Detailed Explanation of Apple Planting Methods and Management Techniques

As the saying goes “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”. Apples are highly nutritious, rich in minerals and vitamins, and abundant in calcium, which helps metabolize excess salt in the body. So, how do you plant apples? How do you manage them?

1. How to plant apples?

1. Propagation

Grafting is commonly used for propagation. Rootstocks include vigorous rootstocks and dwarfing rootstocks. Vigorous rootstocks include Malus prunifolia, Malus micromalus, and Malus baccata, while dwarfing rootstocks are mainly varieties introduced from the UK. Wide-row close planting is adopted, with rows running north-south. In the more southern areas, planting is done before the soil freezes in autumn and winter, while in the more northern areas, planting is done when the soil thaws in spring.

2. Planting

Apples should be cultivated in well-drained locations. In hilly and mountainous areas, they should be planted on wind-protected, sun-facing slopes, choosing neutral to slightly acidic soil.

3. Planting Density

For standard apples on vigorous rootstocks, plant 27 to 44 trees per mu, with a spacing of 3 to 4 m × 5 to 6 m. For varieties on dwarfing interstocks, plant 40 to 66 trees per mu, with a spacing of 2.5 to 3 m × 4 to 5 m.

2. How do you manage apple planting?

1. Training and Pruning

For young trees, attention should be paid to opening up the crotch angle. The central leader and extension shoots should be appropriately headed back, while other branches that do not affect the tree shape should be lightly pruned and left to grow long. Excessively dense vegetative shoots and competing shoots should be promptly thinned out to maintain sufficient light in the inner canopy. Fruiting branches should be headed back and renewal-pruned as needed.

2. Rational Arrangement of Pollinizer Trees

Since apples have an extremely low fruit set rate through self-pollination, pollinizer trees must be rationally arranged when establishing an orchard. When planting standard apples, Golden Delicious, Orin, Starking, Tsugaru, and Sekaiichi can all serve as pollinizers. For spur-type apples, spur-type varieties such as Golden Spur, Starkrimson, Yanhong, Ultra Red, and Scarlet Spur should be used as pollinizer varieties. In dense plantings, the best arrangement for pollinizers is alternating within the row, generally 1 pollinizer tree for every 4 to 5 trees. If arranged between rows, 1 row of pollinizers should be planted for every 4 to 5 rows, with the proportion of pollinizer trees generally around 15% to 20%.

3. Hand Pollination and Fruit Thinning

If apples rely on self-pollination, their fruit set rate is very low, so hand pollination is needed. Even when pollinizer trees are present, it should still be carried out. After fruit set, fruit thinning should be strictly done according to a branch-to-fruit ratio of 5:1, leaving only the central single fruit to prevent excessive crop load from affecting tree vigor and fruit quality.

4. Pay Attention to Cold Protection

In northern cultivation areas, temperatures are low, making trees prone to freeze damage and shoot dieback. Therefore, when establishing an orchard, choose locations with good climatic conditions that are favorable for cold protection and frost resistance, and also take protective measures for young trees such as tying straw and mounding soil.

In addition, it should be noted that apples are temperate fruit trees that prefer low temperatures and dry conditions. In China, the regions suitable for growing apples include: Shaanxi, Gansu, Shanxi, Shandong, Hebei, Liaoning, Henan, Jiangsu, Anhui, and other provinces.