PomologyPomology
Plant: Apple TreePlant: Apple Tree
Term: PomesTerm: Pomes
Apple tree: Malus domestica• Deciduous Tree• Requires full light• Mature size is 10 – 40 ft, but many dwarf and
columnar varieties are available• Grows in any slightly acidic, well-drained soil• USDA zones: 4 – 9• Blooms in Mid-spring, fruit production mid-
summer to mid fall depending on variety• Primary usage: fruit production
Pome:
• A fleshy fruit, such as an apple, pear, or quince, having several seed chambers and an outer fleshy part largely derived from the hypanthium
Varieties (Cultivars)
• How many can you think of– Red delicious– Golden delicious– Gala– Fuji
Most common Virginia Apples
• McIntosh, Empire, Rome,
• Red Delicious, Cortland, Gala,
• Golden Delicious, Paula Red, Crispin,
• Jonagold Jonamac, Jonathan
• Winesap, Lodi, Fuji,
• Arkansas Black York,Redfree,
• Ginger Gold Early Crisp
Forms
• Dwarf
• Semi-dwarf
• Columnar
• Full Size
• Espalier
Rootstock
Rootstock Tree size % Spacing Anchorage Years to production
Seedling 100 15-18 Excellent 6 - 10
MM.111 85 14-18 Excellent 4-6
MM.106 80 12-16 Excellent 3-4
M7a 70 10-14 Fair 3-4
M26 50 8-12 Poor 2-4
Mark or M9
35% 4 – 8 Good 2-3
Central Leader Form
Open form
• Pruned to
Growing Apples• Apple blossoms form in Spring• Cross pollinated by bees.• The bee drops pollen from the stamens of one blossom onto the
pistils of another blossom. • The pollen travels from the sticky tips of the pistils - called the
stigma - down a long tube known as the style and enters the ovary.• Ovules within the ovary become apple seeds.• The petals from the blossoms fall off & the ovary starts growing.• The ovary is surrounded by a thin protective layer. This layer
eventually becomes the apple core. • The outer layer surrounding the ovary becomes the exocarp, or the
eating part of the apple. • The calyx, stamens, and pistils become the dry, hairy part at the
bottom of the apple.
Botany
Flower Parts
Apple Growers Calendar• January
– Order trees from nurseries. – Begin pruning apple trees.
• February – Continue pruning. – Apply fertilizer 4 to 6 weeks before bloom.
• March – Finish pruning. – Plant new trees.
• April – Apply dormant oil spray, green tip, prepink, and pink
sprays for insects and diseases. – Measures to control weeds should begin early in the
season. • May
– Install rodent guards around trunk of newly planted trees.
– Thin fruit with chemicals or by hand. – Apply petal fall and first cover spray. – Remove fireblight strikes. – Discourage deer from eating young shoots by using
commercially available repellents.• June
– Apply second and third cover sprays. – Continue weed control. – Irrigate if soil is dry.
• July – Harvest early summer varieties. – Apply forth & fifth cover sprays. – Irrigate when soil is dry
• August – Harvest summer varieties. – Continue weed control. – Apply sixth & seventh cover spray. – Irrigate when soil is dry.
• September – Harvest early fall varieties. – Take soil samples to determine next year's fertilizer
needs. • October
– Harvest late varieties. – Remove fruit as they fall to ground. Remove and
dispose of decaying, hanging fruit. – Check the ground around trees for mouse activity and
take control measures• November
– Apply lime if soil tests indicate a need. – Cover trunks and lower branches of young trees with
white latex paint to reduce winter injury. • December
– Update your record book for application dates for fertilizer and pesticides.
Pruning
• Apple trees are normally pruned as central leader trees
Types of pruning cuts• Heading:• Thinning
Heading cuts
• Cut just above a bud
• Get new growth at the tips
Thinning cuts
• Cut whole branches to the stem or trunk
• Get more vigorous growth on the remaining branches
Where to cut
How to cut large branches