New Apple Tree Update – Summer 2026 Edition
We’ve had quite the summer so far, here in the UK. Although we’ve finally seen some welcome rain in our neck of the woods, for most of the past two to three months, and in common with most of the country, we’ve had nowt but hot, dry weather and very little useful precipitation indeed.
This has, of course, had a pretty drastic effect on most of the fruit trees that I work with, both in my day job and down on the allotment. Apple yields this year seem likely to be particularly poor. This was, perhaps, to be expected after last year’s bumper harvest – fruit trees do tend towards a biennial bearing pattern – but earlier indications back in the spring had suggested that this year’s fruit set was looking quite a lot better than expected. As a result of the lack of water, many of the apple and pear trees I know have produced fruits that are distinctly smaller than they normally would be, and windfalls are legion. Most of those dropped apples are either infested with codling moth, or they’ve been pecked at by assorted birds, and chewed at by assorted small mammals, all desperate for whatever moisture they can find in the parched landscape.
But it’s not all doom and gloom! Despite the harshness of the growing conditions, the one-year-old trees that I planted out down on the allotment this year, and the new trees – the graftlings – that I grafted back in March, seem to be doing rather well. Here’s the row of cordon apples that I planted out earlier this year, which you can just about make out amidst the background vegetation in the photo below:
There are seven small trees there, and all of them have put on nice, strong, main leader extension growth and are still carrying plenty of leaves. I’m going to pat myself on the back here and credit the regular, judicious watering regime that I’ve maintained throughout the summer. Just a few seconds’ pour from a watering can every three or four days on average seems to have been enough to keep them healthy. I haven’t pruned or shaped any of the trees yet, either. That can wait for next winter when they’ll be assessed, trimmed if/as required, and re-tied to the support canes where needed.
Even more pleasingly, the graftlings that I planted out in their nursery bed seem to be doing rather well:
I grafted 46 trees this year, 25 different varieties in total, mostly in pairs but with a few singletons. I’m pleased to report that there have been only 7 failed grafts this year, some of which you can spot at the bottom of the next pic. The other 39 graftlings have taken well and are growing strongly:
Indeed, some of them are growing very strongly. A couple of the new trees have developed potential double leader stems, and if I catch them before they lignify and stiffen beyond their bending point, I might be able to train them to a stepover shape.
I did lose a pair of one variety, and some of the singletons didn’t take, so it looks like I’ll be able to plant out another 21 new cordons next year, and then I’ll pot the rest of the trees up for backups or spares that I can offer to my fellow plot-holders.
I won’t be grafting as many new trees next year, but I’ll still have a few gaps to back-fill, and I do like to graft backups my ‘Beefing’ trees – ‘Herefordshire’, ‘Norfolk’, ‘Striped’, and hopefully ‘Iffley’ as well – so I expect another two dozen or so will be added back into the nursery bed in March 2027.
How about you? Have you been able to keep your newly-grafted or newly-planted trees alive through the summer so far? Is the drought badly affecting your orchard? Or do you live somewhere that has enjoyed plentiful rainfall? Do please let me know your thoughts and reflections, via the comments.
Moth damage and windfalls everywhere. Last year I grafted Tickled Pink and have a few, very small apples, but they are Crimson and look OK.
Grafts in pots (none in the ground, only 2 in existing trees this year) went OK-ish except
– Odd singletons failed, including Hereford beefing that you gave us
– A couple that dried out while we were away at the start of August, due to water nozzles that blocked or pots that fell over away from the capillary matting.
– Half the grafts of my own collected scion wood. I put this down to a problem with My Collection of graft wood. I must learn how to do it better.
I named 4 last year and some examples of each held which is pleasing.
I realized I will be dying when my apple trees will still be young. I have started to make plans for my trees in pots. Some of these trees are already more than twenty years old, others only 6 months.
– Off to see a school tomorrow who wish to start an Apple Walk so they will be offered a few if they have a parent with a van.
– I donated 2 varieties that I named to the Northern Fruit Group (Manchester) orchard project. They will continue for 30 or more years if we can find young people (Under 50) to carry it on.
– I named a new variety for a small stately home and donated some trees to them.
If anyone wants to name a new variety ask and I will try to talk you through the process.
George
Hi George – Very glad to hear you’ve had some solid successes. I reckon I might be able to supply a bit more ‘Herefordshire Beefing’ next year if you want to give that one another go? The trees haven’t produced much fruit this year, so there should be some extension growth to snip off.
I think when it comes to scion wood collection it’s all about the timing and the storage. Scions keep in the fridge for a while, but can still dry out even if they’re stored in plastic bags. I use a bit of barely-damp kitchen towel wrapped around the cut end(s) and that seems to help a bit.
Keeping a potted tree alive for 20+ years is quite the feat. I’ll have to pick your brains for top tips next time we meet up!
Oh my!
Just realised my new apple grafts from this spring will possibly need to remain in pots so they can come to my retirement home!
The bare root Red Devil I planted about 8 years ago always looks magnificent with its bright red apples but is always infested with moth so I have cleared everything under it. It is reachable from the pavement so it’s quite funny that someone might nick an apple and a coddling moth!
Hi Jean – I’m reckon your apples will be okay in pots until you get a chance to plant them out. Might be an idea to give them a dose of general purpose liquid plant food when they start to come out of dormancy next spring, just to make sure they’ve got some resources to draw on. Either that or re-pot them into a slightly larger container, with some fresh compost, if you can.
Shame about the Red Devil being infested with codling. But yes, scrumper schadenfreude is always mildly amusing.
They look good Darren, thank you for posting
Apples, Pears and Plums slightly above average yield here. Nectarines, Peaches and Cherries normal useless. Am quite ruthless with thinning for better fruit and in the hope it will reduce the bi-annual effect (it does seem to). However was not brutal enough thinning the pears this year
I have found the odd apples with a hole in, like in previous years. But they are shallow and nothing inside when i have cut the hole open. Hope this is not how coding moths start
Hi Russ – Good to hear your thinning regime is working well. That’s something I need to make more time to do at work, but there always seems to be something else to do in June or July. I suspect the odd shallow hole is more likely to be the result of a bird-peck, or accidental damage caused by the fruit bashing into a protruding spur, something like that. You’ll know the codlin by its frass, in my experience.
Hi Darren —
Would you mind sharing a list of varieties you grafted? I’m quite curious. Thanks!
Hi Dan – As it happens, I’ve already set one of those up, over on the fruit list page 🙂