Spring planting tips for your apple trees

Q. I got excited for spring and purchased a red delicious apple tree today at a local store. What other tree can I plant to be sure this tree gets pollinated and produces apples? What planting tips do you offer?

Karen from Lowellville

A. Glad you asked. Apples are one of the fruits that require cross-pollination in order to produce fruit because they are self-sterile. In general, you need to have another apple variety that blooms at the same time in order to get fruit.

But, there are some exceptions. Some apple varieties produce sterile pollen. These varieties cannot pollinate other varieties. Some examples include Winesap, Mustu and Jonagold.

Crab apples can be used for pollination, as long as the chosen cultivar blooms at the same time as your apple tree variety.

The Manchurian Crabapple (Malus mandshurica) is a common pollinator.

The smallest apple trees (dwarf trees) should be 20 feet from a different cultivar for pollination. Semi dwarf trees can be up to 50 feet away.

For pollination, red delicious blooms in the middle of the bloom season. Thus, choosing another cultivar that blooms in the middle of the season is best.

Golden delicious, Liberty, Empire and Melrose are some examples of midseason blooming apple cultivars that would be compatible for pollination.

Why is pollination so important? Pollination determines fruit set and the size of the fruit. There can be up to 10 seeds in an apple that is fully pollinated.

It takes at least six seeds to have proper fruit development.

Improperly pollinated fruit will be misshapen or can fall off the tree prematurely.

For others who have not purchased their trees yet, we recommend choosing scab-resistant varieties for home fruit plantings.

Apple scab is the most-important disease to avoid when it comes to apples. Check out the list at go.osu.edu/no-scab.

When it comes to planting a new tree, dig a hole three times wider than the tree’s roots.

Be sure to plant the tree at the same level it was planted in the pot (or bag for bare root), ensuring that the graft is at least 2 inches above the soil line. Amending the soil is not recommended.

To find compatible apple varieties, visit go.osu.edu/applepollination.

For tips on planting apples, visit go.osu.edu/appleplanting.

Eric Barrett is OSU Extension educator for agriculture and natural resources in Mahoning County. Call the office hotline at 330-533-5538 to submit your questions. Clinic hours are Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to noon.