Malus domestica ‘Gatis’

• Type: Columnar apple tree
• Latin name: Malus domestica
• Cultivar: Gatis
• Mature height: 2–3 m
• Plant age: 2-year-old sapling
• Variety type: Autumn apple
• Pollination: needs a pollinator – another apple variety
• Pot: 8 L
• Light: sunny
• Winter hardiness: USDA 3–7 (hardy in Estonia)

Planting Plant in spring (late April – May) or autumn (September) in a sunny, sheltered spot in fertile, well-drained soil; dig a 50×50 cm hole, mix in compost and keep the graft union 5–8 cm above the soil. Space plants 60–100 cm apart; for a container use a pot of at least 40–50 L. It needs a pollinator, so plant another apple variety (a regular one will do) nearby.

Watering Water young trees regularly for the first two years – 20–30 L once a week and more often in dry spells. Established trees need water after flowering, during fruit growth and before winter (a deep autumn soak). Mulch around the trunk, keeping mulch away from the bark.

Pruning Never shorten the central leader – it must grow straight up. In spring cut side shoots back to 2–3 buds and in June thin the fruit (leave 1–2 per cluster) so the tree does not tire and bears every year. Remove inward-growing and dead shoots in spring.

Feeding and winter care Feed in spring with nitrogen (compost, organic fertiliser), in June–July with a balanced fertiliser, and in August–September with a potassium-phosphorus fertiliser; do not give nitrogen in autumn. Cultivars are hardy in Estonian conditions; protect the trunk of young trees with whitewash or spruce boughs against hares and frost cracks, and clear fallen leaves to reduce scab.