How To: Care 4 Fuji Apple Trees

How To: Care 4 Fuji Apple Trees

Spring is upon us and it’s time to plan an orchard of fruit trees or a single fruit tree around your home. The rewards in October will pay off in big dividends when you harvest a cool, crisp, tasty fuji apple right off the tree. To ensure a successful crop please read the how-to information below. Happy apple eating.

“The Fuji apple is an apple clone developed by growers at the Tohoku Research Station in Fujisaki, Aomori, Japan, in the late 1930s,[1] and brought to market in 1962. It originated as a cross between two American apple varieties, the Red Delicious and old Virginia Ralls Genet (sometimes cited as “Rawls Jennet”) apples. How To: Care 4 Fuji Apple Trees

Named after “Fujisaki Aomori Prefecture but often mistakenly thought named after Mount Fuji”

Pollination - How To: Care 4 Fuji Apple Trees All apple varieties cannot pollinate themselves. Cross-pollination between two trees instead needs to happen. You will need to plant at least two varieties making sure that the varieties have overlapping bloom. Remember, two trees of the same apple variety cannot be used for cross-pollination. Be careful not to spray insecticides during blooming when honeybees are present.

Soils - Take a soil test before planting your apple trees. Any needed amendments worked into the soil to a depth of 12 to 18 inches where the tree will root, not just the planting hole. Apple trees will tolerate a range of soils.  Be sure you water and add nutrients to the soil making the pH adequate. Avoid heavy, poorly drained soils and low spots, since apple trees cannot survive if standing in water. How To: Care 4 Fuji Apple Trees

Air Drainage - It is important to select a site where the tree is not in a “frost pocket”, where cold air settles in low-lying areas. Good air drainage, especially during early spring frosts, is critical. Choose a higher site so cold air will flow down away from the trees.

Other Considerations - Apple trees need full sun and planted where it is not shaded from large trees or buildings. Remove all grass if planted with a lawn.

Proper training and pruning of fruit trees is essential to their strong tree framework that will support fruit production. Regular pruning and training will also maximize light penetration to the developing flower buds and fruit.

Central Leader Trees - A central leader tree has one main, upright trunk, called the “leader”. Branching should begin on the leader 24 to 36 inches above the soil surface to allow work under the tree. The shape of a properly trained central leader tree is like that of a Christmas tree (except with slots for light). How To: Care 4 Fuji Apple Trees

Scaffold Training - Improperly trained fruit trees have very upright branch angles, which result in excessive vigor and serious limb breakage under a heavy fruit load. Larger branches spread out using short wooden boards with a notch cut in each end for the branch to fit into help give support.

Dormant Pruning vs. Summer Pruning - Pruning the tree during the winter, while it is dormant, will invigorate the tree and cause it to grow and branch more the following season. To promote scaffold branch development, cut the central leader 20 to 28 inches above the highest usable scaffold whorl during the dormant season. It is best to do dormant pruning in late winter or early spring, after the risk of severe freeze is over.

Summer pruning will cause the tree to grow less in that growing season. Remove all undesirable branches directly across from one another on the central leader when they are 3 to 4 inches long.

Fruit Thinning - Apple trees often set a heavier crop of fruit than the limbs can withstand. To ensure good fruit size, return bloom for the following year, and to prevent tree breakage, it is necessary to thin the fruit. Every apple blossom results in a bloom cluster of 5 to 6 blossoms.  Thin apples when they are about the size of a dime. Cut off enough fruit so that the remaining apples 4 to 6 inches apart, and leave only one fruit per cluster. It may seem like very few fruit stay, but you will harvest higher-quality fruit, potentially cut insect and disease problems, and increase the chances for a full crop the next season. How To: Care 4 Fuji Apple Trees

Fertilize: Follow the fertilization guidance provided by the soil test. This will prevent over-fertilization, will be cost-efficient, and will support healthy and productive trees. A leaf sample taken in July or August will decide the nutrient status of the tree and helpful with the soil test.

If you are unable to take a soil test, a useful rule is to apply 1 pound of 10-10-10 fertilizer to each tree the first year, 2 pounds the second year, and 3 pounds the third year up to a most of 5 to 6 pounds for a mature tree. Always adjust rates of fertilizer application according to annual shoot growth. Apply fertilizer in late winter or early spring before growth begins. Fertilizer broadcast on the soil surface around the drip line of the tree. The “drip line” is the circular line at the outer ends of the branches. Avoid getting fertilizer within 6 inches of the trunk as it could burn the tree. How To: Care 4 Fuji Apple Trees

Disease and Insect Control - Diseases and insects can cause serious damage to apple trees and fruit. Good sanitation practices are necessary to control pest problems. Cut out all dead or diseased wood; remove dried apples, and clear leaves and fallen debris away from trees. Disinfect pruning tools with a 10% solution of a household disinfectant (Lysol) or bleach, before and after use and between trees. Household disinfectants, such as Lysol, will not corrode tools or ruin clothing. A regular spray program is essential for high fruit quality and healthy trees.

Extra Apples: Because of the long shelf  life of the Fuji Apple it is easy to do something with the extra apples you may have.  Here is one thing you can make with your extra Fuji Apples.  I have heard Fuji Apple Sake is very good.

Special thanks to Michael L. Parker, Extension Horticultural Specialist, Department of Horticultural Science, North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, North Carolina State University. And Wikipedia

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