Brent Wilson · Gardenality Administrator · Zone 8A · 10° to 15° F · Comment About Planting
The Tangy Green Urban Columnar Apple grows to about 8 to 10 feet in height with about a 2 foot spread. The narrow shape and small size of the Urban Columnar Apples makes them a perfect selection for suburbanites, apartment-dwellers and anyone short on space. They can be planted in containers or in the ground. As with other apples Tangy Green prefers growing in full sun and sites that provide well-drained clay, loam, sand or silt soils. Though the Urban Columnar Apples are self-pollinating, keep in mind that fruit production will be heavier with two varieties planted for cross pollination.

To plant a container-grown apple tree in garden soil, dig a hole no deeper than the root ball and two to three times the width of the root ball and fill it with water. If the hole drains within a few hours, you have good drainage. If the water is still standing 12 hours later, improve the drainage in your bed, perhaps by establishing a raised bed or mound.

Turn and break up the soil removed from the planting hole. If the native soil is compacted or heavy clay amend with organic compost or a good soil amendment at a 50/50 ratio. If the soil is loose, add a few double handfuls of good compost to the mix.

Remove your plant from its container and carefully but firmly loosen the root ball. Set the plant into the hole you've prepared, making sure the top of the root ball is slightly above the soil level to allow for settling.

Then pull your backfill soil mixture around the root ball in the hole, tamping as you go to remove air pockets.

Water thoroughly and cover with a one to two-inch layer of mulch

Brent Wilson · Gardenality Administrator · Zone 8A · 10° to 15° F · Comment About Pruning
I recommend cutting or picking off any apples that form on the tree the first growing season. This will help the tree to grow strong roots while it's getting established in your garden.

If suckers (branches) grow from the base of the tree remove these. Columnar apple trees are grafted so any sucker branches that emerge below the graft will be that of the parent plant. Cut these suckers off flush to the trunk. Also prune off any suckers that emerge from just above the graft.

During winter, when the tree is dormant, prune any dead branches off. If you're not sure if a branch is dead, scratch a very small section of the bark with a knife to check. If the wood under the bark is green the branch is alive. Cut any dead branches back to a healthy fork or flush with the trunk if the entire branch is dead.

After removing any dead branches, prune every horizontal branch to about 1 foot from the main trunk. This will create stronger branches that will bear the better bear the weight of fruit in the next season. Also remove smaller, non-bearing branches along the trunk that take up space.

When the fruit starts to form on the branches in spring, it's a good idea to thin out apples to allow remaining fruit the space to grow to normal size. It's best to thin out fruit more at the top of the tree, where branches are younger and smaller.

Brent Wilson · Gardenality Administrator · Zone 8A · 10° to 15° F · Comment About Feeding
I ALWAYS fertilize any fruit bearing plant with an organic fertilizer. I do so in spring when new growth begins to emerge.

Brent Wilson · Gardenality Administrator · Zone 8A · 10° to 15° F · Comment About Problems
The Tangy Green Apple, along with all the other Urban Columnar Apple tress have very good disease resistance. Use neem oil or an organic insect control product listed for use on apple trees if and when insects are present.