Position: Full sun, semi-shade, sheltered. Soil Type: Fertile, well drained but moist, not too acid. Rate of Growth: Average 1ft (30cm) per year. Foliage:Deciduous (loses its leaves in winter). Hardiness: Fully Hardy. Flowers:From early May-June. Height and spread: 8-10ft (3m) in 10 years. Flower colour: White to blush pink.
You will get an established, well-branched tree around 5ft tall potted in a 10 litre pot or larger.
On Dwarf Rootstock M26, so this tree willgrow to less than half the size of a tree on more vigorous rootstock.
Pollination: Mid-season. Description: Dessert. Medium, aromatic, crisp, juicy and sweet flavoured red flush green fruits. Poor results in Northern areas. Mid-season pollinator. An old favourite. New self-fertile form.
Garden care: Planting Dig a planting hole large enough and deep enough for the soil ball to be surrounded by a 3-4 inch layer of planting mixture. The hole should be deep enough to ensure the top of the soil ball will be 1-2 inches below the soil surface after planting. Always water the container before planting. Place 3-4 inches of planting mix in the bottom of the hole, put soil ball in the hole, fill space around it with planting mix. Never use ordinary soil. Firm mix down with hands, or firmly with feet, then water in well. Planting mix should be a combination of, 1 part top soil or John Innes No.3, 1 part moist peat and 3 handfuls of Bonemcal per barrow load. A good sturdy stake is a necessity for the first year or two, until the tree has formed a good root system. You may be able to put the stake in upright with some trees, but usually with container trees a stake in the ground at a 50 degree angle to the tree, pointing roughly into the prevailing wind is best. The use of a proper tree tie is essential. When planting near other trees or buildings, consider the mature height of the tree. If the height is 4m then that is how far apart you plant the trees. Aftercare: In the spring, place a mulch of rotted manure, garden compost, bark, peat or black polythene around the tree extending 18 inches around the stem. This keeps the weeds down which is essential to the health of the tree. It's a good idea to carry on mulching every spring through the trees life as well as feeding with Growmore fertiliser. In the first season it is a good idea to remove all blossom to allow the tree to put all its energy into root and top growth. Fruit trees are unfortunately targets for many soil and airborne pests and diseases, so the spraying of chemicals is often a necessity, winter washes in October and again in February-March are very important. Sprays of fungicides and insecticides in summer months to control mildew and insect problems are an option to maintain the best health of your tree. Pruning of your tree for the first 4 years is called training or shaping, essential to get the right shape that you require. After that it's purely maintenance pruning, and a good reference book to have on your shelf is The Fruit Expert by Dr.D.G.Hessayon.Concise and to the point. Pruning of apples is best done in early spring (March time), although autumn work can be done if necessary. A wound sealant is put on all cuts to prevent disease entering the plant. Cross-Pollination Although a lot of apples are self-fertile, many are not, and require another variety of the same pollination period to cross pollinate. Even self-fertile trees benefit from cross-pollination. There are 3 basic pollination periods, early, mid and late, always get 2 from the same period. Some varieties are more fussy and need two other varieties, these are called Triploid, such as Bramley's Seedling. Quite often a Flowering Crab Apple variety can be used as a pollinator adding more to your garden. Product Code:PLADWARFCOX