How to grow Apple in New Zealand

Where to plant

Plant apples in a sunny, sheltered spot with well-drained soil. On clay, choose a tree on a vigorous rootstock such as M116 or M793, which suits heavy soils, as dwarf rootstocks need fertile, free-draining ground. Apples are best in temperate climates with cool to cold winters, which they need to flower well.

Most apples need another variety flowering at the same time within reach of bees. In most towns, bees bring pollen from nearby apple and crab apple trees, but if you have no neighbours with apples, plant two compatible varieties, a double-grafted tree or a self-fertile variety such as Granny Smith.

• Waikato and Bay of Plenty, the central North Island, Wellington, Nelson and Marlborough, Canterbury, Otago and Southland, and Central Otago: most varieties do well. Plant bare-root trees from June to August.
• Northland and Auckland: winters may not give enough chill for many varieties. Choose low-chill varieties and check the chill requirement on the label. Braeburn, for example, needs about 700 chilling hours.

Choosing a variety

The rootstock decides the size of the tree. M27 gives an extra-dwarf tree for a pot, M9 a dwarf tree, and MM111 a large orchard tree. Check the bearing habit too, as it changes how you prune. Varieties widely grown in New Zealand include these.

• Royal Gala: crisp, sweet and juicy, ripening in mid summer. Waimea Nurseries lists it as self-fertile and tip bearing.
• Braeburn: a New Zealand apple, firm, sweet-tart and an excellent keeper. Late season, spur bearing, and needs about 700 chilling hours.
• Granny Smith: a tart green eating and cooking apple that keeps well, is self-fertile, suits most climates and is a good pollinator for other varieties.
• Monty's Surprise: a large heritage New Zealand apple, rated as disease resistant and resistant to woolly apple aphid.
• Ballerina columnar apples grow as a narrow upright stem, good in a row or in pots.

How to plant

1. Dig organic matter or an organic plant food through the soil. On clay, fork in gypsum as well.
2. Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and to the same depth. For bare-root trees, spread the roots over a mound in the hole.
3. Plant at the same depth as before, with the graft union above the soil, and backfill, firming gently.
4. Form a ring of soil around the tree to hold water, and water in well.
5. Put in a stake for support, especially for dwarf rootstocks, which need permanent staking.
6. Mulch with wood chips or pea straw, keeping it clear of the trunk.

Watering and feeding

Water well while the tree establishes, during long dry spells and while the fruit is developing. Deep watering once or twice a week in dry weather is better than frequent light watering. Mulch in spring to hold moisture.

Feed with a fertiliser for citrus and fruit trees in early spring and again in late summer, following the rate on the pack.

Pruning and care through the year

• For the first four years, prune to build the tree's framework rather than for fruit. Waimea Nurseries recommends a central leader or modified central leader shape; an open vase shape is easier to pick but takes more room.
• Spur-bearing varieties such as Braeburn are pruned in winter. Tip-bearing varieties fruit at the ends of last year's shoots, so heavy winter pruning removes next season's crop; prune them lightly, or after harvest.
• Thin the fruit in late spring or early summer, leaving one or two apples per cluster, for bigger fruit and to stop the tree cropping only every second year.
• Spray copper before bud burst in spring to reduce fungal diseases, and hang a codling moth pheromone trap in September to time any control. Spring is the most important time for disease prevention.
• Pick up fallen fruit, as it carries pests and diseases into the next season.

Harvesting

Apples ripen from February to May depending on the variety. Cup a fruit and give it a gentle upward twist: a ripe apple comes away easily with its stalk. The seeds should be brown and the flavour sweet. Pick over the tree in stages, as fruit ripens over a couple of weeks.

Store apples somewhere cool and dark for 2 to 4 weeks, or in the fridge for 1 to 2 months. Late varieties such as Braeburn and Granny Smith keep longest.

Growing in pots

Choose a tree on a dwarf rootstock such as M27 or M9, or a Ballerina columnar apple, in a pot at least 60 cm wide filled with quality potting mix. Keep it in full sun, water deeply once or twice a week in the growing season, and feed through spring and summer. A potted apple still needs a pollinator unless it is self-fertile.

Using it

Eating apples are best fresh; cooking apples such as Granny Smith hold their shape and tartness in pies, crumbles and sauces. Apples also suit drying, juicing and chutney.