Apple Tree Care: It's Not That Easy

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

The apple tree is the most famous garden tree in the European part. The plant is also adapted to the CIS countries. But this does not mean that it can grow and bear fruit like a weed in a field, without any care for it. The apple tree needs to be looked after in the same way as other trees. But it is very important to pay attention to the specific features of the care and maintenance

Most people think that it is enough to just plant an apple tree and be done with it. But there are some subtleties that not everyone knows. It takes a lot of effort to properly care for the apple tree. If you know all the instructions and rules, then it will not be difficult to grow juicy, tasty and liquid apples.

To do this, you need to adhere to some requirements that will help the tree feel as comfortable as possible in the garden and fully bear fruit in a comfortable environment. You can plant an apple tree on your territory using ready-made seedlings. But if you want to acquire an apple orchard, and the purchased seedlings are still young and do not yet produce any fruits, you can plant vegetables between them, and then, as the trees grow, replace these vegetables with strawberries. She is not picky about the sun and does not need special care.

Tree planting rules

Before you start caring for an apple tree, you first need to know how to properly plant this tree. It is necessary to carry out the procedure in early spring, as soon as the snow melts. It is very important that the top layer is not frozen. If there is such a nuisance, then it is better to wait with the planting of the apple tree. Most often, the best times for planting apple trees and not only are the beginning of May or mid-April.

Let's move on to the most important thing. How to plant an apple tree correctly? First: it is necessary to mark with pegs the places where we assume the place where the tree will grow. The distance from other plants or trees should be at least three to four meters from each other. There are varieties of apple trees that have a wide root, in which case the distance between the plants should be at least five meters from each other. After it is noted where the seedlings will be located, you need to dig a hole under each of them. It happens that the soil is not fruitful for plants, so the soil needs to be fertilized. In each dug hole, you need to put humus of last year's autumn leaves, special fertilizers of an artificial nature, and then all this must be mixed with the earth that was dug out under the seedling.

Next, we inspect the plants that we want to plant. It is necessary to inspect whether their roots are damaged. We pour soil on top of the fertilizer so that the roots of the plants do not have contact with the fertilizer, since a similar effect can ruin them. It is necessary to install the seedling so that it is at ground level. If this condition is not provided, then the plants will grow very slowly and may not bear any fruit at all. Now we sprinkle the pits with the earth that remains, in order to better fix the plant.

Seedling care

You need to take care of young seedlings that have just been planted very carefully. The harvest that it will bring in the fall depends on the care of the apple tree. If at first you do not almost take care of the apple trees, then there will be no fruits, and the tree will simply dry out. It is not so difficult to care for an apple tree that is already several years old. The most important thing a young seedling needs is timely watering. For him, you need to make specialized rims according to the size of the pits in which the apple trees are planted.

It is important that the water seeps to the roots of the plant, and does not spread over the area. As soon as the moisture is absorbed, it is necessary to sprinkle the hole with earth in which the apple tree is planted. The plant should be watered at least once every two or three weeks.

Pruning

Pruning of apple trees is carried out only after the tree has been planted. Other plants also need it. The plant needs special conditions in order for it to take root. If it is well settled, then pruning is done by one third of the stem. An old apple tree also needs to be pruned. It is required to remove the upper branches, except for those that are directed in different directions. In this way, the height of the tree is reduced, due to which the sun's rays come to it better.

After the whole harvest is collected, you can cook compote from apples, make a dry compote mixture for the winter, cook jam, and just enjoy delicious bulk fruits. They are very nice and juicy. There are sour and sweet apples. But it all depends on the variety and on how the owner has looked after the apple tree from the beginning of planting it.