Apple trees are a beautiful and valuable addition to any landscape or garden, providing beautiful blossoms in spring that fade into brightly colored and often edible fruit in the late summer and fall. These apples grow on trees that vary in size and rate of growth according to variety. Some of these trees may grow too large to fit within smaller lawns, landscapes or gardens while others can quickly find their place in any size yard.
The “Fuji” apple tree (Malus domestica “Fuji”) can grow up to 30 feet, thriving in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 9, as can its close relative, the “Anna” apple tree (Malus domestica “Anna”) which thrives in USDA zones 5 through 9. “Red Delicious” apple trees (Malus x domestica “Red Delicious”) grow as tall as 16 feet with a crown that reaches up to 14 feet wide in USDA hardiness zones 4 through 9. Non-edible apple trees, such as the “Centurion” crabapple (Malus x “Centzan”), grows in USDA zones 4 through 8 to approximately 25 feet tall and produces bright red blossoms followed by tiny, dark red fruit in the fall. The “Granny Smith” apple tree (Malus x domestica “Granny Smith”) reaches between 15 and 20 feet tall, growing in USDA zones 5 through 8.
Several factors can affect the growth of an apple tree, causing it to stop short of its potential height. Too much or too little of chemical elements such as nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus in the fertilizer can prevent the tree from growing up fully. An apple tree that lacks these nutrients may also fail to provide fruit. A lack of sunlight can also stunt the growth of apple trees. Keeping apple trees properly fertilized, watered and sunned for at least 6 to 8 hours per day will give them the chance to reach their full height.
Whether an apple tree is spur-type or not figures largely into the growth rate of the tree. Spurs are small shoots that produce leaf, flower and fruit. Spur-type apple trees focus their growing energy on producing more of these spurs rather than creating additional growth shoots and wood for the tree. Because of this, the growth rate of spur-type apple trees such as spur-type “Red Delicious” apple trees is moderate, between 6 to 10 inches per year. A non-spur apple tree, such as the non-spur “Granny Smith” apple tree can grow quickly, reaching up between 6 and 18 inches per year.
Fertilizer misapplication and a lack of water or sunlight can also slow down the growth rate of apple trees, since they do not get enough energy to grow at their normal rate. Also, infections such as black rot, powdery mildew and fire blight can cause apple trees to divert the energy they need to grow toward fighting off diseases and fungus. Spraying apple trees with fungicide can prevent infection and keep your apple trees healthy.
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