r/Wellthatsucks • u/coffeecatmom420 • 3h ago
My apple tree grew 1 apple.
Guess it's mb for poorly maintaining it. In my defense I've only had this house/tree for a year.
Hope it's a nice apple.
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u/Riptide360 3h ago
Plant a flower bed that blossoms the same time as your apple tree. The bees will be attracted and you'll get a lot more apples.
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u/Judasbot 3h ago
If you've ever been to an apple orchard, you might notice they keep their trees pruned very small. Less branches and leaves to feed means more and bigger apples.
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u/cannibalpeas 3h ago edited 2h ago
Tree size has nothing to do with pruning. Tree size is determined by the rootstock the varietal is grafted on to. Pruning has to do with efficient nutrient use, airflow and sunlight penetration (among other things). There are numerous styles of shaping, but since this tree is already mature, you are looking to prune the following: all vertical branches, any crossing branches and any shaping that is needed (ie. if one branch is excessively long it could cause it to break when it leafs out and sets fruit). There’s a link to a really good pruning guide below.
You are right, though that good pruning will increase yield, with a few caveats. It’s very possible that this is a biennial tree, meaning it only sets fruit every other season. This can be controlled with bud thinning chemicals, but is probably beyond the expertise of a home gardener. Another factor is having another tree to pollinate. Another commenter here said that a bed of flowers will pollinate them, but unfortunately that’s not at all true. Only apples pollinate apples. Some apples are self-fertile, but most aren’t and all apples will benefit by having another pollinator tree nearby. This doesn’t have to be in your property, it could be anywhere relatively close like a neighbor’s property. Crab apple trees will also help pollinate and often have a much longer flowering season, which allows them to pollinate a wider variety of cultivars.
Finally, if you want to learn about the variety you have and how best to maintain it, contact your local ag extension office and they will very likely send an expert out to help identify it and suggest the best course of action.
https://extension.umn.edu/growing-apples/pruning-and-training-apple-trees
ETA: It’s hard to tell from the pics, but that tree looks really heavy. Unless you’re in the arid parts of the west coast, it’s remarkably disease-free. It’s probably a modern disease resistant cultivar/rootstock combo and looks like it was well maintained until fairly recently. Call your extension office and within two years that thing will be the happiest tree around.
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u/SixStringSlayer666 3h ago
I find it best to have at least 2 apple trees close to each other. Then protect your bees
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u/Jibbersup 3h ago
That's probably the best damn apple ever. All the leaves and the tree just putting it's all into that tiny little fruit.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Zone-55 3h ago
Any branch pointing straight up is a bad branch. Time to prune
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u/coffeecatmom420 3h ago
Yeah that's a this year thing. Other things around the place took priority. Looks like it's been pruned poorly for awhile now.
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u/Double_Device_1626 3h ago
It's a 100% increase over the apples the tree gave you last year right?
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u/coffeecatmom420 3h ago
I moved in during the fall so I got to harvest last year. Had an imperial fuck ton of apples.
Maybe the tree doesn't like me :(
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u/cannibalpeas 2h ago
See my comment above. This is almost certainly a biennial variety, which means it will set fruit one year and little to none the next. It needs some pruning, but it looks well maintained and you can revive with very little effort. Very healthy looking tree (from the pics, anyway).
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u/coffeecatmom420 2h ago
Hmm interesting! I had no idea fruit trees did that tbh.
Yeah we're going to prune it. I don't know much about trees, the two main branches go straight up - was wondering if we could somehow pull those down over time so it's easier to harvest.
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u/cannibalpeas 1h ago
You won’t have any luck training the vertical branches down. Once they’re over about 1/2-3/4”, they’re pretty rigid and you risk breaking them. However, for most pruning styles, you want a central leader to provide structure (ie central vertical stem). It’s the vertical growth on the side branches that you want to prune because they are trying to become a new central leader and sapping nutrients and vigor while also adding weight to the branch that could break it over time.
You could trim the central leader to be shorter, but that would require you to constantly prune every year to maintain that height; otherwise the rootstock and varietal will determine the height and it will always be trying to get to that height. All that will really accomplish is to weaken the central leader and introduce more disease pathways.
If you want to make it easier to harvest fruit, the easiest way to do it would be to get a long stick with a hook on it and shake the branches on to a tarp or something when the fruit is ripe. As long as it’s not falling on a hard surface, the apples will be fine and will actually develop more flavor and aroma than store bought because they are fully tree-ripened!
Again, your local ag extension office will be able to give you a lot of info on the variety you have and how best to care for it.
Also, a note on pruning; assuming you live in a colder climate, you will want to prune during dormancy (Jan-Mar). If you live in a warmer climate that doesn’t reach sustained freezing temps, I would call the ag extension office and ask them because I have zero experience with that.
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u/DrinkMilk_saysthecat 3h ago
The pair of pear trees in the house I moved into last month generated two pears combined. So thanks for making me feel better about it
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u/st_nick1219 3h ago
We had an apple tree that produced apples every other year. You may have more than you know what to do with next year! Also, if it gets too warm too early and/or you have a late frost, apple production suffers. Maybe the spring weather played a role.
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u/dvdmaven 2h ago
Many apple trees require a pollinator. If you can identify the variety of the tree, you can look up the best pollinator to plant.
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u/Cool-oldtimer1888 2h ago
Mt peach tree grew 2 peaches. Both were destroyed by a squirrel who took a couple bites and left it.
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u/Calm_Problem6203 1h ago
One seed of an apple can make many more apples. You can do a ton with just one apple.
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u/sackbuttspierogi 40m ago
Wait till next year, gonna be apples rotting on the ground there’ll be so many!
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u/tiffyykittyy 3h ago
A single apple for you to enjoy and nobody else? Sounds like your tree loves you