Apple trees and seasons

Varieties of Apple Trees

The Spruce / Kara Riley

Who says that only ornamentals can be used in landscape design? Apple trees (Malus spp.) are as lovely in bloom as any strictly ornamental flowering tree, and the blooms are also fragrant. But unlike ornamentals, they will give you a delicious harvest of fruit.

Nor are the landscaping uses for apple trees limited to their blooming periods. A row of apple trees can act as an attractive privacy screen all summer and fall, while fully leafed out. Perhaps you already have a privacy fence, but it looks too bare, and you’d like to dress it up. Dwarf varieties of the apple can serve as the “clothing,” trained along your fence in an art form known as espalier. Dwarf varieties (5 to 8 feet tall) and semi-dwarf varieties (12 to 16 feet tall) are better plants for espalier than are standard apples (20 to 30 feet tall).

Don’t depend on dwarf varieties to be as hardy as semi-dwarf varieties and standards. For a homeowner living in planting zone 3, for instance, it’s probably safest to restrict your selection to standards. Those of you, however, who live in a climate suitable for dwarf varieties should take advantage: You won’t have to wait as long for a mature yield of fruit (a couple of years) after planting as with standards (five or six years).

Note that in addition to apple tree variety, the other factors discussed throughout this article have an impact on how long it will take for the branches of your new apples to start straining under the burden of a bumper crop.

Selection by Climate and Taste

Beyond the consideration of dwarf vs. standard varieties, the first thing you should do to decide on the varieties of apple trees you’ll be growing is to ensure that you select the varieties that grow best in your region. Your local county extension office can provide you with this information. The following are examples of varieties that can be grown in zones 3 to 8, which covers most of the continental U.S., except for the southernmost states (apples are plants of the North by nature since they have chilling requirements):

• Golden delicious
• Cortland
• Haralred
• Honeycrisp

After you know what varieties of apple trees you can grow, the question becomes which of those you’d prefer to grow. For this part of the apple tree selection process, you get to rely at least in part on your good old taste buds. Sample fruit from varieties of apple trees you think you might want before you commit to planting.

Consider both taste—that is, sweetness or tartness—and texture (some of us care more about the crispness of the fruit than the taste). It also matters how you’ll be eating them. If you’re thinking in terms of pie, that may mean selecting varieties different from what you’d choose for fresh snacking:

• For a sweet fruit, grow Honeycrisp.
• For a tart fruit, grow Granny Smith.
• For a crisp fruit, grow Macoun.
• For pie-making, grow Northern Spy, Liberty, and Golden Delicious.

Varieties Resistant to Disease

Not all of us will want to let our taste buds alone make the decision for us. Growing plants that are low-maintenance may be a priority. Disease-resistant varieties of apple trees may carry the day over varieties that require spraying. Four diseases commonly attack apple trees: fire blight, apple scab, cedar apple rust, and powdery mildew. The following are varieties of apple trees that offer at least some resistance to these diseases, reducing the need to spray:

• Enterprise
• Liberty
• Freedom
• Redfree

Staggering

Part of the pleasure of growing apple trees on your property comes from biting into the freshly-plucked fruit. So getting a bumper crop from your orchard in fall, eating a few of the fresh fruits, and storing the rest away somewhat defeats the purpose of growing the delicious fruit. There’s a better approach: staggering your crop.

By «staggering» your crop, what is meant is growing apple trees that are early-season bloomers, mid-season bloomers, and late-season bloomers. By taking this approach with your crop, it’s less likely you’ll be forced into storing away most of your produce. Instead of having an excess of fresh fruit all at once, your harvesting will be spread out over three periods, with a more manageable amount to consume fresh at each harvest.

Growing apple trees using the staggered approach also aids your landscape design efforts: Just as the blossoms of one group fade, another will take up the torch, adding color to your yard. Let’s look at examples of varieties based on blooming season:

The following types bloom early:

• Beacon
• Ginger Gold
• Paulared
• State Fair

The following types bloom mid-season:

• Cortland
• Gala
• Honeycrisp
• Liberty
• McIntosh

The following types bloom late:

• Golden Delicious
• Haralred
• Northern Spy
• Rome

The Pollination Issue

Even if you do decide to use the staggered approach, you still must plant two or more varieties that bloom at the same time in each apple planting. Why? Well, don’t forget «the birds and the bees.» Yes, we’re talking about sex: pollination.

Most apples aren’t keen on incest, requiring trees of a different apple variety for pollination (even with the exceptions, pollination is still superior when it comes from another variety). Apples don’t look down their noses at crabapples, as if the latter somehow weren’t «real» apples. No, apples are sometimes quite willing to be pollinated by their ornamental cousins. This fact gives you more leeway in terms of plant choices.

A couple of warnings, though, before leaving the issue of pollination:

• The pollen of some apple varieties is sterile, so don’t rely on these as your pollinators. Examples are Jonagold, Mutsu, Stayman, and Winesap.
• The transfer of pollen from one apple blossom to another is largely the work of bees. So be careful not to apply insecticides during the blooming period, or else you’ll kill the bees and lose your best means of pollination.

Planting

The best spot for planting apple trees is an area with rich, well-drained soil and plenty of sun. Planting them where they’ll get early morning sun helps reduce the chances of getting powdery mildew disease, as does locate them in a spot with good air circulation.

Early spring is a good time for planting apple trees in the North. In the South, fall is perhaps the best time for planting: The roots will already have been established when next spring rolls around, giving your apple trees a head start.

In preparation, remove weeds and grass to form a bare circle for each transplant, about 4 feet in diameter. Your first challenge in apple tree care after bringing your plants home from the nursery will be keeping their roots moist, both before and after putting them in the ground. Soaking their roots in water for 30 minutes before planting is a good first step. If the roots look dried out, extend that soaking period to about 24 hours to revive them.

When you make the trip to your local nursery to buy the plants, look for bare-root stock, one-year-old. Although it may seem that you’d be getting a good deal (because the plants are bigger), avoid planting apple trees that are more than three years old. Younger trees are easier to get established.

Installing Your Plant

Begin digging a hole about twice the diameter of the root system, and about a foot deeper. When you think you have the depth of the hole about right, spread out the roots in the hole and check the level of the bud union (the bud union is where the scion meets the rootstock as a result of grafting). The goal will be to have the bud union raised about two inches above ground level.

You don’t want the bud union at too low a level, for two reasons. First of all, that would invite crown rot. Secondly, if you are growing a dwarf or semi-dwarf variety, you don’t want the scion to root and become dominant. You want the rootstock to remain the dominant partner since it controls tree size.

Apply water as you fill the hole back in with soil, to remove air pockets. Add soil amendments at the same time. This is also the time to install a vole guard around the trunk of your apple trees, letting it stick up about 10 inches above ground level. Water well again after the transplant is complete. To help retain some of that moisture (and also keep the weeds and grass from growing back), mulch around the plant to a depth of two to three inches.

Pruning

In pruning your plants to try to give them an ideal shape and structure, you’re essentially focusing on the leader and on establishing good scaffold branches (the primary limbs growing out of the sides of the trunk). A prime goal in pruning them is to ensure good aeration. That is, if air circulates freely through all of the branches, there’s less chance of a problem with powdery mildew disease. Pruning also restricts their vertical growth, making it easy for you to get at them to care for them.

The branches should be trained to form angles that will help them radiate out away from the trunk while keeping enough strength to bear heavy fruit loads. This process is called «spreading.» And speaking of loads, believe it or not, there can be such a thing as «too many apples.» While you’re waiting for your young tree to produce any fruit at all, this might not seem like a problem. But a problem it is, and it’s dealt with through a process known as «thinning.»

Thinning promotes larger fruit size, improves next year’s blooming, and reduces the likelihood of limbs snapping off. Thinning works on two levels: the blossom level and the branch level. Apple blossoms form a cluster, made up of five or six potential fruits. You’ll want to thin these down to one fruit, once the baby apples have reached about the size of a marble. At the branch level, remove enough fruit so that the remaining apples are spaced about four to six feet apart.

Even if you have disease-resistant varieties, you still have to worry about insect pests. To combat scales, mites, and aphids, spray horticultural oil on apple trees just after full bloom is over. After that, spray every 10 to 14 days throughout the summer. For apple maggots, codling moths, green fruitworms, and plum curculios check with your local county extension office for the best pesticide to apply in your area. Some apple tree growers are experimenting with neem oil as an organic alternative for curculio control.

Voles are the next greatest enemy for apple trees after disease and insects.

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Growing apples in the home garden

Quick facts

• Apple trees need at least 8 hours of sun per day during the growing season.
• Two varieties are required for successful pollination; one can be a crabapple.
• Dwarf apple trees will start bearing fruit 2 to 3 years after planting.
• Standard size trees can take up to 8 years to bear fruit.
• Some varieties are more susceptible to insect and disease damage than others.
• Prune annually to keep apple trees healthy and productive.

Two trees can provide plenty of apples

Apples are pollinated by insects, with bees and flies transferring pollen from flowers of one apple tree to those of another. But you don’t need to plant a whole orchard to enjoy apples right off the tree. Two trees will reward any family with enough fruit to enjoy and share with friends.

Apples require pollen from a different apple variety to grow fruit. If you only have room in your yard for one tree, there may be crab apples in your neighborhood to provide the pollen your tree needs.

Most apple trees are grafted onto dwarfing rootstocks and only grow to be about 8-10 feet tall. So even if you’re short on space, you probably have space for two trees.

Care through the seasons

March—For existing trees, prune before growth begins, after coldest weather has passed

April, May—Plant bare root trees as soon as the soil can be worked

April, May—If last year’s growth was less than 12 inches, apply compost around the base of tree

May, June—Plant potted trees after threat of frost has passed

May, June—As flower buds begin to turn pink, start watching for insect and disease symptoms

May through October—Water trees as you would any other tree in your yard

June, July—Thin fruit

• remove smallest apples to encourage larger fruit

August through October—Harvest

• taste fruit when it appears to be fully colored
• if it’s too starchy, wait a few days

October, November—Rake up fallen leaves and fruit; compost or discard

November—Apply tree wrap to prevent winter injury

November through March—Look for deer and vole damage; put fencing around tree if needed

Selecting plants

Before choosing an apple tree to plant, take a look around your neighborhood. A pollen source should be within 100 feet of the apple tree you plant to ensure the pollen gets to your tree.

If you don’t see any crabapples or other apple trees that close, your best bet is to plant two trees of different varieties.

When purchasing an apple tree, you are actually selecting a plant made up of two genetically different individuals grafted together, the scion and the rootstock.

• The scion is the aboveground part of the tree that produces the type of fruit desired (ex. Honeycrisp or Haralson).
• The rootstock plays a major role in determining the tree’s ultimate size and how long it will take to bear fruit.

Variety tables provide hardiness, size and compatibility information for apple varieties that have proven to do well in northern climates.

Choosing a rootstock

If you have limited space, pay particular attention to the rootstock you choose for your apple trees.

Often nurseries will label the trees dwarfing, semi-dwarfing, and standard. These labels are referring to the rootstock, which determines how tall your tree will grow.

If you have an interest in a specific rootstock, talk with your local nursery. They might be able to order a tree for you.

Otherwise, you might want to order trees from a nursery that grafts each fruit variety on various rootstocks to get the combination you desire.

• Seedling or standard rootstocks may cause the tree to grow 20 or more feet tall.
• Dwarfing rootstocks reduce tree size by up to 50 percent, so that a tree may be only 8, 12, or 15 feet tall when mature, depending upon its rootstock, scion variety, and growing conditions.
• Whether the fruiting variety is grafted onto standard or dwarfing rootstock, the fruit size and quality will be the same.

Seedling or standard rootstock

• Grow to 20 or more feet tall
• Produce up to 10 bushels of fruit per tree

Pluses

• More tolerant of wetter and drier soils
• Better anchored than dwarf trees

Minuses

• May need 8 or more years to start bearing fruit
• More complicated pruning, thinning, harvesting
• More difficult to control pests

Dwarfing rootstock

• Grow to 8, 12, or 15 feet tall (40-80% shorter than standard)
• Produce 2 to 3 bushels of fruit per tree

Pluses

• Simpler pruning, thinning, harvesting
• Easier to control pests
• Require only 3-4 years to start bearing fruit
• Can fit 2 or 3 trees into a small space

Minuses

• Can fall over more easily and may need to be anchored
• May be more prone to some diseases

Common rootstock for Minnesota

Seedling

A seedling rootstock is actually grown from the seed of an apple, often McIntosh or another common, hardy variety. Although you won’t know exactly what you’re getting with a seedling rootstock—every single seed is a genetically different individual —hardiness, anchorage and adaptability to different soil types are generally excellent.

MM.111

This rootstock, sometimes termed ‘semi-dwarfing,’ other times ‘semi-standard,’ produces a tree about 80% of the height of a standard tree. In many areas of Minnesota, this can work out to roughly a 14-18 foot tree.

MM.111 is a hardy, well-anchored rootstock that can withstand drier soil conditions, making it an excellent choice especially for western parts of the state.

M.9 (also: EMLA 9 – virus-free)

This rootstock performs well under many conditions and produces a tree 40-50% the height of a standard tree. It produces fruit very early in the life of the tree.

M.9 has poor anchorage due to brittle roots and a high fruit to wood ratio which means it requires staking for the life of the tree. M.9 is very susceptible to fire blight. It produces moderate amounts of root suckers and burr knots.

M.26 (also: EMLA 26 – virus-free)

This dwarfing rootstock produces a tree 8-10 feet in height. Trees planted on M.26 generally require staking for the first few years of growth or, on windy sites, for the life of the tree.

M.26 is reliably hardy, but is especially susceptible to fire blight. Fruit is produced very early in the tree’s life, sometimes within three years from planting.

Apple varieties recommended for Minnesota

Apple varieties for home orchards and gardens

Variety	Hardiness (zone 4 to zone 3)	Avg harvest	Best use	Description
Chestnut (1949)	Excellent to very good	Early-mid Sept.	Fresh eating, sauce	Large crab apple, russet skin. Rich, intense, nutty flavor. Fruit stores for 4 to 5 weeks. Moderately resistant to apple scab and fireblight.
Cortland	Good to fair	Late Sept.-early Oct.	Fresh eating, cooking, salad	Medium size. Sweet to tart. Slow to turn brown when cut. Susceptible to apple scab and fireblight.
Freedom	Good to fair	Sept.	Fresh eating, cooking	Crisp, juicy, sweet. Immune to apple scab, moderately resistant to fireblight.
Frostbite™ (2008)	Excellent to very good	Late Sept.-mid Oct.	Fresh eating, cider	Small. Intensely sweet, firm and juicy. Extremely cold hardy. Stores 3-4 months. Good for areas too cold to grow anything else. Some resistance to apple scab and fireblight.
Haralson (1922)	Very good to good	Late Sept.-early Oct.	Fresh eating, cooking. Great for pie.	Medium size, striped red. Great for pie. Stores 4-5 months. Some resistance to apple scab and fireblight.
Honeycrisp (1991)	Very good to good	Late Sept.	Best for fresh eating. Good for cooking.	Medium-large. Extremely juicy and crisp. Slow to turn brown when cut. Stores well for 7+ months. Some resistance to apple scab and fireblight.
Honeygold (1970)	Good to fair	Early Oct.	Excellent for fresh eating. Good for cooking.	Medium size, golden to yellow-green. Crisp, juicy, sweet. Stores 2-3 months. Susceptible to apple scab and fireblight.
Liberty	Good to fair	Early Oct.	Fresh eating, cooking	Medium size. Well-balanced flavor similar to McIntosh, but firmer. Immune to apple scab and resistant to fireblight.
Regent (1964)	Good to fair	Early-mid Oct.	Fresh eating, cooking	Red striped. Crisp and juicy, well-balanced flavor. Stores 4-5 months. Susceptible to apple scab and fireblight.
SnowSweet® (2006)	Good to fair	Mid Oct.	Fresh eating, cooking, salad	Large, bronze-red, blush fruit. Low-acid, sweet flavor. Slow to brown when cut. Stores up to 2 months. Moderately susceptible to apple scab and fireblight.
Sweet Sixteen (1977)	Very good to good	Mid-late Sept.	Fresh eating	Medium to large, stripes and solid wash of rosy red. Crisp, juicy, very sweet, spicy, cherry candy flavor. Stores 5-8 weeks. Some resistance to apple scab and fireblight.
Triumph (2021)	Very good in Zone 4, not recommended for Zone 3	Late September	Best for fresh eating. Good for cooking.	Attractive fruit with pleasantly tart and well-balanced flavor and good storage life. Excellent tolerance to apple scab.
Wealthy	Good to fair	Early Sept.	Fresh eating, cooking	Medium size, slightly acidic. Resistant to apple scab and fireblight. Doesn’t store as long as others.
William’s Pride	Good to fair	Mid Aug.	Fresh eating, cooking	Medium size, slightly acidic. Resistant to apple scab and fireblight. Doesn’t store as long as others.
Zestar!® (1999)	Good to fair	Late Aug.-early Sept.	Fresh eating, cooking	Large, crunchy, juicy red fruit. Balanced sweet-tart flavor. Stores 6-8 weeks. Susceptible to apple scab. Some resistance to fireblight.

University of Minnesota varieties are in bold and include their release date.

Planting and caring for young trees

Learn how to choose a location, prepare for planting and space trees.

Preparing for planting

Find a sunny location

Apple trees require full sun, so choose a spot where the sun shines directly on the tree for at least 8 hours each day.

Test your soil

When it comes to soil, apple trees can grow in most soils as long as there is no standing water and the pH of the soil is between 6 and 7.

• Have your soil tested to determine pH
• pH of the soil should be between 6 and 7
• Apple trees can grow in most soils as long as there is no standing water
• Avoid planting in areas where water stands for several hours after a rain

If you are unsure about your soil pH, conduct a soil test to determine soil conditions before planting and amend the soil as suggested by the results.

Spacing

How much space do you need for apple trees? A good rule of thumb for a garden fruit tree is to provide at least as much horizontal space as the anticipated height of the tree. So, if your tree will grow up to 8 feet high, make sure there are 8 feet between it and the next tree.

Planting trees too close together will increase shading and reduce the number and quality of the fruit coming from your tree.

Tree spacing

• Standard trees: 20-25 feet
• Semi-dwarf trees: 12-15 feet
• Dwarf trees: 6-8 feet

Dig a hole

• Dig a hole for each tree that is no deeper than the root ball, and about twice as wide.
• When you dig the soil out of the hole, pile it on a tarp or piece of plywood so it’s easier to get it back in the hole.
• You may mix in up to one-third by volume compost, peat moss or other organic matter.
• Most of what goes back in the planting hole should be the soil you took out of the hole.
• There is no need to add fertilizer to the hole.

Look at the roots

• If you purchased bare root trees, closely examine the root system and remove encircling roots or J-shaped roots that could eventually strangle the trunk.
• For trees in containers, inspect the root systems for encircling woody roots.
• If woody roots are wrapped around in a circle, straighten them or make several cuts through the root ball prior to planting.
• This helps the plant produce a stronger root system and prevents the formation of girdling roots that eventually weaken the tree.

Put the tree in the hole

• Position each tree so that the graft union is about 4 inches above the soil line. The graft union is a swelling where the variety meets the rootstock.
  • If the graft union is placed close to or below the soil line, the variety (scion) will root, causing trees to grow to full size.
• Spread the roots of bare root trees, making sure none are bent.
• Have someone help you get the tree standing up straight.
• Begin adding the soil, tamping to remove air pockets as you go.
• After the hole is filled, tamp gently and water thoroughly to remove remaining air pockets.
• The soil may settle an inch or two. If this happens, add more soil.

Planting apple trees video

Video courtesy of Jon Clements, University of Massachusetts (00:3:47)

How to keep your apple trees healthy and productive

From watering to weeding to thinning fruit, caring for your apple trees throughout the year will help your plants produce plenty of apples to harvest.

Watering, weeding, fertilizing and staking trees

Watering

Throughout the life of the tree, you should water its root zone thoroughly during the growing season whenever there is a dry spell. Ideally, the tree should receive one inch of water from rainfall or irrigation every week from May through October.

Support

It’s a good idea to stake the tree for the first few years. Either a wooden or metal stake will work. A stake should be about the height of the tree after being pounded two feet into the ground. Use a wide piece non-abrasive material to fasten the tree to the stake. Avoid narrow fastenings such as wire or twine, as they may cut into the bark.

Use tree guards to protect the trunk of your tree

Planting is a good time to install a tree guard. These are usually made of plastic and are available at most nurseries and online.

Tree guards protect your tree from winter injury and bark chewing by small mammals, such as voles (aka meadow mice) and rabbits.

Guards also reflect sunlight from the trunk, which helps prevent the trunk from heating up on a cold, sunny winter day.

• If the bark temperature gets above freezing, water in the conductive tissue under the bark becomes liquid and begins to flow through the cells.
• When the sun goes down or behind a cloud, the liquid water suddenly freezes, damaging the cells and sometimes killing all the tissue on one side of the trunk. This is called sunscald.

Once the tree has rough and flaky mature bark, neither winter sun nor chewing animals can harm it, so tree guards will not be necessary. For the first years of its life, however, it’s important to protect the trunk of your fruit tree.

Fertilizer and mulch

Once established, an apple tree planted on a favorable site, in properly prepared soil, should thrive with minimal fertilization.

• Nitrogen is normally the only mineral nutrient that needs to be added on an annual basis and can be added using compost.
• The branches of non-bearing young apple trees will normally grow 12 to 18 inches per year while the branches of bearing apple trees will grow 8 to 12 inches in a season.
• If growth exceeds these rates, apply no compost at all, as too much growth can keep fruit from developing, and lush growth is more susceptible to fireblight infection.

Weeding

• For the first three to five years, grass and weeds should be removed from about a 3-foot radius around the tree.
• Grasses can deplete soil moisture rapidly and will reduce tree growth.
• Applying a few inches of mulch around the base of the tree will help prevent weeds.
• Keep the mulch a few inches away from the trunk to prevent rodent damage and fungal growth.

An apple tree will provide an abundant crop if conditions are favorable when the tree is in bloom.

Some of the fruit will naturally drop off the tree in mid June, but the tree may be left with more fruit than it can support.

Too heavy crops can cause biennial bearing, when a heavy crop of small, green apples is followed by little or no crop the next year.

• Thinning fruit off the trees by hand will minimize biennial bearing and promote larger, higher quality fruit.
• Leave one or two fruit per flower cluster or, for the best fruit quality, about 4 to 6 inches between fruit on any branch.
• Thin when fruit is about marble size, in late June or early July, after some of the fruit has already dropped naturally.
• Thinning improves the quality of the apples you’ll harvest in the fall.
• You’ll be more likely to get fruit every year.

Harvesting and storing fruit

Know when to pick

The color of an apple is only one indicator of its ripeness. Sweetness is an indicator of maturity and harvest-readiness along with fruit size and color. There is a popular idea that some later apple varieties need a frost to sweeten them before picking. However, apples will ripen and sweeten up without a frost.

How to tell if an apple is ripe

• Look for a change in the background color, the part of the skin not covered with red color.
• When the background color (also called ground color) begins to change from green to a greenish yellow color, the apple is starting to ripen.
• Other than Honeygold, all other apples we recommend should have a green-turning-to-yellow background color when fully ripened.
• Pick a few apples that seem ripe and taste them to be sure they are at the ripeness you prefer.
• As apples ripen, starch in the flesh is converted to sugar. An unripe apple will be starchy and leave a sticky film on your teeth.
• A ripe apple may still be tart, but it should have developed aromatic flavors.
• You may need to pick the fruit from the same tree several times over the course of a week or two in order to get all the fruit at the right stage of maturity.
• Check the UMN Minnesota Hardy website to see what time in the season your apple variety typically ripens.

How to pick an apple

• Gently take the fruit in the palm of your hand, then lift and twist in a single motion.
• Or use one hand to hold the short, thick fruiting spur that bore the apple, and the other hand to lift and twist the fruit.
• Avoid pulling or yanking the fruit as you could pull off the spur, taking with it next year’s flower buds.

Storing apples

Apples last the longest at standard refrigerator temperatures, about 33°F to 38°F, with about 85 percent humidity. Although garages, basements and root cellars may provide adequate storage conditions, the best place to store apples at home is usually the refrigerator.

• Warmer temperatures always shorten the storage life of apples.
• Apples stored near 33°F may last as much as 10 times longer than apples stored at room temperature.
• High humidity helps reduce the shriveling of apples in storage.
• If the storage environment is low in humidity, as most refrigerators are, the fruit should be stored in a perforated plastic bag or a loosely covered container.
• Although apples are lovely displayed in a fruit bowl, such conditions will dramatically reduce their usable life.

Will apples be affected by a hard freeze?

A «hard freeze» is defined as four straight hours of 28°F. While 32°F is the freezing temperature for water, it is not the freezing temperature for most fruits. Fruits such as apples, grapes, and strawberries are high in sugar. The sugar in the fruit’s juice reduces the temperature at which the fruit freezes.

• Apple fruit starts freezing at around 28-28.5°F, but apples should be okay provided the temperature doesn’t fall much below 28.
• The longer apples are exposed to temperatures below 28 degrees, the higher the chance that they will get damaged.
• Frozen apples should not be picked until the fruit thaws out, as the frozen fruit will bruise and be unusable.
• After a freeze, leave the apples on the tree and wait until midday when they have thawed out.
• Late fruiting apples like U of M’s SnowSweet® and Haralson are more at risk of freezing because they are more likely to still be on the trees when a freeze hits.

A brief dip below 28 degrees may just weaken the apples enough to decrease their shelf life. Several nights below 28 degrees are more likely to soften the skin and flesh of the apple, making the fruit unusable.

At 22°F, the fruit will freeze hard and cells will break down, making the fruit soft. If only a brief freeze happens and the fruit is still firm, use the fruit soon, as it may not store well.

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