Whether you develop your apple Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree from semen or buy a nursery seedling , it ’s very satisfying to harvest your own fruit . All over the world , for thousand of years , people have grown apples for their beautiful blossom and delicious fruit . manage for an apple tree diagram seedling is not difficult , particularly once you have it settled in a good billet .
Step 1
Plant your seedling in early winter in a well - drained area with full Lord’s Day and no low position . Apple trees can not survive if water remains fend in the root zone , according to the North Carolina Extension Service . When picking a website , depend for a high area with slope , if potential . If you are plant your tree in a lawn , remove the gage from the planting orbit in a 4 - groundwork diameter circle , the NCES recommends .
Step 2
restraint weeds and grass around your seedling , so it will not have to compete for moisture and nutrients . take away all the grass in a 4 - foot roach will help your Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree grow vigorously and produce larger fruit . It also will protect your tree from damage by mowers or trimmers .
Mulch will check skunk and preserve soil moisture , the NCES says , however rodents may burrow under and gnaw your tree ’s automobile trunk and etymon . If you decide to mulch , place rodent guard duty around the base of the tree , and pull out mulch back in the fall , leaving a 1 - foot circle of bare grunge hem in the tree trunk , according to the NCES .
Step 3
rationalise your unseasoned Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree in former bounce , just before the bud lead off to acquire . Cut the unbranched , cardinal drawing card to 36 inch above the dirt control surface to encourage new sidelong forking , the NCES recommends . Look for the most vertical shoot when the tree diagram ’s fresh emergence is about 3 - in long . Do not dress it , but remove all new shoots develop 3 to 4 inches immediately below this new terminal to prevent competitor , consort to the NCES . Clean and disinfect your puppet with a 1:10 ratio of bleach ( or a menage germicide such as Lysol ) and piddle both before and after pruning .
Step 4
hold 1 pound of 10 - 10 - 10 fertilizer to each tree the first year , 2 Cypriot pound the second twelvemonth and 3 pounds the third year , up to a upper limit of 5 to 6 pounds for a mature tree , the NCES tell . The best prison term to fertilize is in late winter or former spring . transmit your fertilizer on top of the soil under the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree ’s drip channel . Keep the fertilizer at least 6 inches aside from the torso to ward off burn .
Step 5
irrigate the seedling at least once a week for the first year , and keep the soil moist but not soaked . employ a drip irrigation system , or give a hose with a very humiliated flow at the base of the proboscis . After the first class , water only if there has been no rain for at least three weeks .
