ABOUT APPLES: Malus spp.

ROSACEAE

Relatives: Pear, Quince, Cherry, Apricot, Raspberry

Apples are classified as pome fruits, and are one of the main commercial fruits from the Rosaceae family. Pome fruits are derived from a flower with an inferior, compound ovary, whereas many members of the Rosaceae family have a single superior ovary, e.g. cherry and plum. The apple was originally given the Latin name, by Linnaeus, of Pyrus malus, the same genus as pears, but apples have since been moved to a separate Malus genus. Apples, pears and quinces all originate from the areas around eastern Turkey and northwards. They have been used as a food source since at least Neolithic times, and selected cultivars have spread throughout Europe over thousands of years. Our modern, domestic apple is a hybrid of many wild species. The earliest records of grafting apple cultivars is from Greece, in about 300 BC, and this was a most important first step in producing reliable predictable trees and fruits. During the Middle Ages, peasants and monasteries alike produced many apple varieties; many more apple cultivars were produced by Europeans settlers who moved to the New world; for example, 'Golden Delicious' arose as a chance seedling in 1900 in West Virginia, and the 'Granny Smith' apple originated from a seedling in New South Wales, Australia in 1868.

DESCRIPTION

Trees vary, and there are many different cultivars, but generally speaking, they all have rounded crowns and are generally kept to a height of 8 to 16 feet. Apple trees are moderately fast growing but growth slows significantly as they age. They can live a very long time, at least a century, and there are some specimens with historical significance.
Leaves: Deciduous, elliptical, lightly serrated or smooth margins dark green above and mid gray-green beneath; fairly thick and course.
Flowers: Typically Rosaceae, consisting of five white-pink simple petals that are oval and delicate and borne in clusters. It takes about four years for fruit to occur. Pollination is by bees and insects; although flowers bisexual, most cultivars will have a better fruit set if there is some cross pollination.
Fruit: A pome; with seeds formed within an ovary situated within the fleshy receptacle tissue with each segment producing one to a few seeds. Apple colors range from green, red, orange to yellow and are best thinned after fruit set to only one apple per fruit spur. Apples probably store better than almost any other fruit. They can be stored in your refrigerator for up to 8 weeks, and commercially, they are kept in cold storage for up to 12 months. The smell of stored apples is surely something to not be missed.

CULTIVATION

There has undoubtedly been more research on apple varieties than on most other fruits, and consequently, there are more opinions out there than there is time or space to include here. Stay with the following and you will not go wrong:
Location: Simply put, they grow best in full sun; they are moderately wind tolerant, but not so with maritime exposure.
Temperature: Pome fruits are quite adapted to cooler, temperate areas; indeed, apples can even be grown in Russia, Scandinavia and the colder parts of Canada. Pretty remarkable.
Chilling: Chilling refers to the number of hours, 45 degrees F and under, during the dormancy period. All fruit and nut trees need a specific amount of chilling hours before they will produce fruit. The amount varies with each variety and the hours need not be continuous. For example as listed: (500 hours).
Soil/water/nutrients: Apples grow best in deep, well drained, loamy soils, although they are remarkably tolerant of even sandy and clay soils. A neutral pH is fine. Trees are only moderately nutrient hungry, and many people we know do not feed their trees once they are established, although moderate applications of nutrients in the spring will increase growth and yields. Any balanced fertilizer such as 8-8-8 or 10-10-10 would probably be fine.
Pruning: Trees need to be pruned to allow light and air to penetrate into the crown, which gives good leaf and fruit production, as well as reducing the risk of fungal diseases. Prune out all crossing branches and remove any suckers that sprout. Remember that apples can effectively produce fruit on the same lateral spurs for several years. Pruning is best done in late winter, although there is a school of thought that recommends summer pruning.
Pests and diseases: The home gardener is unlikely to experience any of the following, but we wanted you to be aware of possible problems: Apple-scab fungus; scale insects; Bronze beetle; Codlin moth, mealy bugs, thrips and various other moth roller species. Fruits can be affected by black spot, target spot, glomerella, European canker and apple mosaic. Good spacing and not crowding will naturally reduce the risks for diseases.

CULTIVARS

There are hundreds (probably thousands) of apple cultivars out there, but they all have different chilling requirements and do best in different climatic zones. Rabbit Ridge Nursery currently offers the following cultivars, which are low chill, and will do quite nicely in our area:

(Click on Apple Variety to link to that Apple)

RRN APPLE POLLINATION CHART

FUJI x GALA, GOLDEN DELICIOUS

GALA x GRANNY SMITH

GOLDEN DELICIOUS x FUJI, GRANNY SMITH

YELLOW DELICIOUS x GALA, RED DELICIOUS, JONAGOLD

GRANNY SMITH x SELF FERTILE

JONAGOLD x FUJI, GALA, GRANNY SMITH, RED DELICIOUS

McINTOSH x GALA, RED DELICIOUS

MOLLIE'S DELICIOUS x FUJI, GRANNY SMITH

RED DELICIOUS x GALA, GOLDEN DELICIOUS, GRANNY SMITH

WINESAP x FUJI, GALA, RED/GOLDEN DELICIOUS, McINTOSH

QUICK FACTS

AVERAGE YEARS TO BEARING: Standard: 8 years
Dwarf: 3 to 6 years

AVERAGE YIELD PER TREE: Standard: 10 - 20 bushels
Dwarf: 1 - 6 bushels

SPACE NEEDED PER TREE: Standard: 30 foot circle
Dwarf: 5 - 15 foot circle

POLLINATION REQUIREMENTS: Cross with another apple

COMMON INSECT PESTS: Curculio, codling moth, apple maggot

COMMON DISEASES: Scab, mildew, cedar apple rust

USEFUL LIFE: Standard: 50 + years
Dwarf: 20 + years

NUMBER OF TREES FOR A FAMILY OF FOUR: 2 - 3 trees

BEARS FRUIT ON: Spurs that are several years old

PREHARVEST INTERVALS FOR APPLES

Fire Blight Spray (Streptomycin) 50 days
Copper Hydroxide 0 days
RRN Fruit Spray (Captan + Malathion + Carbaryl) 7 days
RRN Super 10 Max (Permethrin) Never After Petal Fall

Plan on spraying every 10 days in summer to have beautiful fruit.