Apple tree: care, calendar, diseases
Everything to care for a home apple tree: when to prune, graft, spot diseases, and ensure pollination.
apple tree care calendar
| Period | Task |
|---|---|
| February | Do the winter pruning if the weather allows |
| March | Add mature compost without touching the trunk |
| April | Set up a monitoring trap for the codling moth |
| June | Thin out overcrowded fruit |
| September | Check ripeness and organise the harvest |
apple tree pollination
The apple tree is usually self-sterile: it needs another variety of apple tree, flowering at the same time, nearby. Learn more about pollination.
Pruning and grafting the apple tree
Prune
- Balance the fruiting branches and the vigorous shoots.
- Thin out the centre without removing all the short fruit-bearing shoots.
- Watch how the tree responds before continuing the following year.
Graft
- The apple tree commonly accepts whip, cleft and bark grafts.
- Choose a rootstock suited to the soil and the vigour you want.
- Label the grafted variety immediately.
Pruning too hard often produces a lot of water sprouts.
apple tree diseases and pests
Brown rot possibleThe browning and the pads on the fruit are consistent with a rot that spreads mainly throu…Scab possibleOlive-brown spots on leaves and fruit are consistent with apple or pear scab.…Aphids likelySmall insects, curled leaves and sticky honeydew point to an aphid attack.…Fire blightA serious bacterial disease of apple, pear and quince trees: shoots blacken as if burnt an…Powdery mildewWhite powdery coating on young leaves and shoots, which become deformed and stop growing.…Apple and pear cankerSunken bark wounds with concentric ridges: the fungus slowly kills the branch.…Codling moth (apple, pear or walnut fruit worm)A caterpillar tunnels to the fruit's core: a small entry hole plugged with frass, fruits r…Chlorosis (deficiency, often iron)Leaves yellow between veins that stay green, mainly on young shoots: not a contagious dise…Scale insectsSmall fixed bumps on the bark or stems, sticky honeydew and a black deposit (sooty mould):…Collar rot (Phytophthora)A dark ooze at the base of the trunk and general decline: a soil fungus attacks the collar…Water stress (lack of water)Dry leaf edges, soft foliage in the heat and early leaf drop: the tree is short of water, …Woolly apple aphidWhite cottony clusters on bark and twigs, with swellings: an aphid protected by woolly wax…
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