Top 4 tips for taking care of your apple tree

Did you know that not all your gardening needs to wait till the spring? Lots of gardening tasks are best done at the end of winter before everything starts growing again, especially pruning deciduous trees such as apple trees.

Not only do apple trees look beautiful, but they also provide us with a delicious fruit full of impressive health benefits. Plus, once established, apple trees are rather easy to maintain, making them extremely popular with gardeners.

You might already have an apple tree in your garden, or perhaps you’re thinking about growing one this year. We’ve listed a few suggestions to ensure you get the most out of your apple tree.

1. Water during dry spells and when the fruit begins to plump

Larger trees will be more resilient but make sure that you are especially taking care of your young trees. Try placing a drip line to make watering easier.

2. Plant between November and March.

Don’t have your own apple tree yet or simply want another one? Plant bare-root and container grown trees over winter to give them the best head start.

3. Feed in early spring

At the beginning of spring, use a high potassium general fertiliser to give your trees some care. If your tree is growing in bare soil, scattering one handful per square metre will do, if it’s growing in grass, add another half a handful.

4. Prune once a year in winter

If you’ve been pruning your tree in spring, you’re probably getting your hedge trimmer or sheers covered in lots of sticky sap. Avoid this by pruning in winter before the fruit starts to grow, this will give the best crop and stop you from having to deal with all the sap.

Keep your trees and hedges in shape with the HT50 Hedge Trimmer and attachable Branch Cutter attachment. With the Branch Cutter you can cut through branches up to 60mm thick, perfect for getting those tougher branches the Hedge Trimmer might not be able to get through.