You don’t need an orchard or even a large chunk of space to grow your own apple: Just plant a dwarf tree.
Don’t worry about fruit size: Dwarf trees bear fruits as large, or larger, than full size trees.
In the same area taken up by one large tree, you could plant a few dwarf trees, each of a different variety of apple. They produce a more manageable amount and it spreads out the harvest season.
Another advantage: Dwarf trees bear their first crop at a young age, often within 2 or 3 years of planting. Full size apple trees commonly take 6 to 10 years before bearing fruit.
And there’s no need to perch precariously on limbs or a ladder when pruning or harvesting.
Most dwarf apple trees are created by grafting. With this method, a branch of any apple variety, such as Northern Spy, McIntosh or Red Delicious, is joined to a special dwarfing rootstock a few inches above the ground. Depending on the which of the many dwarfing apple rootstocks is selected, the resulting tree might mature at anywhere from 5 to 15 feet in height.
No matter what the rootstock, the entire tree above the graft is the desired eating variety, and remains so because the graft stays in the same place even as the tree grows. Throughout the life of the tree, the rootstock imbues its upper part with dwarfness without changing the size or flavor of the fruit.
Dwarf trees are a bit finicky about soil, so make it rich. Plant dwarf trees with the graft union, recognized as a swelling near the base of the trunk, about 2 inches above the ground surface. Otherwise, the portion of the tree above the graft may take root and the tree will no longer be dwarfed.
With their weak root systems, dwarf apple trees also generally need to be staked throughout their lives. Once your dwarf tree is planted, you want to get it growing. Yes, you read that correctly. Dwarf apple trees are sometimes too enthusiastic to fruit, and by putting so much energy into fruiting, stems don’t grow enough and the trees are stunted.
Promote vigorous growth by weeding and watering diligently, especially the first year or two, as the tree is becoming established. And keep your young tree’s attention on growing rather than fruiting by pinching off some of its fruits early in the season. As the tree ages, allow it to ripen an increasing number of fruits.
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