Apple Tree Growth: How To Make Apple Trees Grow Faster?
You can plant a dwarf variety or a quick growing type of apple tree and then care for it properly to have a faster growth rate.
There is nothing more satisfying than enjoying fresh fruit directly from your garden. If you also want to enjoy the rewards of having apple trees in your home garden or backyard, it is important to have a good understanding of their growth process.
This means knowing about all the relevant factors that might affect the growth of your apple trees. It includes understanding the effect of sunlight, water needs, soil type, pruning, fertilizing, and more.
There is no one way to ensure fast growth. What you can do is, opt for a quick growing variety suited to your location, plant it at the right them and care for it properly for optimum growth.
So, if you are excited to know more about “how to make apple trees grow faster” and produce excellent fruits, keep reading.
How Long Does It Take For An Apple Tree To Grow and Bear Fruits?
In general, it depends on the variety of apple trees you wish to plant. If you are thinking of growing an apple tree from seed, it will bear fruit in 5 to 10 years. However, a standard or full-size apple tree can bear fruit in just 4 to 8 years after growing.
At the same time, dwarf cultivars of apple trees produce sweet fruits in just 2 years of plantation. Just remember that the condition and environment in which you grow trees also determine their overall growth and health.
How To Make Your Apple Tree Grow Faster?
There is a standard rate of growth for different varieties of apple trees. But if you are eager to watch your apple trees reach maturity age as soon as possible, it is important to use some effective ways to facilitate its growth rate.
A. Choose a dwarf apple tree variety for quick growth
If you want to see your apple trees producing ample quantities of fruits, go for planting a dwarf variety. Most homeowners prefer to grow dwarf trees because of their convenient height of about 8 to 10 feet. While they can spread to just about 2 feet wide.
This means they can easily and quickly establish their roots in just a small area. In contrast to standard specimens of apple trees, dwarf trees produce fruit only in 2 to 3 years after growing.
B. Make sure you choose a fast-growing variety suited to your location
In order to get effective results, make sure to choose a fast-growing variety of apple trees. By selecting a faster-growing cultivar, you will be able to taste its sweet and crisp fruits quickly.
Some of the well-known and vigorous growing varieties of apple trees include Golden delicious and Red delicious.
On the other hand, if you want to enjoy fast-growing apple fruits that are rich in taste as well, go for Gravenstein and Lodi apples.
C. Plant it during the right season
When it comes to planting apple trees, it is important to choose the right season. For example, if you plan to plant it during the summer or mid-winter season, it will not grow.
In fact, it will never grow and die quickly. So, choose to plant your apple tree variety in the spring season. If you are located in any area with a warm climate and USDA zone 7, you should consider growing it during the fall season.
On the other hand, if you live in an area with a chilly winter season, consider planting apple trees in November.
D. An aged tree of two years serves better
Do you want to grow your apple tree as quickly as possible? You should not consider planting young saplings of apple trees. Instead, you should go for an aged tree for two years.
It will serve better by growing faster, even if it takes time to reach the age of producing sweet fruits.
Growing mature and tall trees will definitely cost you a little more money, but you will be able to enjoy its fruits much faster.
E. Care for it right
Take care to be consistent about watering your apple trees and regularly fertilizing them. If you have mature trees, consider adding an inch of water to them regularly. However, mature trees require a 2-inch of water every week during warm climates.
Likewise, feed your apple trees with fertilizers packed with necessary macronutrients like potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen, and more. Consider adding high-quality fertilizers to your tree during spring.
F. Watch out for pests & diseases
In order to have a healthy, growing apple tree, it is really important to look out for pests and diseases. While choosing an apple tree variety make sure to select a specimen with good tolerance to diseases and pests.
Use preventative sprays and a fungicide to protect your tree from any undesirable infection.
G. Pruning
Pruning is a crucial step when it comes to taking care of different kinds of apple trees. It is best to trim your tree in the late winter season before you notice any sign of fresh flowers or new growth. Just get rid of branches that are either damaged or diseased.
Choose to identify branches that are growing in the direction of the trunk and get rid of them. In order to encourage your apple trees to grow quickly, make sure to trim away about one-third of the new growth.
What Helps Apple Trees Grow?
Just like every other plant and tree, apple trees also need regular maintenance and care to grow faster. If you fail to be consistent while watering it and adding fertilizer it may slow down its rate of growth.
So, to make sure that your apple trees grow well, make sure to understand their ideal growing conditions. Read on to find out more about it.
A. Sun
While growing apple tree varieties, it is important that it gets adequate sunlight on a daily basis. On average, an apple tree needs minimum 6 to 8 hours of full sunlight every day throughout the growing season.
It is helpful in promoting faster growth and producing sweet, delicious apple fruits. On the other, if your plant doesn’t get abundant sunlight, it can lead to insufficient or no growth of fruit.
B. Soil (what type)
Apple trees prefer to grow in moist, well-drained soil, with a pH level of 6 to 6.5. So, while planting any type of apple tree make sure to use, soils with light and medium textures. Never plant these trees in clay soil, it will prevent them from growing well.
Additionally, it is considered best to plant apple trees on a surface with a little slope. Also, take care to provide proper nutrition to the tree by adding good amounts of quality fertilizers with the slow-release method.
The best time to fertilize your tree is in spring. However, don’t add too much fertilizer as it will stop your tree from growing quickly.
C. Water (how often)
When it comes to “how to grow apple tree faster”, it’s important to water it properly. You should make sure that your tree gets sufficient water, whether it is directly or from natural rain. This is particularly important if you are living in an area with a warm or hot climate.
You will need to add about 1-inch of water every week to help your tree in developing a well-established root system. Instead of deep watering your tree once make sure to shallow water it several times.
For best results, you can add a drip irrigation system for multiple types of apple trees.
In case, if you have a smaller tree with a shallow root structure, make sure to consistently water it throughout the week. You can add 2 inches of water to young apple trees per week.
D. Fertilizer
Generally, apple trees require several different nutrients to grow faster and healthier. For example, it needs potassium and nitrogen for properly growing leaves, flowering, and fruition.
Whereas, adding phosphorus is important for apple trees to develop a solid root system. Make sure to feed your plant with these necessary nutrients to ring the early stages of growth.
Don’t forget to add fertilizers rich in boron, zinc, magnesium, manganese, and calcium. The best time to add fertilizers to your apple trees is in the spring season.
E. Mulching
Mulching apple trees during the summer season is highly beneficial in keeping the roots cool. Based on the type of tree you have chosen, make sure to add a 6 to 12-inch layer of mulch to it.
It is also helpful in retaining moisture in the soil. By mulching your trees you can prevent weeds and unwanted grass from growing on the surface of the tree.
What Is The Fastest Apple Tree To Grow?
If you do not wish to go in depth on learning how to make apple trees grow faster, here’s a quick fix – Plant the fastest growing apple trees.
Most apple tree cultivars are easy to grow with a moderate to fast rate of growth. Some of the well-known and quick-growing varieties of apple trees include Yellow delicious, early harvest, and red delicious. These cultivars can gain a height of about 6-10 inches or above every year.
A. Yellow delicious apple
It can grow to a height of 10 to 25 feet when you fertilize it properly. It also bears unique fruits after reaching the age of 3 to 5 years.
Most people enjoy the crisp and sweet peel of this unique apple variety for baking and snacking. This variety can be suitably grown in USDA zones 5 to 8. You can go for yellow delicious apple picking between September mid to end.
B. Early Harvest Apple
These varieties of trees can grow to a height of 25 feet. It spread beautifully and proportionately while bearing yellow to green apples.
Because of their delicious tart-like taste, these apples are commonly used for cooking. You can go for picking an early harvest of apples in late June through August. As per the U.S. Department of Agriculture, this variety can easily thrive in zones 3 to 8.
C. Red Delicious Apple
Red Delicious is the favorite variety of apples in America. Not just this, it is highly grown all across the world for its deliciously sweet and crisp apples. The tree can climb to a height of 10 to 15 feet and grow lovely white and pink color flowers in the month of May.
The best time to pick these apples is September end. It can be quickly and easily grown in USDA zones 5 through 8. Just remember that this cultivar requires well-drained, moist soil and cannot thrive drought-prone regions.
Related: How long do apple trees live? |When to fertilize apple trees
Which Is The Easiest Apple Tree To Grow?
Choosing the right type of apple variety for your garden can be really difficult. There are several types of apples that can be grown without much effort and hassle.
Some of them include golden delicious, red delicious, granny smith, crabapple, Cripps pink, Honeycrisp, gala, McIntosh, Braeburn, and Fuji.
Before you pick any variety of apple tree, make sure to plant it closer to another tree (within 100 feet distance), regardless of its variety. It will facilitate pollination and promote faster growth of your trees.
Check out some of the easiest apple tree varieties to grow in your home garden.
- Golden delicious apple: Popularly used for making cider and baking, golden delicious is a great variety of apples. It bears sweet and somewhat crispy apples which have golden yellow skin. The fruits of this tree are ready to eat in the middle of September. You can find it in different sizes as semi-dwarf and standard tree.
- Red delicious apple: This beautiful variety got its name from the red skin. It is sweeter than other varieties of apples and most commonly grown than any other type.
Why Is My Apple Tree Growing So Slowly?
If you have planted an apple tree that is growing slowly or stopped growing at all, it can be really annoying.
The most obvious reason for this can be a pest infestation and diseases such as an apple ermine moth, plum curculio, codling moth, powdery mildew, aphids, fire blight, and maggot flies.
There can be many factors that can make your apple tree prone to pests and diseases. For example, if your tree has a thick and dense crown it can cause infestation due to fungal pathogens and dangerous insects. When the crown doesn’t dry well, it can create the surrounding weather really warm and humid.
Likewise, if your apple tree is planted on a thick surface, it can easily attract fungal pathogens and harmful insects. Often overfertilization can also create a breeding surface for pests and lead to diseases.
If you are adding excessive or insufficient fertilizers to your apple tree, it can cause metabolic diseases. For instance, adding excessive nitrogen-rich fertilizers can lead to a lack of calcium in your tree.
So, we highly recommend you check how to get apple trees to grow faster without over-fertilization. You can prevent it from growing slowly by choosing a variety that is resistant to pests and pruning its dense crown on a regular basis. Make sure to add a layer of mulch underneath your tree to help it grow faster.
