Older apple trees often bear little fruit when harvested, even though they actually have a he althy appearance. Replacing it with a younger tree is not always necessary, as an old tree can be kept he althy with just one cut.
How to renew an old apple tree?
An old apple tree can be revived without replacement by checking for disease, thinning the crown, performing rejuvenation pruning, or grafting a new apple variety onto the existing trunk to increase lifespan and yield.
Examine the tree for diseases and defects
If a tree does not produce the desired yield or shows other abnormalities, age is not always to blame for these effects. Due to changes in sunlight at a location or the development of waterlogging, the needs of an apple tree can suddenly become less fulfilled as its lifespan increases. If the crown is not thinned out sufficiently during regular pruning in winter or summer, diseases such as the infamous mildew can result.
Replacing with a young tree is not easy
There are good reasons for taking all available measures before replacing an old apple tree with a young one. One of them is the difficulty of planting an apple tree again in the same location. Since the apple tree does not tolerate this well, the following steps would be necessary:
- Pruning the old apple tree
- Processing or disposing of the resulting material
- Removing the rootstock with an excavator or by hand
- Partial replacement of the substrate in the planting hole
- Replanting a young apple tree
Once this work is done, you must also have the patience to wait for the young tree to grow until it bears a significant amount of fruit again.
Experimenting with other apple varieties on the same tree
If the trunk and roots of the old apple tree appear he althy, it can sometimes become more vital through targeted rejuvenation pruning. The lifespan can also be extended if a new apple variety is grafted onto the old trunk.
Tips & Tricks
Grafting new apple varieties onto an existing apple tree can also be used to facilitate pollination of apple blossoms. To do this, graft the branches of different apple varieties next to each other onto the same tree.
