What kind of Apple Tree is this??

[Trickey280]

Can anyone help me figure out what kind of Apple Tree this is? It was here when we moved in and according to neighbors it's at least 6 years old. The apples taste like normal apples.

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[DGG]

Check out the pictures for "Granny Smith" applies on this link.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A12745785

 

[Trickey280]

The apples are small. Will they get bigger? The biggest apple is about 2-2.5 inches big.

 

[braad]

Apples are a tricky species to ID. Apple seeds are often drastically different from the parent plant and because of this are usually grown through asexual means. Your tree could be a number of different types of apple as far as I can tell judging by your pictures, however I am certainly no expert. I would venture to guess that your apples are roughly the size they will always be. The tree looks like it could use some pruning and that *MIGHT* produce apples of *SOMEWHAT* better quality. Produce/Supermarkey quality apples aren't the most common of apple trees for people to have randomly growing in their yard so I would say what you have is what you'll get. Don't look too bad though. I would be happy to grab one or two of those every day on my way out the door.

 

[ddhlakebound]

The apples are small. Will they get bigger? The biggest apple is about 2-2.5 inches big.

Your apple tree, like any other, only has so many rescources to spend each season growing fruit. To the tree, the purpose of the fruit is to propogate itself, so it wants to produce as many seeds as possible.

You don't care how many seeds the tree produces, you want it to make big juicy fruit.

There are a few things you can do to induce it to make bigger, better fruit.

First, when the tree is blooming in the spring, pinch off 25-30% of the blooms. This will cause the tree to grow less apples, but put more rescources into each apple it grows.

Second, mulch the tree with some composted organic matter, to help improve the soil quality, and eliminate the grass competing with the tree for food. This will also help the tree retain moisture in the soil. Keep the mulch 6-12 inches away from the trunk, make it about 3 inches deep, and extend out 5-6 feet radius from the trunk.

Third, spraying the tree with something to keep the apples from getting wormy may make all the difference in getting to near "supermarket quality" looking apples, which will taste far better than you can get at a supermarket.
You'll probably have to spray 3-4 times from blossom to harvest.

I don't know specifically what you should spray them with, but someone here probably will.

 

[Newt*]

And to go along with the advice from ddhlakebound, here's some links on how to grow apples without pesticides, how to properly prune, how to mulch and how to get larger apples.
http://web1.msue.msu.edu/vanburen/organasp.htm
http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/factsheets/ecogardening/hgapples.html
http://lofthouse.com/apple/neglect.html
http://www.eap.mcgill.ca/CPTFP_7.htm
http://www.treesaregood.com/treecare/mulching.aspx

If you know the name of the nearest apple that blooms when yours does that will help you to id yours as they need a cross pollinator that blooms at the same time. You might be able to id your apple from here.
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/apples/varieties.html
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1401.html
http://www.bighorsecreekfarm.com/descriptions1.htm
http://www.applejournal.com/use.htm

Newt

 

[Trickey280]

Thank you all so much for the help.

Is it too late to thin out the apples? We were going to head outside in a bit to try to thin them out. I am also starting a small compost bin so next year we can put some around the tree and then mulch it. I am also going to try to find someone to prune it this winter. We never though about the tree because last year there was no fruit on it and this year we thought it was just a crabapple tree. Some of our neighbors asked us last year what happened to the apple tree, last year was our first year here.

 

[Newt*]

Trickey, find a certified arborist who knows how to prune apples and watch how they do it and where they make the cuts. This site shows where to make the cuts.
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/howtos/ht_prune/prun001.htm

It's too late to remove apples now. There are several potential reasons that your tree didn't friut last year:
It only fruits every other year.
Not enough bees for good pollination.
Late frost killed the flowers.

I would recommend that you weed and mulch now. You can purchase bagged compost this year an apply an inch under the mulch. Next year you can pull back the mulch onto a tarp and add another inch of compost. Then replace the mulch and add what you need to have a 2" to 3" layer.

Newt