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Other Names: Pomme (French), Manzana (Spanish), Mílo (Greek)
Related To:
[Rosaceae] Loquat, Pear, Plum, Peach
Main Uses:
Fruit
Growth Rate:
Moderate
Mature Height/Spread:
10-25' depending on type.
Flowering/Pollination:
Bees and other insects. Both "Anna" and "Dorsett Golden" tend to flower in January, which is why they are often planted together.
Tolerance:
Moderate drought tolerance, moderate salt tolerance.
Soil/Nutrition:
Fertile, well drained soils. Sandy soils rich in organic matter are recommended for tropical varities. Tropical apple varieties benefit from light fertilization when they begin budding.
Light:
Full sun; morning sun is important to evaporate condensation that may have accumulated during the night. Apple trees do not appreciate sustained moisture or humidity and are susceptible to mildew. For this reason they are usually grown in drier tropical areas.
Wind:
Fairly sturdy tree.
Temperature:
Apples are grown in nearly all climates on earth. They are generally hardy to about -40F, capable of handling extreme cold. Only a few varieties can be grown and fruited in tropical zones - but even these types are cold-hardy. Low-chill apples require only 150-300 hours of chilling (temperatures in the area of 40F) to induce defoliation and subsequent flowering. Even so, this is only a guideline, many trees will flower dependably even without adequate chilling.
Dangers:
None. Seeds contain harmless amounts of hydrocyanic acid (which converts to cyanide in water).
Diseases Prone:
Mildew, blotch. Trees should be kept clean of dead or diseased branches, and pruned seasonally to keep a good ratio of healthy flowering-age wood. Manual defoliation in the winter months will help prevent diseases from gaining a foothold.
Bearing Age:
2-3 years from graft (most common), 5-10 years from seed.
Fruit:
The quintessential fruit.
History/Origin:
The actual geographic origin of the apple is still somewhat unclear. Apples are believed to have been first cultivated as a crop in Southwest and Central Asia. The species is highly desirable as a source of nutrition, it is dependable, it produces a lot of fruit for the farming effort, and the fruits tend to store quite well (several months in some cases). The breeding of sweeter, juicer, firmer apples occurred during the Greek and Roman Empires. The early Romans learned how to cultivate apples, and spread the species across the face of the Old World. Apples reached the Americas with the first colonists, often being the first trees planted in a new village or town.
Until the 17th century, the word "Apple" was used as a generic term referring to all fruit other than berries, in a manner much like the Spanish word "sapote" is still used today. This linguistic heritage is still evident in the common English names of many fruits: "Cashew Apple" (anacardium occidentale), "Sugar Apple" (annona squamosa) "Malay Apple" (syzygium malaccense) "Alligator Apple" (annona glabra). In French, the word "pomme" has been used in a similar way. We see this generic use in words like 'pomegranate' (many seeded-apple), 'pomme de terre' (earth apple = potato), and so on.
Species Observations:
"Low Chill" apples do not require a chill to fruit, but do require hand-tending to produce fruit in areas where the temperature does not go below 40F. Large numbers of apple varieties grow in tropical and ultra-tropical regions. In tropical areas apples are usually cultivated by hand, as this method generates the most reliable production of fruit. Mature trees are usually stripped of all their leaves, the defoliation inducing a hormone change in the tree, as would happen during a defoliation caused by winter. It then flowers and begins bearing fruit. This defoliation is usually carried out between January and February. To work successfully, all leaves and immature fruits must be removed.
Propogation:
Apples are propagated by grafting to preserve genetically unique varities. They may also be grown from seed, with mixed results.
Recommended Varieties:
"Dorsett Golden," from the Bahamas, is grown in central America, and is a prolific fruiter in subtropical and tropical climates.
"Anna" is from Israel and is an excellent pollinator for Dorsett Golden - the two are often planted together.
"Ein Sheimer" or 'Enisheimer' is another Israeli selection.
"Tropic Sweet" was bred by the University of Miami.
"Manalagi" has been grown in Indonesia for decades, producing two crops a year.
"Rome Beauty" is another Indonesian success, well adaptable to tropical climates.
Container Culture:
Possible with dwarf varities.
Medicinal Uses:
For digestive issues, in Ayurvedic medicine a stewed apple is eaten for breakfast, since it is very easy to digest. It is in fact a mild and gentle laxative. The malic and tartaric acids in apples aid in digestion, not only making the apple itself readily digestible (it takes only 85 minutes to fully digest an apple), but also other foods eaten along with it. Apples and apple sauces have been eaten alongside rich foods such as pork, duck, and cheese likely for this reason.
Nutritional Information:
Nutrition depends on apple variety. Apples tend to be low in calories - 80-120 calories depending on sweetness. They are good sources of potassium, vitamin c, soluable fiber, and the digestive malic acid.
Preparation / Food:
Arguably best when eaten fresh & raw, apples are also cooked and prepared in numerous ways.
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