Watering an apple tree – Tree portrait in the watering lexicon for trees

Content:

• apple tree origin
• Apple tree care and location
• pruning apple trees
• Fertilizing apple trees
• Watering the apple tree

apple tree origin

The apple tree is a deciduous deciduous tree. It belongs to the rose family and is a relatively small tree at five to ten meters in height. It forms a densely branched crown.
The wild form of the apple tree has existed in European forests since the Stone Age. However, these only produced sour crab apples. Today, most apple varieties originate from a sweet wild species. (malus sieversii) which has been cultivated in the Almaty area of ​​Kazakhstan for over 2000 years.
There are now thousands of different varieties, some of which have been crossed with wild crab apples or grafted onto their rootstocks.
If you would like to provide yourself with your own fruit, you should plant an apple tree, because no tree here produces larger quantities of fruit.

Apple trees bloom between April and May, depending on where they are located. The flowers are white to pink. They often form new shoots only after the apple blossoms have faded. The leaves of the apple tree are ovate with a serrated edge.

The fruit of most apple tree varieties ripens between September and November. However, there are also early varieties that can be harvested as early as August. The fruits are usually spherical and, depending on the variety, are green, yellow, orange, or red.

Apple tree care and location

The apple tree prefers a sunny location, but it also tolerates shade. Since the open blossoms of most apple varieties are sensitive to cold, it is important to choose a location that is not endangered by late frost.
Apple trees prefer one deep, nutrient-rich soil which is well supplied with humus.
The apple tree is, depending on the rootstock, a Shallow rootsIts roots do not reach deep into the soil, but are widely spread just below the surface. If these shallow roots are removed or damaged by construction or earthworks, the plant cannot compensate for this with deep taproots. 

pruning apple trees

Most varieties should be pruned regularly to ensure that the size of the apples does not decrease over time and that the apple tree remains healthy and strong.

Fertilizing apple trees

Apple trees are heavy-bearing trees and therefore have high nutrient requirements. Regular fertilization is recommended. Nitrogen and potassium are particularly important. In spring, you can fertilize an apple tree by applying horn shavings or well-rotted compost to the root area. It is also beneficial to plant nitrogen-fixing and potassium-enriching plants, such as comfrey, near the apple tree.

Watering the apple tree

Due to climate change, our regions are also getting hotter and drier. Many trees suffer from the extreme conditions. Depending on the location and the climate-related situation, more frequent watering than in previous years may be necessary.

When apple trees suffer from a lack of water, you can see it. Due to the dryness, the branches become softer, the wood bends and branches can break off. If an apple tree has been exposed to a lack of water for a long time, this is reflected in the discoloration and drying up of the leaves. At least now it's time to apple tree to water.

Watering apple trees is especially important if you want to have a bounty harvest. If there are already dry phases in the spring or if there has been a dry winter in which the groundwater could not fill up sufficiently and the soil moisture could not regenerate, the apple trees should be watered in the spring. This is especially true for young trees.

During the summer months you should Depending on the location and size, water an apple tree 1-3 times a week with 75 - 200 liters of water.

When watering conventionally with a watering can or garden hose, only a small portion of the water is absorbed by the soil at the root area of ​​the apple tree. Larger amounts of water usually run off the surface and evaporate again, as the soil often cannot absorb it quickly enough. Or, in loose soils, the water seeps through the root area of ​​shallow-rooted apple trees and can therefore no longer be absorbed by them.

The tree bath watering bag release the water drop by drop to the tree through two small holes over a period of several hours. This ensures that the soil is evenly moist throughout the root area, which means that the roots can absorb the water well.
Attaching and filling the water bags is simple and straightforward. The bag is placed around the tree trunk like a jacket and zipped shut. Next, fill the watering bag with enough water so that, after further adjustment, no wrinkles remain in the lower area, and then allow it to fill. For apple trees with larger trunk diameters, multiple bags can also be zipped together.
Once the water has run through, the bag is removed again and can be used for other trees. This saves water, time and money.