Garden Talk: Growing Fruit

Featured in this Show

• What To Consider Before Adding An Apple Tree To Your Garden

  Download

  There are many fruits that grow in Wisconsin, but according to the University of Wisconsin-Extension, apples are the most widely planted tree fruit in the state.

  If you’re thinking of planting an apple tree this spring, there are a number of things you can do to increase your odds of a successful crop.

  UW-Extension fruit crop production specialist, Amaya Atucha, has some basic recommendations regarding caring for your apple trees before and after planting.

  “Ideally, we would like to plant as early in the spring as possible, but we know this is not always possible, especially when we have rainy spring and the soil is too wet to plant,” she said.

  If you can’t get your trees in the ground right away, make sure to keep the roots moist, she added. It’s also important to store the trees in a cool area to keep them dormant until planting.

  When weather and soil temperature permits, take a look at the tree’s roots and trim off any that are damaged. Then soak the tree in water for a couple of hours before you plan to plant it, Atucha advised.

  Where you plant your tree is key. Apples require sun at least three-fourths of the day and ideally on a gently sloping piece of land. This helps protect tender blossoms from late frosts, according to the UW-Extension publication “Growing Apples in Wisconsin.“

  Atucha said when placing the tree in the soil, the graft union (a noticeable bump near the bottom of the trunk) should be at least 4 to 6 inches above the ground.

  “Good contact between the soil and the roots is critical for a successful planting,” she said. “Pack the soil around the roots to ensure good contact.”

  To get rid of any air pockets around the roots, Atucha said to water the tree immediately.

  “Water is more important than fertilizer during the first years,” she said.

  Don’t fertilize until you see the first three to five inches of growth, before that fertilizing is just a waste, she said.

  At that point start with a low dose of fertilizer, applying about a quarter pound of mono-potassium phosphate fertilizer per tree, she added.

  When it comes to producing fruit, it used to be believed that stopping the tree from fruiting – by pinching off blossoms – in the first few years, lead to a better producing tree later. Atucha said that is no longer the case.

  “We want to start cropping them as soon as possible, because what you want is fruit and not wood,” she said.