Apple Trees - Ask Extension
I am interested in planting dwarf apple trees specifically honeycrisp. I know I need a cross pollinator and I need a sunny location. I would love to k...
Knowledgebase
Apple Trees #865069
Asked April 19, 2024, 8:16 AM EDT
I am interested in planting dwarf apple trees specifically honeycrisp. I know I need a cross pollinator and I need a sunny location. I would love to know any resources available to help me make wise choices in selecting and caring for the apple trees. I would also like to know if you have a list of local nurseries as most of the apple trees I found are available to be shipped from out of state. I would like to know if this is a wise idea or if I'm causing more of a headache for the future. I have never had Apple trees. I understand they need to be pruned and shaped. I would like to know what sort of pests I need to be aware of and how to prevent them. We have pawpaw trees and some other smaller local fruit trees as well as berry bushes.
Cecil County Maryland
Expert Response
We recently revised our Growing Apple and Pear Trees in a Home Garden web page. (We lump the two fruits together since they share many care and troubleshooting aspects.) It includes a list of some recommended cultivars, selected in part due to their above-average disease resistance and ease (relatively speaking) of care in our climate. Despite their popularity, some familiar cultivars like 'Honeycrisp' can be very challenging to grow and crop well in our hot, humid summers. (Problems like premature fruit drop, poor fruit coloration, and poor storage quality/longevity can be typical, even for farmers.)
Any aspects of tree care not specific to apples will be included in our Fruit Plant Care page. Most fruit trees benefit from multiple annual pesticide applications to prevent pest and disease damage that could harm the tree or ruin a crop. Even if you opt to use organic pesticides, most must be applied at certain times in the growing cycle in order to prevent an outbreak, since few treatments will be curative after symptoms appear. A searchable booklet by Virginia Tech (applicable to MD growers too) is included as a link in the above pages.
Most of the mainstream fruits (apple, cherry, peach, etc.) are high-maintenance crops, requiring more attention to pruning, fertilizing, pest/disease intervention, and other care than a typical ornamental (decorative) tree or shrub. In general, tree fruits are more high-maintenance than shrub fruits (berries, for example).
Extension doesn't collect information about nursery suppliers, nor do we recommend particular businesses, but overall you will find a broader selection of cultivars from online specialty fruit nurseries than at local garden centers, simply because of their limitations on space for inventory since the latter stocks more than just fruits. Many web-based nurseries will indeed be out of state, but that's ok, and several may be close by in PA, VA, or WV.
Suppliers online tend to provide cross-pollination compatibility charts, at least among the cultivars they offer. As a generalization, any other mid-season (when 'Honeycrisp' blooms within the apple flowering window) variety that is not pollen-sterile should be a suitable pollinator. Pollen-sterile trees can accept pollen from other trees and still fruit, but they cannot be the pollen source for another tree; they are in the minority, so will be identified as such by the supplier.
Miri
Any aspects of tree care not specific to apples will be included in our Fruit Plant Care page. Most fruit trees benefit from multiple annual pesticide applications to prevent pest and disease damage that could harm the tree or ruin a crop. Even if you opt to use organic pesticides, most must be applied at certain times in the growing cycle in order to prevent an outbreak, since few treatments will be curative after symptoms appear. A searchable booklet by Virginia Tech (applicable to MD growers too) is included as a link in the above pages.
Most of the mainstream fruits (apple, cherry, peach, etc.) are high-maintenance crops, requiring more attention to pruning, fertilizing, pest/disease intervention, and other care than a typical ornamental (decorative) tree or shrub. In general, tree fruits are more high-maintenance than shrub fruits (berries, for example).
Extension doesn't collect information about nursery suppliers, nor do we recommend particular businesses, but overall you will find a broader selection of cultivars from online specialty fruit nurseries than at local garden centers, simply because of their limitations on space for inventory since the latter stocks more than just fruits. Many web-based nurseries will indeed be out of state, but that's ok, and several may be close by in PA, VA, or WV.
Suppliers online tend to provide cross-pollination compatibility charts, at least among the cultivars they offer. As a generalization, any other mid-season (when 'Honeycrisp' blooms within the apple flowering window) variety that is not pollen-sterile should be a suitable pollinator. Pollen-sterile trees can accept pollen from other trees and still fruit, but they cannot be the pollen source for another tree; they are in the minority, so will be identified as such by the supplier.
Miri
