Native Apple Trees

Relief, Restoration & Longevity

Along with implementing whitetail gardens and improving wintering habitat and native browse, WMP's has been active in restoring abandonned native apple trees and old orchards. At one time New England was rich with native apple trees. They were an unmatched resource that is now nearly gone. Fortunately, many of these old trees still have life left in them. With minimal time and effort you can extend the life of the apple trees on your property/land and restore this diminishing resource.

Quite often one can walk through the woods of the Northeast and find over-grown, brush-choked and dilapidated apple trees. Though they appear to be falling apart and seem utterly lifeless, this might not be the case! What they need is commonly referred to as "relief". Like other members of their Rosaceae family (roses, raspberries, blackberries, hawthorns, mountain ash) and recovering trees in general, apple trees need ample light and nutrients. Simple clearing of brush above the tree's crown and at its base, maximizes sunlight and minimizes root competition (more moisture to the apple tree only) by other species. Apple trees will also benefit from seasonal applications of common fertilizers like 10-10-10 or 15-15-15. It needs to be said that establishing a micro-plot beneath an apple tree is very complimentary - they share all the same "likes", from pollinator traffic to your fertilizer to sunlight. Note: Be cautious when preparing your site's soil for your micro-plot, you DO NOT want to damage your apple tree roots!

After relieving your apple tree(s), and removing the dead, dying or decaying wood from the tree itself, allow the tree to grow for at least a year or two before trimming it again. As you monitor you tree's progress you'll notice that it will develop a new shape and character unique to itself. If your apple tree(s) grow but never produce blossoms, this might be an opportunity to graft "scions" (apple tree twigs/brances) from another tree onto yours. Though the productivity here is entirely situational, a combination of older adapted roots and more productive blossoming ends might be your ticket to success.

We have an incredible amout of apple orchards in New England today, but they're not accessible to deer and some wildlife due to for-humans-only fences. So jump on this bandwagon and restore a native apple tree this growing season!