USA plant library · tree

Apple

Malus domestica · Rosaceae

Most widely planted home fruit tree; dwarf rootstocks fit yards

Photo: W.carter, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sun: Full sun
Soil: Deep, well-drained loam
Soil pH: About 5.8-7.0
Water: About 1 in per week, May-Oct
Hardiness: USDA zones 4-9; some cold-climate cultivars to zones 3-4. Chill requirement varies
Height and spread: Standard trees 15-30 ft or more; semi-dwarf 14-18 ft; dwarf 8-15 ft

Guv's tipPrune apple trees in late winter while they're dormant. Rake the leaves to fight scab, and remove the seeds and core before sharing fruit with dogs.

Through the year

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Sow or plant

Harvest

Prune

Months are a rough guide. Time it by your own frost dates.

When to plant

Early spring (Mar-May) for bare-root trees; fall in mild regions

Harvest or flowering

Blooms Apr-May; harvest Aug-Oct

Pruning

Prune in late winter while dormant, to a central leader or open structure

Making more plants

Grafting onto rootstocks

Watch out for

Pest

Codling moth

Look for: Wormy fruit with frass-filled entry holes

What to do: Bag young fruit, prompt removal of infested/dropped fruit, traps to time sprays, insecticide timed to egg hatch

Pest

Apple maggot

Look for: Dimpled fruit with brown tunnels

What to do: Sticky red sphere traps, bagging young fruit, pick up and discard fallen fruit

Disease

Apple scab

Venturia inaequalis

Look for: Olive-black spots on leaves and fruit

What to do: Resistant cultivars, rake leaves

Disease

Fire blight

Erwinia amylovora

Look for: Shepherd's-crook blackened shoots

What to do: Prune 8-12 in below infection in dry weather

Disease

Cedar-apple rust

Gymnosporangium juniperi-virginianae

Look for: Orange leaf spots

What to do: Resistant cultivars

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 and are toxic to dogs, cats and horses (ASPCA). The fruit flesh is safe, but remove the seeds and core

Weed risk: None known

Checked against two or more reputable gardening sources. How we check our facts

Growing somewhere else? See this plant for the UK.

Keep it by the back door

The Plant Doctor and the Guv's book

Printable pest and disease charts with real photographs, and all 50 USA plants in one book.

Buy in the shop See all the guides