Gala apple tree with few fruit.

Last year I bought a dwarf gala apple tree from a local nursery from Northern Virginia where I live.Last year we had only like five apples that they all fell before to ripe. This year we had about twenty apple, but they were all very little in about the size of a very small prune.

Do these kind of tree need pollinate? If I am on need to buy another gala tree. Can I buy any kind of gala apple? Unfortunately, I do not know what kind of gala apples tree I have. Please tell me if any kind of gala apple tree will pollinate with my tree.

Thanks

Rosa



This message was edited Aug 18, 2005 2:38 PM

Gala is a specific cultivar like Fuji or Granny Smith. Most apples neeed two different cultivars for pollination. They are also difficult to grow without a spray program. ( insecticide and fungicide). It is not impossible, just difficult.
http://greenwoodnursery.com/page.cfm/5661
This site proclaims Gala as self fertile
http://www.appleart.com/apples.html but I find most cultivars do much better with a companion.
http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/treefrt/homegdn/apples.htm
http://landscaping.about.com/cs/fruittreesbushes/a/apple_trees_2.htm

Hey Farmerdill, thank you for the quick response and all kind of link on information about apples. I still not sure if I need to buy the same kind of gala apple or any other kind of gala apple will be enough for the pollination.

It seems that you are expert in the matter. Please give me a hint.
Thank You.

Rosa

Gala is one cultivar, If you go the pollination route, you need to go to a second cultivar. Fuji, Red Delicious, McIntosh, Granny Smith etc. A kind that you like and can obtain easily. Just to the west of you, Winchester area, there are many orchards, you just might want to visit one to pick up a few ideas in late September, early october.

Rosa,
My DD and I also like the Gala. Decided to try other types of apples at the store to find another kind we liked, so could have something to pollinate the Gala with. You might try that idea, just to see.

I haven't liked any other kind before, but we finally found the Pink Lady and like it as much, if not more than the Gala, if that is possible. Located it and asked, yep, will pollinate each other, so we got both the Gala and Pink Lady this spring. Can't wait!! Good Luck!! ~ Suzi ♥

Rosa,
Besides buying a different variety, you need to let your small tree mature. After all, the tree is only one year old. It takes a few years for a tree to mature enough to produce a full crop of fruit. Dwarf trees usually produce fruit sooner than standard sized trees.

You will also need to thin some of the fruit so the remaining ones will grow to a larger size. Apple trees tend to set more fruit than they can fully support so thinning is important.

One last item. Different apple varieties have different chill hour requirements. Find out from your local extension agent how many chill hours you normally get. They also have lists of varieties recommended for your area. Pick an apple variety from that list.

Bettydee:

You seems to know it all. You say that you are in zone 8b. I don't even know in which zone I am. I live in Alexandria, Northern Virginia ten miles from Washington, D.C.

My question is when do I thin out? In spring? About how many fruit I have to sacrifice?

I am new in all this. Thank you

From what I could find, you live in between Zone 6b and Zone 7a.

Fruit is set in clusters. Thin fruit off your apple tree when the fruit is about the size of a dime and enough to leave one fruit per cluster and between 4 to 6 inches apart. The fruit left will be of higher quality. Thinning also assures that the tree will be able to support the fruit left without gettings stressed. A healthy tree has a better chance of fighting off insects and diseases.

I'm enclosing the website for your local cooperative extension office. Your agent will have information of chill hours, best fruit trees for your area, help in identifying diseases of trees and tons of other help. They have brochures galore on all sorts of topics. Visit or call them. Their help is invaluable.
http://offices.ext.vt.edu/view.cfm?webname=alexandria

Wao! Thanks Betty Dee for the instructions about thining. More clear cannot be, and special thank you for the local hyperlink. I work three miles of that place and I did not.

I can't wait for next year. I will let you know of my success and I will owed to you.

Love
Rosa