How to Grow Apples| South Africa

Climate Requirements

Apple are Originally a temperate Plant s, which does well in regions which do not experience very high temperatures that’s why in South Africa it is mainly grown in the Cape Province. However, several types of apple varieties have strived to do well in Tropical conditions, particularly as mature trees especially the Golden Delicious.
 
Selecting Varieties of Apple Trees

Beyond the consideration of dwarf vs. standard varieties, the first thing you should do to determine 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 Extension Office can provide you with this information. The following are examples of varieties that can be grown in zones Cape region 

"Golden Delicious"
 
"Granny Smith"
 
"Pink Lady" 

"Honeycrisp"

Apple trees generally consist of two parts, the scion and the rootstock. The scion cultivar determines the type of apple and the fruiting habit of the tree. The rootstock determines the earliness to bear fruit, the overall size of the tree, and its longevity. Both the scion and rootstock affect the pest susceptibility and the cold hardiness of the tree. Thus, careful selection of both the cultivars and the rootstock will contribute to the fruit quality over the life of the tree.

South Africa (Cape Town) climate is favorable for fire blight, powdery mildew, scab, and cedar apple rust, disease-resistant cultivars are recommended to minimize the need for spraying fungicides. Other popular cultivars, such as Pink lady and Golden Delicious can be successfully grown in South Africa. Both of these cultivars are available as spur- or nonspur-types. A spur-type cultivar will have a compact growth habit of the tree canopy, while a nonspur-type produces a more open, spreading tree canopy. Because spur-type cultivars are nonvigorous, they should not be used in combination with a very dwarfing rootstock.

Varieties 

South Africa Common Grown Varieties

Sundowner Fuji Pink Lady Braestar Royal Gala Golden Delicious Granny Smith

   

Soil Requirements and Influence to Production.

Apples require well-aerated soils with good organic matter content. There is a movement in agriculture in changing to environmentally friendly, sustainable production practices. This is due to the adverse effects on soil biological activities and diversity through conventional management practices such as low organic matter input and routine use of chemicals in pest and weed control. Soil microorganisms are largely responsible for soil properties such as structure and fertility, in terms of nutrient cycling. In addition, these organisms play a role in pathogen suppression as a result of competition and antagonistic action. 

Soil microorganisms also synthesize various plant growth regulating compounds. A low Population count in the soil of biodiversity and activity can therefore lead to poor root proliferation and nutrient uptake, ultimately having a negative effect on growth and yield. Therefore, a need for the development of biological soil management systems has developed in order to rehabilitate agricultural soils. 

Soil rehabilitation and root growth stimulation is of prime importance in orchards suffering from apple replant disease (ARD). The disorder is associated with poor growth of young apple trees planted on previous apple sites and is one of the major impediments in establishing a new apple orchard.  Aboveground symptoms include reduction in tree vigour and yield and affected trees start cropping fruit 2 to 3 years later than unaffected trees.  Root systems are small with discoloured roots and few functional root hairs.

Although the etiology is still not fully understood, results suggest that the problem is not caused by a single agent, but rather a complex of biological factors that vary across geographic regions or even between orchards in the same region. Furthermore, recent studies show that there is a possible shift in microbial community composition with continued apple production towards pathogens dominating the soil microbial profile. ARD has been controlled successfully in most cases by the application of a broad spectrum fumigant of which methyl bromide is the most effective and extensively used.

Pests and diseases

Apples are susceptible to a fungal and bacterial diseases and insect pests. Many commercial orchards do an aggressive program of chemical sprays to maintain high fruit quality, tree health, and high yields.[ In orchard management is the use of organic methods is being been recommended These use a less aggressive and direct methods of conventional farming. Instead of spraying potent chemicals, often shown to be potentially dangerous and maleficent to the tree in the long run, organic methods include encouraging or discouraging certain cycles and pests.To control a specific pest, organic growers might encourage the prosperity of its natural predator instead of outright killing it, and with it the natural biochemistry around the tree. Organic apples generally have the same or greater taste than conventionally grown apples.

The three most  common diseases are mildew, aphids and Apple scab.
Mildew  which is characterized by light grey powdery patches appearing on the leaves, shoots and flowers, normally in spring.flowers will turn a creamy yellow colour and will not develop correctly. This can be treated in a manner not dissimilar from treating Botrytis :eliminating the conditions which caused the disease in the first place and burning the infected plants are among the recommended actions to take.

Aphids There are five species of aphids commonly found on apples: apple grain aphid, rosy apple aphid, apple aphid, spirea aphid and the woolly apple aphid. The aphid species can be identified by their colour, the time of year when they are present and by differences in the cornicles, which are small paired projections from the rear of aphids.Aphids feed on foliage using needlelike mouthparts to suck out plant juices. present in high numbers, certain species may reduce tree growth and vigor.

Apple scab Symptoms of Scab are olive-green or brown blotches on the leaves. The blotches turn browner as time progresses. Then brown scabs on the fruit (see apple picture on the left).The diseased leaves will fall early and the fruit will become increasingly covered in scabs - eventually the fruit skin will crack. Although there are chemicals to treat Scab, their use might not be encouraged as they are quite often systematic, which means they are absorbed by the tree, and spread throughout the fruit.
The most serious disease problems are fireblight a bacterial disease; and Gymnosporangium rust, and black spot.

Fertilizing and Weed Control

Control weeds and grass beneath Apple trees to reduce competition for fertilizer and water. Also, weeds and grass may harbor pests, which can affect the fruit or trees.
Mulches are commonly used to conserve moisture and control weeds and grass. Because of the incidence of foot rot disease in citrus, organic mulches are not recommended. If used, keep mulches at least a foot away from the tree trunk. Apple trees are pruned primarily to control tree size and to remove dead, diseased or damaged wood. Citrus trees should be allowed to grow naturally without pruning. 

One month after spring planting, apply about a 500grams of 3:2:1 (or similar analysis) fertilizer per tree in a circular band around the edge of the original planting hole. The year after planting, apply about 2.5kg of 3:2:1 fertilizer per tree in a circular band under the drip line of the tree canopy just before growth begins in the spring. In subsequent years, fertilizer needs will probably increase; the amount of fertilizer to apply can be gauged by the terminal growth made the preceding year.
 Young trees (one to six years old) should have 30 to 50 cm of new grow each year and 15 to 20 cm of growth thereafter. Growth above or below these figures would indicate too much or too little fertilizer. After inspecting the amount of terminal growth, the amount of fertilizer can be adjusted from the amount applied the previous year. In a year when the blossoms are injured by frost and the crop is lost, do not apply any fertilizer because it will promote too much vegetative growth.

Cultural Practices

Early fruiting

Keep all apples off young trees during the first two years. During this time it is important to develop a strong framework for the tree to support the crop in later years. Cropping the tree during the first two years of establishment can stunt it. In the third year, fruit can be left on the scaffold branches but should be removed from the central leader. Beginning in the fourth year, the central leader and scaffold branches can be cropped, but fruit should be selectively thinned. 

Fruit thinning

During a heavy bloom season, apples commonly set too many fruits. Remove all excess fruits during the first week of June. This is after the time of the last natural drop. In thinning, leave only one apple per cluster and space the apples not closer than 6 inches apart. This may remove more than three-fourths of the apples on the tree. Although this practice may seem drastic, it is essential for Good-sized apples at harvest
Development of fruit buds for next year's crop. When thinning, leave the largest apple in the cluster unless it is damaged in some way. With just a few trees, this operation can be done by hand in a few hours. 

Pest control

Apples have many persistent pests. Pests may be controlled through good cultural practices and when necessary chemical control.

Good cultural practices

Plant on well-drained site tile drainage should improve a poorly drained site.
Fertilize properly; excessive, vigorous growth or weak growth is disease-prone.
Prune and train properly; sunlight penetration and air movement are essential for drying the tree off, which will help prevent disease. 

Prune and remove any diseased or insect-infested fruit or branches. For instance, fire blight is commonly controlled by cutting out branches 15 to 20 inches below the diseased wood, and apple scab can often be controlled by raking up and destroying diseased leaves in the fall.
Control weeds properly. Weeds compete with the plant for moisture and nutrients and harbor many other pests; use herbicides, a weed barrier type of mulch, or shallow cultivation to reduce weed competition. 

Plant disease-resistant cultivars when possible, when cultural control of pests is ineffective or impractical, chemicals often are needed to control the pests. To control pests chemically, Apply proper dosages Time sprays properly