Apple
| Lifespan: | ⌛ | perennial |
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| Origin: | ✈ | C Asia |
| Exposure: | ☼ | full sun"full sun" is not in the list (sun, part-sun, shade, unknown) of allowed values for the "Exposure" property. |
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| Water: | ◍ | regular while fruit develop"regular while fruit develop" is not in the list (wet, moist, moderate, dry, less when dormant) of allowed values for the "Water" property. |
| Sunset Zones: | vary by variety |
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Rosaceae > |
Malus > |
The apple is a fruiting tree, of the species Malus domestica. Now widely cultivated and immensely variable, the apple is grown in every temperate climate, and is probably the most important commercial pomological fruit.
- More information about this species can be found on the genus page.
Cultivation
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The best results in apple-growing are to be expected in general when the land is tilled. The reasons for tilling the orchard are those that apply to other crops,— to make plant-food available, to extend the area in which the roots can grow, to conserve moisture. It is especially important, in our hot and sunny country, that the roots extend deep enough to escape the disastrous effects of drought. 1 he ideal treatment of orchard land is to fit the ground deep before the trees are planted, to plow deep for a year or two or three in order to force the roots down and thoroughly to ameliorate the soil, and to practise shallow tillage to conserve moisture. Since trees make most of their growth early in the season, the tillage should be begun as soon as the land is fit in spring; and it may be discontinued by midsummer or August. This cessation of the tillage allows of the growing of some cover-crop or catch-crop late in the season, in order to provide humus and to improve the physical texture of the soil. If the land is well handled in the first few years, it will not be necessary to turn a furrow in the orchard frequently thereafter, but merely to loosen the surface in the spring with a spading-harrow, spring-tooth harrow, or other tool, to reestablish the surface mulch. The only reasons for turning a furrow will occur when the land is so hard that the surface tools cannot mellow the surface, or when it is desirable to turn under a green-manure crop. Even hard lands may be got in such condition, by means of tillage and green-manures, that they may be worked up with harrow tools when the orchard comes into bearing. Plowing the orchard, therefore, has two legitimate objects: to mellow and ameliorate the land to a considerable depth, so that the roots may forage deep; to turn under a cover-crop. The former purpose should not be necessary after the first few plowings. An incidental object of plowing is to facilitate the making of the annual surface mulch; and this mulch is to save the moisture.
On good lands in which there is a sufficient natural supply of moisture, the sod-mulch treatment may take the place of tillage. This procedure keeps the land in sod, and the grass is mown and allowed to remain on the ground or is spread under the trees.
The apple thrives in a variety of soils. Lands that yield good crops of wheat and corn may be expected to be good apple lands, if other conditions are right. Rolling, inclined, or somewhat elevated lands are generally considered to be most desirable. Their value lies in the better drainage of water and air. The trees may be set in either fall or spring. Forty feet apart each way is the standard distance for apple trees; but some varieties, as the Wagener and the crabs, may be set closer. In the South and on the plains, trees may be set closer, as they do not attain such great size as in the northeastern states. In general, it is best to devote the land to apples alone; but persons who are willing to give the plantation the best of care may plant other trees between the apples as fillers. The more diverse the kinds of trees which are planted together, the more difficult it is to give the proper care to each. Some of the shorter-lived varieties of apples make excellent fillers in the apple orchard; and in special cases dwarf apples may be used.
Although it should be the general purpose to till the apple orchard throughout its life, whenever the trees seem to be growing too rapidly, the plantation may be seeded down for a time. That is, tillage is the general practice; seeding down and sod-mulching are the special practices. For the first few years, annual crops may be grown in the apple orchard; but every year a more open space should be left about the trees. As often as the land becomes crusted it should be tilled. On strong lands which are well handled, it is rarely necessary to apply concentrated fertilizers until the trees are old enough to bear. What fertilizers are then ; needed, and how much ; to apply, are to be determined by the behavior of the trees. If the trees are making insufficient growth, and the foliage lacks color, one or all of three things may be the trouble: the trees may need water; they may be suffering from insects or disease; they may lack nitrogen. If it is thought that they lack nitrogen, this material may be supplied in the form of nitrate of soda, sulfate of ammonia, or the unburned animal substances, as blood and tankage. Two to three hundred pounds to the acre of the nitrate of soda or sulfate of ammonia are liberal applications on well-tilled lands. If the trees are making vigorous growth, the probability is that they are not in need of more nitrogen. Potash and phosphoric acid may then be applied. Three hundred pounds of muriate of potash, or other concentrated material, should be sufficient for an acre, under ordinary conditions. As a rule, all orchards in full bearing should have a liberal annual application of fertilizing materials. In the East, apple trees should be in profitable bearing at twelve years from planting, and should continue for thirty years. In recent years, lime has been applied in many cases with good results, about 1,000 pounds to the acre every four or five years.
Propagation
Grafting to reproduce cultivars. Seeds to produce rootstocks or new varieties.
Pests and diseases
Mildew, aphids, apple scab, fireblight, Gymnosporangium rust, and black spot. The soft bark on a young apple tree may be fed upon by pests like mice and deer, especially in winter.
The two staple enemies of the apple are the apple-worm (the larva of the codlin- moth), and the apple- scab. These are readily held in check by spraying with arsenical poisons for the worm, and with lime - sulfur or bordeaux mixture for the scab. See Spraying. Spraying for the worm should be performed as soon as the last petals fall; for the scab as soon as the buds are well burst. In badly infected regions and on very susceptible varieties, it may be necessary to spray first for the scab before the buds swell. Since there are insects (as canker-worms, case-bearers, bud-moth) that appear before the flowers open, it is advisable to add arsenical poison to the fungicide at the early spraying. The number of times to spray depends on the thoroughness of the work, the pests to be combated, and the season; but it is a good rule to expect to spray with the combined fungicide and insecticide mixture when the buds burst, and again when the petals have fallen. In the plains country, less spraying may be necessary for the fungous diseases.
Cultivars
There are more than 7,500 known cultivars of apple.
Gallery
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A display of different apples
photo 2
photo 3
See also
- Cider apple
- Fruit tree propagation
- Fruit tree pollination
- Fruit tree forms
- List of apple cultivars
- Pruning fruit trees
References
External links
- w:Apple. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
- Apple QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)
