If you’re interested in growing apple trees in the UK, you have to be aware of how to properly care for your crop.
Lighting
Before you begin looking for apple trees for sale, you’ve got to plan where in your garden you want to grow your trees. As with most fruit trees, apple trees prefer full sun. This gives them the most exposure to sunlight, making photosynthesis happen more often.
Photosynthesis is how plants create the energy and nutrients vital to their survival. Apple trees tend to have many leaves and they need a lot of nutrients to produce fruit for your consumption. Plant apple trees in areas where they will get sun all day long.
Feeding
Apple trees work extremely hard to produce their delectable fruit. Often, they deplete the nutrients in the soil they grow in before these nutrients can be replaced. Give your tree a guiding hand by fertilising it. Fertilisation should occur in the early spring when apple trees are at the peak of their production.
Fertilising during growing season also means that the most uptake from the roots will happen at this time. More uptake from the roots means that more of the micronutrients in the fertiliser will be utilised. This will prevent waste and increase the effects of the fertiliser.
Pruning
Pruning is critical for tree health, and this fact is especially true for fruit trees. Trimming your apple tree should happen from the beginning. Formative pruning at the beginning of an apple tree’s life will set it up for success later in life.
Trim away lower branches on fruit trees and leave branches that grow towards the top alone. When you cut away part of a limb, a tree will send cells to the site of injury to promote growth. Promoting growth towards the bottom of the tree will make the plant grow shorter. Shorter growth of fruit trees increases the ease of harvesting your fruit.
Once your tree is established, corrective pruning will be necessary. Remove any dead branches or odd protrusions during late winter and early spring. Pruning during this time frame will give your apple tree plenty of time to recuperate before the stressful season of summer.
If you’re looking into apple trees for sale, the experts to turn to are Chris Bowers & Sons. Their easy-to-navigate website is the place to shop for apple trees, and you can learn everything you need to know about keeping your fruit trees healthy.
