How to plant an apple tree
A brief knowledge sharing, introducing you to how to plant an apple tree and the related contents of green planting methods and processes, keep reading!
Planting Conditions
1. Temperature
Apples prefer a cold and dry climate with abundant sunshine. The average temperature during the growing period from April to October should be between 12 to 18 degrees Celsius, which is the most suitable for apple growth. If the temperature is too high in summer, with an average temperature > 26 degrees Celsius, it will lead to poor differentiation of flower buds, rapid fruit development, and poor storage. Therefore, it is not suitable for planting in the south.
3. Light
Apples are a light-loving species. Sufficient light is beneficial for normal growth and fruiting, and improves fruit quality. Different varieties have different light requirements. An annual sunshine duration of over 2000 hours can basically meet the growth and development needs of apples.
4. Soil
In terms of soil, apples are suitable for deep soil layers, good drainage, and sandy loam rich in organic matter, preferably slightly acidic to neutral. Poor soil aeration hinders the growth of apple roots, and when the soil pH is above 7.8 (alkaline soil), it is prone to缺素 and chlorosis.
Methods of Propagation for Apples
There are three methods of propagation for apples:播种, cutting, and grafting. The main purpose of apple cultivation is for fruiting, and播种 propagation has poor adaptability and does not easily maintain the characteristics of the parent plant, while cutting propagation has a low survival rate of branches and is not applicable. Therefore, apples are generally propagated by grafting.
Grafting Methods
Apple tree grafting methods include: side grafting (a type of branch grafting) and bud grafting. The former method can start in early spring when the rootstock sap is active (around late March to early April in Beijing). The latter method involves grafting a bud piece from the parent plant onto the rootstock during the growing season from early August to early September. Currently, the bud grafting method is commonly used due to its high efficiency and ease of survival. The rootstock is generally chosen to be crabapple or mountain hawthorn, but crabapple is more resistant to flooding and drought, and is commonly used as rootstock in Beijing.
How to Plant an Apple Tree
Grafting Method:
1. Rootstock
Select one-year-old seedlings, remove the suckers and leaves above 15-20 cm from the ground in July, and when the ground diameter is 0.3-0.5 cm, the grafting can be performed. Generally, 60-75% of one-year-old seedlings can meet this standard. If it is a two-year-old maintenance seedling, the suckers also need to be removed.
2. Grafting Period
If the grafting task is large, it can be carried out from early August to late September, but the best period is from mid-August to mid-September. Early grafting is suitable for varieties that do not easily germinate, while late grafting requires attention to rootstock management to prevent the rootstock from stopping growth.
3. Scion Selection
Select the current year's branches with full tissue, plump buds, and those that are growing (avoiding branches with top buds damaged by pests). After picking, immediately leave a 2 cm petiole and remove all leaves to reduce water evaporation. The best part of the bud is the middle section, as the base is not easy to germinate, and the tip is not full enough. It is best to graft immediately after picking.
Grafting
1. Cutting the Bud Slice
Hold the scion in the left hand and the knife in the right hand. Make a horizontal cut 0.8 cm above the bud, then make an oblique cut 1.2 cm below the bud, cut into the xylem, push the knife up to the bud, gently pry up, and remove the bud slice.
2. Inserting the Bud
Hold the knife in the right hand, make a horizontal cut on the smooth surface of the rootstock 5-10 cm from the ground (but not exceeding the circumference), then make a vertical cut in the middle of the horizontal cut, use the knife tip to push to the left to insert the bud, then push to the right to insert the other side of the bud, and after cutting, use the thumb to push the bud slice down to make the upper cut of the bud slice meet the horizontal cut of the rootstock.
3. Tying
Soak the dodder in water, take out one to tie from bottom to top or top to bottom, usually 3-4 times, with the key areas being where the horizontal cut meets and where the bud inside contacts the xylem of the rootstock. The binding should not be too tight or too loose. After 15-20 days, the dodder can be removed. It is best to have sunny weather after grafting, but it is not too afraid of rain. The following spring, the apple tree can germinate.
Management in the First Year After Grafting: By the end of March, you can cut the rootstock 0.5-0.8 cm above the bud, but for varieties with weak upright growth, such as Red元帅, you should cut the rootstock 25 cm from the ground to use for tying the bud seedlings. When the seedling is 40 cm tall, you can cut the rootstock 0.8-1 cm above the bud. In the first year after grafting, it is advisable to give a lot of water and fertilizer in early spring, pay attention to removing suckers, and prevent pests such as weevils and chafer beetles. The seedlings should grow 1-1.2 meters in one year to meet the requirements for trunk formation. After July, no more fertilizer should be applied, but water can be appropriately灌溉ed in case of drought to promote tissue consolidation and safe overwintering.
Pruning of Apple Trees
1. Spring Pruning
Carried out from germination to the flowering period, using measures such as removing buds, thinning branches, cutting back, scoring buds, and ring stripping to complete the pruning task. For young orchards, it also includes shaping and pruning tasks such as pulling branches.
2. Summer Pruning
Using techniques such as opening angles, pinching, twisting, ring stripping, thinning cuts, and ring girdling to moderate tree vigor, improve light conditions, and expand the canopy.
3. Autumn Pruning
Using measures such as pulling branches, thinning vertical branches, suckering branches, dense branches, and over-dense outer new shoots to improve light conditions, promote flower bud differentiation, and enhance the cold resistance of the tree.
4. Winter
Winter pruning is carried out from after the leaves fall in winter to before spring germination. The main tasks include thinning diseased branches, dense branches, and suckering branches, using methods such as shortening the main branches, reducing long and large fruiting branch groups, auxiliary branches, and weak main branches. Its function is to adjust the angles and growth directions of main branches, auxiliary branches, and fruiting branch groups, control the ratio of flower and leaf buds, balance tree vigor, and achieve high yields.
Fertilization Management
Fertilization is generally divided into accumulated manure and top dressing. The specific time depends on the variety, fertilizer requirement规律, and tree growth and fruiting conditions. In general, fertilizing four times a year is recommended. The first time is before flowering or germination (early April). The second time is after flowering (mid-May). These two fertilizations can effectively promote germination, flowering, and prevent the loss of nutrients due to flowering, improve fruit setting rate, and promote new branch growth. The third time is during the flower bud differentiation and young fruit expansion period, which can meet the needs of fruit expansion, branch and leaf growth, and flower bud differentiation. The last time is in autumn fertilization (early to mid-September), mainly using farm manure, with phosphorus applied in full annual amount. To fully utilize the fertilizer, the phosphorus fertilizer should be mixed with organic fertilizer and composted before application.
Flower and Fruit Management
1. Artificial Pollination
In years with poor climate and few flowers, artificial pollination or releasing bees during the full bloom period of apples can ensure fruit setting. For trees with many flowers or in years with many flowers, conduct compound pruning during the bud swelling period, including removing weak branches and keeping strong ones, blocking flower branches, and shortening short fruiting branch strings. Thinning flower buds can not only improve the fruit setting rate but also increase fruit size and help form flower buds on fruiting spurs, which is an effective measure to overcome the alternation of large and small crops.
2. Thinning Flowers and Fruits
From the early to late full bloom period, thin flowers according to requirements, and from 1-4 weeks after flowering, thin excess young fruits. This is a necessary measure to prevent or overcome the alternation of large and small apple crops.
3. Preventing Fruit Drop Before Harvesting
Some apple varieties have serious fruit drop before harvest. A certain concentration of tea acetic acid or sodium naphtenate solution can be sprayed on the fruit cluster 1-2 times 30-40 days and 20 days before harvest to effectively reduce fruit drop.
Disease Control
Generally, with good orchard management and avoiding excessive use of nitrogen fertilizer, the chance of apple disease is relatively low. Of course, to prevent disease, it is possible to spray some preventive disease agents regularly every year, such as carbendazim. When apple trees are found to be diseased, corresponding drugs should be used for treatment according to the condition.
Many people mistakenly believe that apples cannot be grown in the south. In fact, apples can be grown in the south, but it is more difficult, and the resulting trees are easily affected by diseases. Even if the diseases are eradicated, the quality of the apples produced will be very poor. This is like planting southern oranges in the north.
The above sharing on how to plant an apple tree and the detailed introduction of apple tree planting methods and processes are for reference by netizens.