfully each year.  Note that it takes several years, about 4 or 5, to start harvesting fruits from your tree.  Therefore, you will need to be patient with the tree and give it the best care for you to reap a good crop.

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