The Sunday Mail
An apple a day keeps the doctor away, so goes an old saying – the adage couldn’t be more accurate.
Indeed the apple is a nutritious fruit laden with vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, C, E and K.
It also contains magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc and potassium with a lot of fibre and this fruit has also been proven to have anti-carcinogernic properties through a number of antioxidants found in it.
This temperate delicacy has been grown for many years in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe; however, it is high time we look at the benefits of growing apples as a country.
Apples have the potential to transform the horticulture sector and the economy. Zimbabwe consumes about 40 000 tonnes of apples annually yet only slightly above 6 000 tonnes are grown in the country. The rest are imported from South Africa.
If as a country we manage to grow an additional 20 000 tonnes, the whole economy stands to gain through job creation and reduction of the country’s import bill.
Growing the apple tree is a very feasible project, particularly with the emergence of apple varieties with a reduced need for chilling.
The Israeli cultivars Anna, Michal, Maayan and Elah are able to flower without the need for chemical bud-breaking agents.
These cultivars have extended the traditional geographical range from which apples have been cultivated for years.
Research has proven that it is quite possible to grow apples without the need for chilling and bud-breaking chemicals, which is a great breakthrough for the apple industry in Zimbabwe.
This opportunity needs to be exploited fully for the benefit of the country.
When establishing an apple orchard choose at least two varieties as all apples are self incompatible. This means that blossoms of a single tree cannot pollinate themselves or other trees of the same variety.
This means that there is need to plant two different varieties which must flower at the same time for greater yields.
Choose a site for the apple which is well drained, with full sun and moderate wind speed.
Apple leaves must be able to dry quickly after morning dew to prevent the occurrences of fungal diseases.
Have your soil analysed prior to planting and add the correct fertilisers.
Plant your apples at a spacing of 4-6m between trees and 6m between rows of trees for movement of tractors as they perform various operations.
The new grower must be well versed with all the procedures required in apple production from pruning, watering, spraying, training, thinning and harvesting.
The apple tree is trained or shaped accordingly as it grows, to be able to support fruit production and not collapse.
The central leader system is common, and this is whereby the tree is allowed to have one major upright trunk with branches beginning at 60-90cm above the ground.
When the tree finally produces fruits it is important to thin out some of them so as to get the best quality fruits.
Thinning is done when the fruits are still very small, leaving apples spaced out at 10- 15 cm apart.
The first harvest can be expected in the fifth year.
Apples are ready for harvest from 100 to 200 days of growth depending on the variety. One can monitor the colour changes of the fruit.
Ripe fruits are easier to cut off the tree and if cut, the seeds turn brown when the fruit ripens.
Disease and pest control is a crucial aspect when it comes to apple growing, so select the best varieties for disease and pest resistance.
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