QuestionHi Tom- I succeeded to make one apple plant in my garden.It had few no of leaves now.My location is west coast of India, normal temp at arround 27-32c and during may-august here it is rainy period.Can u suggest me ,with all hints to grow further.
Prakash
AnswerHi Prakash,
Thanx for your question. I think you're probably going to have a tough time growing an apple tree on the west coast of India but good luck to you in trying. Although the apple (Malus sp.) grows well in warm weather, it has a cold period requirement. It will require a certain amount of hours exposed to temperatures at 4.4C or cooler in order to produce fruit and in order to grow healthily. Apple trees are deciduous which means they lose their leaves in the fall and go dormant (quit actively growing) during the winter. The dormancy is like a resting period where the tree rests and prepares for next year's growth, blooming and fruit production. You may succeed in growing the tree but I doubt that it will ever produce fruit. Basically, I think your climate provides sufficient amounts of rain. You should probably side dress the tree around its roots with composted cow manure or or other kinds of "green" compost, grass clippings, decomposing leaves, etc. This will help nourish the tree or you may want to purchase commerical fertilizer spikes that are rated for fruit trees. Good luck and I hope this helps.
The link below is added information you might find helpful from North Carolina State University.
Tom
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-8301.html