Newly planted Apple tree not going dormant - Ask Extension
Hello,
I planted a honey crisp tree on my newly rebuilt property. It had apples when It got planted, but they shriveled up two or three weeks befor...
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Newly planted Apple tree not going dormant #889280
Asked November 03, 2024, 5:00 PM EST
Hello,
I planted a honey crisp tree on my newly rebuilt property. It had apples when It got planted, but they shriveled up two or three weeks before it was time to pick them. Now it’s early November and it looks to be the only tree with green leaves that aren’t turning yellow or dropping.
Is this tree OK? What should I do?
Boulder County Colorado
Expert Response
Hi Tawnya,
Good question! Our climate can be tough on trees because of the temperature swings in the fall, but I think it's very normal that your apple tree has leaves and it will likely start to drop them following all of this snow we're getting.
One question for you: Is this a newly planted tree? If so, it may be good to wrap the tree for the winter. Most newly planted trees need to be wrapped for the first 1-3 years to protect them from sun scald. More info on that with instructions on how to wrap can be found here: https://cmg.extension.colostate.edu/Gardennotes/653.pdf
Also, one more tidbit going into the winter: in our climate trees, especially young trees, need to be winter watered. Generally it's best to do this when we go a few weeks without snow (so right now your tree is probably fine with the precipitation we've received, but it may benefit from occasional watering in the coming months. Here's a quick video going over winter tree care in our climate:
Hopefully this helps and please let us know if you have any other questions!
Best wishes,
The Colorado Master Gardeners Boulder County Extension
Good question! Our climate can be tough on trees because of the temperature swings in the fall, but I think it's very normal that your apple tree has leaves and it will likely start to drop them following all of this snow we're getting.
One question for you: Is this a newly planted tree? If so, it may be good to wrap the tree for the winter. Most newly planted trees need to be wrapped for the first 1-3 years to protect them from sun scald. More info on that with instructions on how to wrap can be found here: https://cmg.extension.colostate.edu/Gardennotes/653.pdf
Also, one more tidbit going into the winter: in our climate trees, especially young trees, need to be winter watered. Generally it's best to do this when we go a few weeks without snow (so right now your tree is probably fine with the precipitation we've received, but it may benefit from occasional watering in the coming months. Here's a quick video going over winter tree care in our climate:
Hopefully this helps and please let us know if you have any other questions!
Best wishes,
The Colorado Master Gardeners Boulder County Extension
