Many types of soil (sandy, loamy and clayey) are suitable for growing apple and pear trees. However, you should avoid soils with water stagnation, which can cause root asphyxia and therefore death of thetrees.
To grow standard varieties, it is necessary to have sufficient cold during the winter period. Areas where the winter is not cold enough are not suitable for apple cultivation: the lack of cold will lead to anarchic bud break, with the presence on the same tree of buds, flowers and fruitlets of different sizes.
It is necessary to have between 600 hours (minimum) and 1200 hours of cumulative cold below +7°C, between November (leaf fall) and February.
If the soil is ready for planting, the earlier the better. Planting in November / December is the best period, as the root system needs to settle down. Once the temperature of the soil reaches 7°C, the root systems starts to grow (even if the tree remains dormant) and once the trees gets out of the dormancy period in the early spring time, the tree is well established in the soil.
An orchard can be planted until March. However the root system takes more time to proliferate in the soil.
Once you receive your tree delivery, the trees need to be protected against dehydration and be stored in humid conditions (90% in temperature below 5°C).
If you can not plant the trees immediately after delivery, store the bundles of trees, under shadow, in sand , in a place sheltered from wind. The root system must be covered up to 30 cm with sand. Water the sand every 2 days to maintain optimum moisture, until plantation.
If appropriate, prepare the trellis system before planting.
The land must be well prepared with fine soil, without any clod, to keep the root system in a close contact with the fine soil.
Shortly after planting (a few hours), irrigate with 5 to 8 litres per tree (using a pipe, not drip irrigation). Once again, the aim is to facilitate the contact between roots and soil.
Set up the drip irrigation before one week and water the trees in order to keep a good soil moisture (however, once the trees have started their growth, they should not be watered too much, as it is also important to keep a good air (oxygen) level within the soil, to help the roots breathing).
Attach your trees on the trellis system, as soon as possible, to help the trees grow.
For semi-intensive orchards (1000 to 1500 trees/ha), or for very weak varieties such as red delicious spurs, the M116 rootstock has been developed. It is a good replacement for M106 because it is resistant to phytophthora. This type of rootstock requires less trellising and therefore less investment when the orchard is set up.
Most of the world's high-density apple orchards (between 2000 and 4000 trees/ha) are currently grown on M9 rootstock. There are various selections of M9, with different levels of vigour: M9 T337, M9 Pajam® 1 Lancep, M9 EMLA, M9 Pajam® 2 Cepiland, ...). Over the last ten years or so, new selections have been developed, offering higher productivity, resistance to soil fatigue (better suited to replanting) and resistance or tolerance to diseases such as fire blight or phytophthora (for example, the M200 rootstock).
Depending on the type of management, on the vigour induced by the rootstock and on the vigour of the variety, planting distances are between 3.20 and 4 metres between rows and between 0.6 and 1 metre on the row,
M-9 is commonly used as the rootstock for high-density apple planting.
The commonly recommended planting distance for establishing a high-density apple orchard on M-9 rootstock is 3.0 m x 1.5 m.
There are 2 methods:
1- budding, which is carried out in August (using the chip-budding or t-budding method), on rootstock that is already in place (i.e. already planted).
2- Table grafting (a complicated English method), which takes place from January to March. Using 8/14 mm calibre rootstock (measured 5 cm from the base of the roots). The table graft is then planted in April.
The traditional system uses rootstocks from seedlings, which results in very vigorous trees and delayed fruit set. The productivity of this type of orchard is much lower than that of high-density orchards.
For growers who do not wish to opt for high-density orchards, the semi-intensive orchard is a realistic option, with trees on M116 rootstock, planted at a distance of between 4 and 5 m between rows and 1.2 to 2 m in the row, depending on the variety. Minimum trellising is recommended, with a 4-metre-high post every 15 metres to facilitate tree growth and 4 trellising wires, the 1st wire at least 80 cm above the ground.
High-density orchards require trellising with quality posts 3.5 to 5 metres high, depending on the target height and density, and spaced 6 to 7 metres apart along the row. In general, it is said that the height of the trees should correspond to the width of the row (so a row of 3.5 m should correspond to a tree height of 3.5 m).
Between 4 and 5 trellis wires are needed, with the first wire 60 cm above the ground.
Individual vertical bamboos can be added to the trellising to help the trees grow vertically.
Variations are possible depending on the techniques used. If hail nets are to be installed, a perpendicular cable structure should be added to reinforce the system.
The modified leader system of training is generally adopted for traditional apple plantations.
The tall spindle or espalier system of training is generally adopted for high-density apple plantations.
Pruning is generally carried out during the tree's dormant season (between December and March). In some cases, very vigorous varieties can be pruned in the summer to weaken growth. This is the case with the Fuji variety, for example, where pruning is carried out in September, before the harvest (during cloudy periods, to avoid sunburn).
1- Before planting, depending on the soil analysis results, with phosphoric acid, potash and/or decomposed organic matter.
2- from the 1st year, when the trees are growing (between March and the end of May), with a regular dose of N/P/K fertiliser, taking care not to exceed a dose of nitrogen that could unbalance the growth of the trees and cause physiological problems such as bitter pit.
The major problems in growing apples are the following diseases: scab, oidium and alternaria. These 3 diseases can be controlled using a preventive strategy based on the climate, rainfall and temperature. Computer software linked to weather stations can be used to forecast risks and anticipate treatments.
The various treatment molecules should be used strategically, depending on the problem. Beware of using systemic products against scab when it has already been declared in the orchard. This rapidly creates resistance to these same systemic molecules. When these molecules are used, it is preferable to combine treatments with molecules with a contact action, such as Captan or Mancozebe. This reduces the risk of resistance developing.
The main pests of apples are codling moth (and other worms), aphids (woolly and rosy) and red mites.
A control strategy using aggressive products (such as organophosphate pyrethroids) that do not respect the auxiliary fauna (antagonists of aphids and mites) can lead to a resurgence of red mites, which cause discoloration of the foliage and a drop in fruit growth and coloration as they approach maturity. A well-thought-out insecticide strategy helps to encourage auxiliary fauna and avoid these problems. There are now alternatives for treating codling moths, using pheromone diffusers to prevent the moths (Cydia pomonella) from reproducing. There are also biological treatments based on Bacillus thuringiensis.
The main pear pests are codling moth and psyllid. In the case of the latter, the more we try to destroy them, the more we destroy the auxiliary fauna and the more the psyllids develop. There are very specific strategies for managing this pest, based on natural controls using soap (to clean up the honeydew) and clay sprays to prevent the females from laying eggs.
Scab, Alternaria leaf spot, powdery mildew, marssonina leaf blotch, root and collar rot are common diseases of apples. They can be managed by adopting a spray schedule.
European red mite, Sanjose scale, shot hole borer, and aphids are common pests of apple. They can be managed by spraying HMOs/adopting a recommended spray schedule.
For standard varieties, using Granny as pollinator generally works quite well. The pollinators can be used either by planting 1 or 2 full rows for every 4 rows of the variety to be pollinated, or by positioning the pollinator on all the rows every 15 metres, and staggering it on the adjacent row. Depending on the variety, 7 to 10% of pollinators are needed. In the case of scab-resistant varieties, it is preferable to use pollinators that are also scab-resistant (or tolerant), such as Crimson Crisp, Canopy or certain crab apple trees, such as Malus Perpetu Evereste and Malus Godlen Gem.
