Guv's Gardens
Photo: W.carter, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Sun
- Full sun
- Soil
- Deep, well-drained, fertile
- Soil pH
- Prefers about pH 6.0-7.0; tolerates slightly more acid soil (down to about pH 5.0)
- Water
- Water young trees and container trees in dry spells
- Hardiness
- Fully hardy; blossom can be damaged by late frost
- Height and spread
- Set by the rootstock (bush trees): about 1.2-2m on M27, 1.8-2.4m on M9, 2.4-3m on M26, 3-4m on MM106, 4-4.5m on MM111, 4.5m or more on M25
Guv's tipWinter prune your freestanding apple trees between November and March, but summer prune the trained forms. Two different jobs, mind.
Through the year
Timings are for the UK as a whole. Northern and exposed gardens often run a couple of weeks later.
When to plant
Bare-root trees Nov-Mar while dormant (winter is best). Container-grown trees any time
Harvest or flowering
Harvest Aug-Oct (mostly Sep-Oct; late keepers into Nov)
Pruning
Winter prune freestanding trees (Nov-Mar). Summer prune trained forms
Making more plants
Grafting or budding onto rootstocks
Watch out for
Codling moth
Look for: Caterpillars tunnel to core of apples, frass-filled holes
What to do: Pheromone traps (monitor, reduce males), remove affected fruit
Aphids
Look for: Colonies of small green/black insects on shoot tips, sticky honeydew, distorted leaves
What to do: Squash or wash off, encourage ladybirds and other predators; insecticidal soap if severe
Apple and pear scab
Venturia inaequalisLook for: Dark scabby spots on leaves and fruit
What to do: Rake up fallen leaves, prune to open canopy, resistant cultivars
Apple canker
Neonectria ditissimaLook for: Sunken cankers on bark, dieback
What to do: Prune out cankers, improve drainage
Brown rot
Monilinia spp.Look for: Brown soft fruit with rings of pale pustules
What to do: Remove affected fruit promptly
Powdery mildew
Various (Erysiphales)Look for: White powdery coating on leaves
What to do: Water in dry spells, mulch, improve air flow, resistant cultivars
Honey fungus
Armillaria spp.Look for: White fungal sheets under bark at base, dieback, bootlace rhizomorphs
What to do: Remove infected plants including roots; physical root barriers
Always read and follow the label on any treatment, and check it is approved for use where you live.
Safety and spread
Pets and people: Stems, leaves and seeds contain cyanogenic glycosides (amygdalin) and are toxic to dogs, cats and horses, according to the ASPCA. The fruit flesh is safe
Weed risk: None known
Growing somewhere else? See this plant for the USA.
The Plant Doctor and the Guv's book
Printable pest and disease charts with real photographs, and all 50 UK plants in one book.
