Apples are healthy!
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away” may be an adage, but the health benefits of eating them remain the same. It is claimed that apples are a natural medicine for high blood pressure, are high in potassium, may reduce cholesterol because they are high in fiber and pectin – a soluble fiber that reduces cholesterol. Straight off the tree, they are rich in antioxidants, a flavonoid called phlorizin (only found in apples) and boron for healthy bones. Yes, apples are healthy, but they won’t grow unless we take care of the trees they grow on.
Apple trees blossom in April and May in a proliferation of white and pink blossoms. After pollination, apples are ready to pick in September to October, depending on the variety, adding to BC’s fall harvest crops. They are easy to store in your fridge, cold room or outside before frost. It’s hard to imagine a Thanksgiving dinner without apple pies, apple turkey stuffing, and apple juice for the kids.
Common BC Apple Varieties
- Sunrise – Early season bicolor apple
- Ginger Gold – Early season yellow apple
- Gala – Well known worldwide, aromatic and orange
- McIntosh – An established variety in Canada with a large consumer following
- Honeycrisp – Early season, very cold hardy
- Golden Delicious – Very productive green apple delicious in pies and pastries
- Ambrosia – Mid season variety, sweet, crisp and aromatic
- Spartan – Mid season, red, crisp and very juicy (great for juicing)
- Granny Smith – Another well-known cooking variety, green, crisp and juicy
Uses for Apple Wood
You can’t have a tree without wood, and apple trees supply chips valuable to barbecue and meat smoking enthusiasts. When used as fuel, apple wood infuses a mild sweet, fruity flavor. This smoking wood is ideal for smoking salmon (yum!), pork and wild game birds.
Apple Tree Care
After apple trees drop their leaves in the fall, it’s easier to assess for structural pruning because you can see the main branches. Broken, damaged branches caused by energetic apple pickers should be removed. You will want to irrigate dry zones, so your tree is not moisture stressed going into winter dormancy. Now is the time for planting new trees because the soil is warmer than early spring. Young root systems become established before dormancy to get ready for new spring growth when the soil thaws and rising temperatures and sunlight push trees into bud. If you need help planting trees, call us to discuss your new orchard or backyard fruit tree project.
Questions about apple trees?
Call the team at Pine Valley Tree Services and Landscaping. We cover an extensive service area, including Kamloops [and all the surrounding areas within a two-hour driving radius], Vernon, Shuswap, Chilliwack, Hope, Agassiz, Abbotsford, Mission, Aldergrove and the surrounding area. Our team includes certified arborists and utility arborists so we can serve you better.
Call Us
The trees on your property may not be in the Guinness World Records, but we know they’re famous to you. Regular tree pruning, soil testing and root fertilization are just part of our plan for keeping your trees healthy and we invite you to call us for a consultation.
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