Apples can be propagated both by seed and through grafting. However, growing apples from seed does not guarantee the same productivity as the parent but grafted apples retain their properties, taste, productivity and any disease resistance the parent plant might­­ have had. Hence it’s highly recommended to use grafted apple seedlings to establish your apple orchard. At denettols enterprise we offer high quality grafted seedlings that have been proven to do well across the Mount Kenya region.

Ecological factors to consider while growing apples

There are a few important considerations in your apple growing venture; Apples are very sensitive to certain ecological & climatic conditions, here are some of the ecological factors you should look out for.

• Apples grow best in well-drained loamy soil, although they will grow in more sandy soil or in soil with some clay.
• Apples grow best in a neutral soil pH of 6.0 to 7.0.
• Plant apples sheltered from a prevailing wind or breeze. Avoid planting apples in a low spot where cold air or frost can settle.
• Late spring frosts can kill apple flowers. Apples bloom in late spring after peaches, cherries, and almonds. Early fall frosts can damage the fruit. Choose a variety suited to your growing region.
• Avoid planting in the same spot where apple trees have previously grown. Pests and diseases that attack apple trees may still live in the soil.

Temperatures
Apples require a day time temperatures of above 18°C and night time temperatures of above 13°C to break dormancy. However, optimum night and day temperatures of about 6-8°C will enable complete bud breaking. Areas which do not experience low temperatures, chemicals have to be used to supplement the inadequate chilling. Apples grow best in full sun. An apple tree planted in partial sunlight will not bear as many fruits like an apple planted in full sun.

Soil
Apples are best grown in deep, well drained sandy to sandy loam soils. The PH for sandy soils should be 6.0 while for heavy clay soils should be 7.0. It is recommended to carry out a soil test to establish deficiencies in nutrients particularly Phosphorus which affects root development.

Rainfall
1000-1800mm of rainfall per year is adequate. However, very high rainfall is associated with incidences of fungal diseases. In areas of low rainfall, irrigation can be done.

Altitude
Apples grown in altitudes of 1800-2800m above sea level. Such areas include Trans Nzoia District particularly Kipipiri, Kinangop in Nyandarua District, Timboroa in Uasin Gishu District, Molo and Naivasha in Nakuru District. It is grown in Kiambu, Murang’a, Taita Taveta and Meru.

Establishing the apple tree
Several varieties have been tried in Kenya successfully. Popular cultivars such as Jonathan and Gala are extremely susceptible to fire blight and thus are difficult to grow because they require diligent spraying. However, planting of disease resistant varieties is recommended

Land preparation
Clear the land of all the trees and bushes. In the case of a forest, first ring bark all the trees to eliminate the possibility of infecting the apple trees with Armillaria melea. Plough to a depth 30cm and remove all the perennial weeds.

Spacing
Apple trees are spaced according to rootstocks, varieties and altitude. 3m×2m or 3m×3m for small varieties, 4m×4m or 4m×5m for medium and large trees.

Planting
Apple seedlings should be ideally planted during the rainy season. Dig holes 60cm×60cm and separate the top soil from the sub soil. Place the tree in the hole and arrange the roots so they aren’t overlapping. About an hour before planting, soak tree roots to get them hydrated.

To avoid air pockets, stump the soil as the hole is filled then apply 5 or 10 liters of water to the tree.
Add additional soil if needed to maintain the soil at the same level as that surrounding the hole. At planting ensure a variety should be included in the orchard for adequate pollination.

Managing your apple trees

Mulching
Adequate mulch application maintains moisture around the seedling and also keeps weeds in check.

Intercropping
This is essential to utilize the space in the orchard and encourage pollination agents. Some of the crops that can be intercropped with apples include leafy vegetables, beans and peas. This should be done during the first three years of establishing an orchard.

Staking
A strong stake should be placed beside an apple tree to provide support. For trees on dwarfing rootstocks, the stake should be 10ft tall and will remain in the ground for the life of the tree. Small apple trees can be easily overloaded with fruits and will in result lean or break because of their weaker root system.

The support stakes are needed only for the first five years after planting to support the main trunk. After this time, the root system and the framework of the tree are generally strong enough to support the tree with fruit on it. After selecting a suitable stake, drive it 2 ft. into the soil. Secure the tree to the stake by a heavy wire and a piece of rubber prevent scraping off the bark when the tree swings in the wind.

Fertilizing trees

1. Ideally one month after planting, apply about a 250g of Urea fertilizer per tree in a circular band around the edge of the original planting hole.
2. A year after planting, apply about 500g fertilizers per tree in a circular band on the tree canopy at the onset of rains in splits of two. In subsequent years, fertilizer needs will probably increase; the amount of fertilizer to apply can be gauged by the terminal growth made the preceding year.

Young trees (one to six years old) should be 30cm to 46cm of new growth each year and 3cm to 15 cm of growth thereafter. Growth above or below these figures would indicate too much or too little fertilizer. After inspecting the amount of terminal growth, the amount of fertilizer can be adjusted from the amount applied the previous year.

Pruning
Pruning should be done during the first four years of growth in order to establish structure and form.

1st Year (formative pruning): after planting, prune back the central shoot to 1m from the ground to allow branching below the point of cutting. 3-4 strong shoots are selected from the new shoots. These should be distributed along and around the central leads. The lowest branch should be 70cm from the ground level.

2nd Year: during the following dormant season, about⅓ to ⅟₂ the length of the scaffold branches is cut back to stimulate secondary or lateral branching. 3-4 laterals are recommended per scaffold branch.

3rd Year; the scaffolds are tipped off to induce more laterals
4th Year (maintenance pruning): cut back the scaffold branches and laterals. Laterals growing too close to the main laterals and scaffolds branches are cut. Paint all the cut surfaces to prevent infection.

Training
Apples produce fruit mostly on the lateral branches that are horizontal to the ground. Therefore apple branches should be well spread out by bending them to the horizontal position, to encourage fruit growth, more productivity, light penetration, aeration and disease development.

Wind breaks
This are especially notorious to orchards and adequate measures should be taken to protect the young seedlings from strong winds.

Fruit Thinning
where necessary, fruit thinning should be done to leave 2-3 evenly spaced fruits per spur. Excessive fruit set may lower the quality of the fruit while flower and fruit drop may prevent excessive fruit set.

Yields
Mature trees individually can yield up to 20Kg/year when they have attained an age of 7 years. Production can continue for 20 years after which yields start declining.

Fruit handling
Maturity of the fruits is determined prior to harvesting by change in fruit color to a yellow color and when the fruits are easily removed from the tree. After picking, fruits should be placed on a cushioned crate or cartons.