Getting a crop of scrumptious apples is a fairly simple undertaking as long as you remember a few basic rules.
Apple trees require full sun to produce a good fruit crop, so give them as much as possible—a minimum of 8 hours of sunlight daily should suffice. Sites on a hillside that have a gentle slope are preferred over valley bottoms where cold air will settle or hilltops that may be too windy. Fertile, sandy loam soils give the best chance for root growth, although other soils are acceptable. Just make sure there is good drainage, as apple trees do not tolerate “wet feet.” Soils should be slightly acidic to neutral pH. Add organic matter such as compost to the soil to improve soil tilth.
Choose a cultivar that coincides with your intended use such as fresh eating, baking, cooking, canning, etc. Also, choose a cultivar that will ripen within the constraints of our growing season. Apple varieties that will ripen after mid-October in Wisconsin will not have enough time to fully mature before the end of the growing season.
Apple trees are self-unfruitful, so another cultivar must be used to pollinate for good fruit set. Planting two of the same kind is just like planting one tree, so this will not work. Fortunately, flowering crabapples will also pollinate apple trees, so normally there is no problem having another pollen source in the area. Realize that the pollinator must be blooming at the same time as your apple tree and should be within 100 yards of your tree to provide adequate pollen for fruit set.
In addition, some cultivars such as Winesap and Jonagold are triploids and do not have viable pollen to pollinate other cultivars. So, another cultivar will need to be used for your other trees as well.
Plant according to the directions supplied for proper hole size, depth of hole and correct depth of rootstock.
Maintaining your apple tree is a matter of proper pruning and training, fertilizing, and spraying for insect and disease problems. For an excellent guide to caring for your apple tree go to www.uwex.edu and check out the publications section (especially Publication #A3565).
Most importantly—enjoy a home-grown Wisconsin apple!
