Watering and Care for a Dwarf Gala Apple Tree

Dwarf Gala apple trees produce fruit that can be stored up to six weeks.

Gala apples are prized for their taste and resistance to bruising and softening. Dwarf varieties of this tree require similar care and watering to standard-sized trees, but they will only grow to about 10 feet tall. With proper pruning, watering and fertilization, the fruit from a dwarf gala tree will be as sweet as the standard variety produces.

Things You'll Need

• Herbicide
• Mulch
• Nitrogen fertilizer
• Clothespins

Instructions

1. Water your tree at a rate of 2 to 3 gallons of water every 2 to 3 weeks. Mature trees over the age of two may not need water as frequently if the soil is moist. A mature tree typically requires no more than one inch of water per week added to the soil.

2. Clear the soil around the circumference of your tree so that there is no grass or weeds growing within one foot from the trunk.

3. Apply organic mulch, such as wood chips or pine needles, to a depth of 2 to 3 inches around the root zone to prevent weed growth and keep the soil moist. Do not allow the mulch to touch the trunk.

4. Fertilize your tree each spring for ideal growth and optimum fruit quality. One month after planting, spread one cup 21-0-0 fertilizer in a 2-foot circle around your tree, keeping the fertilizer 6 inches away from the trunk.

5. Reapply fertilizer again in May and also in June after planting. During the second year, spread the fertilizer in a 3-foot circle, 6 inches away from your tree. Repeat again in April, May and June.

6. Increase fertilizer to 2 cups in the third year and 3 cups in the fourth. After 4 years of growth, determine your tree’s fertilizer needs based on new growth. Typically about one pound of fertilizer is applied per inch of trunk diameter in fruit-bearing apple trees. Apply at bud break; if the tree has not set fruit, do not repeat in June application.

7. Remove excess fruit by hand in midsummer to encourage ideal color, shape and size of the remaining apples. Thinning your fruit before full bloom ensures bud formation. If excess fruit is not removed, buds may be decreased the following year.

8. Leave one apple per cluster on your tree and space each cluster about 6 inches apart. Begin at the end of a branch and hold the stem between your thumb and forefinger. With the other hand, push the fruit from the stem to prevent damaging the spur.

9. Remove limbs that are damaged or discolored. Also remove limbs that show no new growth or that have fungal growth. Doing so allows new, healthy branches to form and improve your tree’s strength.

10. Prune branches growing lower than 18 inches above the ground in late winter. This balances the root system and canopy; it encourages new growth in the spring.

11. Attach wooden clothespins to new growth between the main trunk and the new growth. This trains the new growth to move out and up, forming crotch angles needed to support fruit.

12. Apply pesticides labeled for use on fruit trees if insects become a problem.

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid using an insecticide containing cabaryl after petal fall; this ingredient can cause thinning of your tree’s foliage.

References

• Ohio State University Extension; Growing Apples in the Home Orchard; Gary Gao
• Fast-Growing Trees; Dwarf Gala Apple
• Texas A&M University; Home Fruit Production – Apples; Larry Stein, et al