Gravenstein Apple tree

Owner: Joe

Location: Burnaby, B.C., Canada

Age:	Planted in about 1980
Age of this tree:	47 years
Soil:	silty / clay loam
Climate at this location:	west coast temperate
Pruning:	Has gotten too tall to thin fruit and am gradually removing high limbs. Main pruning in Jan / Feb annually. Pinch tips back in June / July.
Tree form:	Standard
Height:	Taller than 15ft / 4m
Cropping:	Biennial cropping (alternate years)
Growth:	This tree grows easily here
Herbicides:	Un-treated
Pesticides:	Un-treated
Local pests:	caterpillar, some mildew on a few lower branches

Owner's comments

This has been a great tree. It can be extremely productive and has been very healthy with few problems except caterpillars which I hand remove. Crops have been very good since I started keeping mason bees about 8 years ago. Apples are a nice balance of sweetness / tartness. Apples make great pies and apple sauce. Very good eating when fresh. I store apples in the crisper and they last into December although they do gradually lose quality. I have had crops of 400 - 500 lbs. in good years.