Not all apples are created equal. The Granny Smith is a popular apple variety renowned for its bright green skin and juicy, slightly tart interior. Planting Granny Smith apples in your home landscape not only offers your family with a source of fresh, healthy fruit, but it can also improve the value of your landscape. If you're thinking of planting these apple trees, several soil preparation and sapling cultivation tips will ensure strong establishment and optimal growth.
All apple varieties require lots of sunlight for the best tree growth and fruit flavor development. For Granny Smith apples, choose a site that has well-draining soil and receives a minimum of six hours of sunlight every day. Additionally, avoid planting at the bottom of a hill where cold air can accumulate around the apple tree. Granny Smith apples trees are suitable in United States Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 8.
Your Granny Smith apple tree will thrive in a variety of soil types. However, several tricks can help boost your planting success. To improve macronutrient and micronutrient concentrations while also increasing soil drainage and aeration, add organic material such as well-rotted manure or compost to the soil. Stir 2 to 3 inches of the organic matter into the dirt to a depth of 18 inches, which is the depth at which most new apple trees will start to spread their roots.
Choosing the Sapling
Granny Smith apple trees and other apple varieties are typically planted using a started sapling. For the best success, choose a Granny Smith seedling that's approximately a year old and 6 feet tall. Saplings of this size have the greatest chance of taking root quickly and surviving the stress of planting.
Planting the Tree
Once you've brought your Granny Smith apple tree sapling home, keep it in a cool, shaded area. Before planting, soak the tree's root ball in water for 30 minutes to help soften up the roots and soil. While the Granny Smith tree is soaking, dig a hole that's big enough to accommodate the size of the sapling's root ball. Once you've dug the hole, place the sapling into the hole and fill the hole back in with soil.
Spread 2 inches of mulch around the base of your newly planted Granny Smith apple tree. This helps keep weeds from growing around the fragile sapling while also trapping moisture into the dirt. Mulch options include shredded leaves and coarse compost. Water the tree at a rate of approximately 1 gallon of water a week, keeping the dirt consistently moist to a depth of 18 inches.
- Washington State University: Preserving Granny Smith Quality and Condition
- North Carolina State University Extension: Growing Apple Trees in the Home Garden
- Ohio State University: Growing Apples in the Home Orchard
- Monrovia: Granny Smith Apple
- University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension: Growing Fruit Trees
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