Apple Trees

[jinkster]

When is the best time to plant an apple tree? Which stage of tree would you recommend? The house has a small allotment area.

[RDM]

Sorry. No help at all, it’s just that when I read the title
The first thing I thought of was... watches, phones, TV, Christ they’re into everything these days!

[tim0409]

RDM said:

Sorry. No help at all, it’s just that when I read the title
The first thing I thought of was... watches, phones, TV, Christ they’re into everything these days!

I planted an Apple tree three years ago, it grew really quickly for the first few years and now for some reason it has slowed up and doesn't produce much fruit; now I'm forced to consider chopping it down and buying a new tree which is a pain.

[NDA]

Spring would be the best time - when the soil is warm.

I have been very disappointed with apple trees over the years - I have a few that are around 10 years old. They are very slow growing and have little fruit to show for their efforts.

Is it apples you want, or a tree?

Perhaps others have had more success with young apple trees.

[anonymous-user]

Don't.

I have 3 they're a complete pain on the arse.

[netherfield]

You can buy bare root now and plant as long as the ground isn't frozen.

But as above they are a pain, we have 5 trees planted 12 years ago, the frost takes the flowers nearly every year and then very little fuit grows, they need spraying and pruning once established.

[moustachebandit]

tim0409 said:

I planted an Apple tree three years ago, it grew really quickly for the first few years and now for some reason it has slowed up and doesn't produce much fruit; now I'm forced to consider chopping it down and buying a new tree which is a pain.

Are you pruning it?

[Jambo85]

I would recommend to buy a bare root plant now while trees are dormant, but as said wait for the ground to be soft before planting. I've always found Blackmoor nurseries good. Do you know where you want to plant it and how you want to prune it and which root stock you want?

Flowering groups are another thing to consider, and it's important to be realistic about which varieties will do well in your area.

The potted ones are expensive, difficult to transport and often don't establish all that well. Look good in garden centres though and I'm sure they sell well.

Younger trees tend to establish better as well as being cheaper to buy. Also unless you want a big standalone tree tree, you'll probably end up pruning a lot of the growth off it hence negating the advantages of getting an older one.

[Mobile Chicane]

The rootstock of your fruit tree controls its final size.

You can buy four apple rootstock sizes: M27 (very dwarfing), M9 (dwarfing), MM106 (semi-vigorous or "normal") and M25 (vigorous which produces the largest apple trees.

I have 3 M27s which were well established when I moved in: Fiesta, Egremont Russet and Pitmaston Pineapple. The Fiesta is very prolific and looks after itself. I would buy one if I had to.

There are few things as satisfying as free food, straight from the tree, even if you end up juicing them.

[TIGA84]

keirik said:

Don't.

I have 3 they're a complete pain on the arse.

Yup, 3 here as well. I feel your pain.

Mine are all different, is there any way of identifying what variety they are do you know?

[Jambo85]

Consider espalier training - great use of space and look incredible when in blossom:



Edit: what am I missing here with my code!?
Edit2: fixed!

Edited by Jambo85 on Thursday 18th January 18:50

Edited by Jambo85 on Thursday 18th January 18:50

[paulrockliffe]

TIGA84 said:

keirik said:

Don't.

I have 3 they're a complete pain on the arse.

Yup, 3 here as well. I feel your pain.

Mine are all different, is there any way of identifying what variety they are do you know?

What's your problem?

I planted quite a few extra fruit trees last winter, a pear, 3 apples and 2 plums, precisely because they're easy to look after. Just need pruning once in the winter and the occasional spray for aphids. We already have a decent sized plum tree that fruits tonnes if you keep it looked after. We have a 6m tall pear tree that does nothing though, I'm quite enjoying trying to coax it back to life though I've yet to get anything big enough to eat off it.

All from www.orangepippin.co.uk, generally they've established well, the pear died though I think it was too close to a fir tree, I knew it was marginal. And one of the plums is slow growing, again too close to a fir. The apples have been great, two had decent fruit this year, all put on lots of growth and are looking good for this year.

If frost is getting blossom then it's really the wrong variety for where you are in the country, remove it and put something that kicks off later or is more tolerant.

[Simpo Two]

Mobile Chicane said:

The rootstock of your fruit tree controls its final size.

You can buy four apple rootstock sizes: M27 (very dwarfing), M9 (dwarfing), MM106 (semi-vigorous or "normal") and M25 (vigorous which produces the largest apple trees

Well at leats one thing hasn't changed in the last 35 years!

Double bonus points if you know what 'MM' stands for

If you want fruit choose a variety to suit - some are self-pollinating, others need a pollinator. Some fruit annually, other biennially so do your research.

[TIGA84]

paulrockliffe said:

TIGA84 said:

keirik said:

Don't.

I have 3 they're a complete pain on the arse.

Yup, 3 here as well. I feel your pain.

Mine are all different, is there any way of identifying what variety they are do you know?

What's your problem?

There are only so many apples that I can eat.

[S6PNJ]

Jambo85 said:

Consider espalier training - great use of space and look incredible when in blossom:



Edit: what am I missing here with my code!?

Don't have carriage returns in there

Edited by S6PNJ on Thursday 18th January 20:34

[herbialfa]

Millimetres!!!!!!

Whats my prize??????

[toastyhamster]

Online suppliers ship bare root apple trees in Autumn.

I have an allotment with one very mature apple tree and 3 others that look around 15 years old (on a fairly loose Espalier system). I must have had a thousand apples last season it was absolutely epic! Pruned over xmas week probably took me a couple of hours and they'd not been done for 3 years I think (planted by previous plot holders). I now have to have a bonfire

I have one in the garden and while I get a decent crop it is definitely more maintenance, one side lives mostly in shade around a metre from a fence panel which it doesn't like, they definitely need space.

[biggiles]

jinkster said:

When is the best time to plant an apple tree? Which stage of tree would you recommend? The house has a small allotment area.

The second-best time to plant is now. Online places will deliver probably until end of March, depending upon weather. I'm planting some this weekend.

Easiest would be a two-year old dwarf in a pot, which you can move around and then plant when you want to. Our first was a "Discovery" - easy to look after, fairly early cropper, and delicious. There are plenty of other good choices.

[Jambo85]

S6PNJ said:

Don't have carriage returns in there

Thanks!

[Gareth79]

biggiles said:

The second-best time to plant is now. Online places will deliver probably until end of March, depending upon weather. I'm planting some this weekend.

I got a pear and plum tree from Suttons last year and planted them in May, the pear survived with plenty of watering, the plum didn't do anything. £5 each though! I'm pondering replacing the plum before the spring.