Low Chill Fuji Apple Tree for Sale - Buying & Growing Guide

Planting and Care

by John Haryasz | Horticulture Writer and Landscape Designer – last update on August 24, 2022

Planting instructions

For the best growth and fruit production, you should plant your low chill Fuji apple tree where there is full sunlight and moist, well-drained soil. Once you find such a location, dig a hole that is as deep as the root ball is tall and about twice as wide as the root ball. Use a hand rake or a garden knife to loosen the sides of the root ball before placing it into the planting hole. Backfill with nutrient-rich soil and cover the planting area with a layer of organic mulch.

Watering and nutrients

After planting a low chill Fuji apple tree, you should water it as much as needed to maintain consistent soil moisture to encourage root establishment. Once your tree has adapted to its growing location, you should continue watering it regularly at about a once- per- week interval. Increase your watering during warmer months, droughts, and periods of fruit development. When your tree is young, you can feed it three times during spring and early summer. At maturity, you can reduce your fertilization rate to once per year in spring.

Pollination

The low chill Fuji apple tree is not a self-fertile plant, which means that you will need to obtain and plant a companion plant nearby to aid pollination. Fortunately, there are numerous apple tree varieties that can play this role, including McIntosh, Granny Smith, Pink Lady, and Red Delicious apple trees. After planting the low chill Fuji apple tree and a pollinating partner, the flowers of these trees will attract pollinator insect species to transfer pollen from one tree to the other.

Pruning

The best time to prune a low chill Fuji apple tree is during this plant’s dormant phase in the winter or early spring. As is true when pruning many other fruit trees, you should use your pruning cuts to encourage your low chill Fuji apple tree to develop horizontal branches, which are stronger and better capable of holding heavy fruits. You can also use your pruning efforts to remove any broken, dead, or diseased parts of this tree.

Pests, diseases, and animals

While the low chill Fuji apple tree is incredibly convenient for its adaptability to warm climates, it is also a plant that can encounter a significant variety of pest and disease issues. For instance, many insects commonly cause harm to apple trees, including apple maggots, flathead apple tree borers, Japanese beetles, leafhoppers, aphids, and many more. The same is true regarding diseases. The low chill Fuji apple tree is vulnerable to powdery mildew, cedar apple rust, and several types of rot.

Harvesting

Compared to many other apple tree varieties, the low chill Fuji apple tree tends to bear its fruit quite late in the season. Often, this means a harvest time in October, but you may find yourself picking apples from this tree into November and early December as well. A ripe Fuji apple has a medium to large size and should be mostly red. Typically, removing these fruits is as easy as using your hands to pluck the stem from its branch.

Achieving maximum results

Cedar apple rust is among the most common disease specific to apple trees, but it is also one that you can avoid somewhat easily. This disease occurs when an apple tree grows near a juniper tree. In such a scenario, the juniper tree will transfer a fungus to the apple tree, which can drastically affect the leaves and overall health of the apple tree. As such, if you choose to grow a low chill Fuji apple tree, be sure to avoid growing it anywhere near a juniper tree.

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