How to Grow Apple Trees in Ontario, Canada
With the eat local movement taking hold in Ontario, many people are considering growing their own fruit, either in their backyards or by starting a larger orchard project. Apple trees will grow in Ontario in plant hardiness zones 6 (southern Ontario) to 3 (just north of Sudbury). They have showy pale-pink blossoms in spring that become delicious fruit in the fall. Depending on the soil, rootstock and cultivar, they can grow from 6 feet to 30 feet tall. Apples can be a challenge to grow successfully. To increase your odds, choose a cultivar that is resistant to common diseases and, if you live in zone 3, will survive harsh winters. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Purchase your apple tree for planting in the spring. Look for a rootstock that will grow to an acceptable height and a variety that will do well in your hardiness zone. Yellow Transparent (Lodi), Red Melba and Wealthy varieties have superior winter hardiness so will do better if you live in the central part of the province. Varieties suitable for the southern areas of Ontario include Empire, Idared, Paulared, Vista Bella, Summerred, Spartan, McIntosh, Cortland, Quinte, Delicious, Golden Delicious, Golden Russet and Crispin. Dwarf varieties are recommended for home gardens. Most varieties of apple trees need to cross-pollinate to produce fruit. If you're only planting one apple tree, consider purchasing a tree that has more than one variety of tree grafted onto it so that the tree can self-pollinate.
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Choose a suitable spot to plant your apple tree. Look for a location with full sun, good drainage and not too much wind. Avoid areas of the garden that accumulate a lot of snow. Visualize the tree at its full height and make sure it will not interfere with buildings or other uses of the space.
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Prepare the soil for planting by working it with a shovel. Augment poor quality soil with compost or well-rotted manure.
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Trim all damaged and dead root ends from the rootstock.
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Dig a hole big enough to hold the roots without crowding. Do not add manure or any other fertilizer to the hole. If you are planting a dwarf variety of apple, make sure that an inch of root stock shows above the soil line. This will ensure that the tree remains dwarf.
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Replace the soil that was dug out around the roots of the tree. Press or tamp the soil down firmly around the tree. Create a slight depression in the soil around the trunk to catch water during the critical first summer of growing.
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Insert a sturdy post into the ground so it is 8 inches away from the tree trunk. Lightly tie the tree to the post. The post will provide support for the young tree as it grows.
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Mulch the tree with old straw, lawn clippings or wood chips. The mulch should extend out as far as an invisible line drawn from the tips of the branches to the soil. Scoop out the mulch from the area immediately around the trunk.
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Water deeply and often during the first growing season.
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Prune the tree immediately after planting. The desired shape of most fruit trees, including apples, is the "central leader" type, where one single trunk grows up the middle of the tree. Remove any dead or broken branches, or branches that are growing toward or competing with the central leader, using a clean cut at the trunk or branch. Prune every year before new growth starts. Aim to remove up to a quarter of the tree's branches, making sure that the branches that are left are well-distributed along the trunk and are growing at a wide angle to the trunk. Limbs that have a narrow "crotch angle" will be weak branches.
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Thin the fruit after the "June drop," which is when the tree naturally drops some of its fruit. Thinning will prevent branches from breaking and will encourage the tree to produce large, colorful fruit and copious blossoms in subsequent years. Most apple varieties should be thinned to one apple for every 8 inches.
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Remove all suckers growing from the rootstock.
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Harvest apples when they are ripe. Ripe apples will come off the tree easily and will have good color, crisp and juicy flesh and brown seed coats.
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Tips & Warnings
Some varieties of apple tree will not cross-pollinate others. If you are planting more than one apple tree, ensure cross-pollination by checking with a garden center or experienced fruit grower about a suitable second tree to plant.
Place a mouse guard around the trunk of your apple tree to protect it from rodents who will be attracted to the mulch. Make the mouse guard from 1/4 inch mesh wire formed into a cylinder. The mouse guard should be inserted 3 inches into the soil and extend 12 inches above the soil.
Protect the roots of an apple tree planted in more northern parts of Ontario by mulching the tree every fall.
If mice are a problem, use wood ash as a mulch.
Only apply fungicides and pesticides when absolutely necessary. Make sure you are familiar with the disease or insect and apply treatments according to instructions.
Fertilize your apple tree carefully, if at all. Applying fertilizer at the wrong time or in the wrong ratio of nutrients can stimulate undesirable growth. If you have mulched your newly planted apple tree, you will not need to fertilize for the first two years. After that, fertilize lightly and only in the early spring.
Excessive pruning can delay fruit production.
References
- Photo Credit Apple on the tree image by Nikolay Lapitsky from Fotolia.com
