How to Grow 'Dorsett Golden' Apples

Check the soil pH in an area that gets full sunlight at least six months before planting. “Dorsett Golden” trees have a long lifespan, so testing the pH every couple of years helps ensure they can take in enough nutrients to survive. Amend the soil with elemental sulfur or ground limestone to reach a pH between 5.8 and 6.5.

Condition the soil with 2 inches of compost if you have sandy or loamy soil and 4 inches if you have clay soil, just before the threat of frost in autumn. Work the compost in with a shovel or spade fork.

Plant “Dorsett Golden” bare-root trees after conditioning the soil to give them time to establish roots before the growing season. Plant two “Anna” bare-root trees for every “Dorsett Golden” bare-root tree as pollinators. Space each tree 30 to 35 feet apart.

Water “Dorsett Golden” trees during the first year with five to 10 gallons of water every 10 days during periods of normal rainfall and every seven days during dry spells. Focus the watering under the trees’ canopies. Increase the volume of water, but not the frequency, as the trees grow, which, for large mature trees, can be as much as 50 gallons of water. Making sure the soil under the canopy is moist to a depth of several feet ensures the roots have enough water. Water the trees regularly until the first frost, and allow regular rainfall to take care of its watering needs until it flowers.

Mulch the soil under the canopies starting 2 or 3 inches from the trunk and extending out at least 2 feet, using shredded bark, shredded leaves or bark chips. Cultivate the soil shallowly with a hoe, about 1 or 2 inches deep, to keep the area around the trunk free of weeds.

Spread 1 cup soluble, granular 10-10-10 NPK fertilizer under the canopy of the tree in a 3-foot-wide band starting 6 inches from the base, one month after planting, using a drop spreader. Spread another cup of soluble, granular, 10-10-10 NPK fertilizer at the start of the rainy season in a 3-foot-wide band under the canopy starting 6 inches from the trunk.
Increase the amount of soluble, granular, 10-10-10 NPK fertilizer by two cups each year until year six. Also increase the area you cover with fertilizer each year, always starting about 6 inches from the base and extending out to about 1 foot past the dripline.
Fertilize with 4 cups of soluble, granular, 33-0-0 NPK fertilizer – 2 cups after the threat of frost passes in spring and another 2 cups when the rainy season starts – during year six, seven and eight.
Fertilize with 6 cups of soluble, granular, 33-0-0 NPK fertilizer starting in year seven and there after for the life of the tree. Always fertilize twice a year, with half the total amount after the threat of frost passes in spring and the other half at the start of the rainy season. Don’t fertilize during years you heavily prune the tree or when the tree experience excessive growth.

Prune back all branches during the first dormant period after planting except for the strongest vertical-growing branch, to serve as the tree’s central leader, and four of the strongest, wide-angled limbs to serve as the main scaffold.
Prune back all diseased, damaged and dead branches to healthy tissue when you see them with pruning shears or long-handled lopping shears, depending on the tree’s height. Prune off all suckers, whorls, downward-growing branches and shaded interior branches to the branch collars during the dormant period of each year with pruning or lopping shears.
Prune back the weakest of any two or three tangled or crossed branches to the branch collars during dormancy with pruning or lopping shears.

Pull off any malformed or otherwise less-than-desirable fruit after fruit set, and remove fruit as needed so each is spaced 4 inches apart. Gain better-tasting and better overall production by thinning out the fruit during the season.

Clear away any fallen, damaged or diseased fruit from the ground as soon as you see it and throw it away.

Hang one or two red insect spheres coated with adhesive, known as sticky traps, from each tree during the growing season. Red sticky traps attract and trap coddling moths, apple maggots and plum curculio, the three main apple pests. Change out the adhesive, included with the traps, after they traps fill up.

Harvest “Dorsett Golden” apples when they lose their green color and have a predominate golden color with a red blush in some spots. Grasp each apple and twist it from the branch, keeping the stem attached to the fruit.