Blacktwig Apple Tree

The antique Black Twig Apple Tree (Malus 'Blacktwig') is a hardy old-fashioned with lush green leaves and amazing drifts of fragrant white spring blossoms! With strong branching and plenty of bees and butterflies coming to visit, Black Twig is most well known for its late harvest of unique Apples!

Ripening in October, these medium to large fruits have varying colors, ranging from green to yellow, streaked and flushed with red to burgundy. The yellow flesh is firm and fine-grained with a superior tartness! This makes Black Twig Apples ideal for both fresh eating but also high in tannic acid which adds body to cider and juice. These are excellent keepers and should be stored in the refrigerator for peak flavor.

Also known as the Mammoth Black Twig, this Apple tree is an old Tennessee variety introduced around 1830 as a seedling from an orchard owned by Major Rankin Toole and became Andrew Jackson's favorite Apple! Widely adaptable throughout USDA planting zones 5 to 10, these are mid-sized Apple trees growing 12-18 feet tall and 10-12 feet wide.

Planting and Application:

Typically grown as a tree form, but there is no reason you can't grow the Black Twig as a low-branched or shrubbier form for easier harvest! For a specimen plant, these are gorgeous Edible landscaping trees because of their lush leaves that bring shade and fragrant blooms that make Apple trees wonderful curb appeal, as well as producing late-season snacks!

This semi-dwarf-sized tree fits well into most yards and orchards, and allows you to also include two or more of its pollinator trees as well! Create groupings or hedgerows to increase pollination and yield among all plants, while extending your harvest throughout the summer and fall months! It is a Triploid and produces only sterile pollen, so plant Black Twig along with its pollinator partners.

• Fragrant White Spring Blooms
• Mid-Sized Tree With Green Foliage
• Green/Yellow Fruit Streaked Red & Burgundy
• Ripens In October
• Tart, Firm, Fine-Grained Yellow Flesh
• Great Fresh Eating, Cider, Sauce & Pies
• Edible Landscaping, Shade, Shrub & Tree Form, & Double-Duty Yard Focal Points

#ProPlantTips for Care:

Requiring full sun for the most blooms and best crop, be sure to provide at least 6 hours of direct light per day when choosing a site for your tree. Tolerating any type of fertile soil that is well-drained, these trees don’t mind some acidic conditions. However, they do require consistent moisture availability and supplemental watering during drought. A generous layer of mulch helps retain soil moisture as well as insulate the root system from heat and chill. Prune your Apple tree to open the canopy for sunlight and air circulation to reach the interior. This prevents disease and mildew issues. Read more about Apple tree care and pruning in our Garden Blog.

• Full Sun
• Well-Drained Enriched Soil
• Regular Water
• Prune When Dormant
• 300 Chill Hours

Cider and tart late-season fruit on a smaller compact tree, this is a piece of history you will want to include in your orchard! Order the antique Black Twig Apple Tree from Nature Hills Nursery today!

Apple Tree Frequently Asked Questions

When to Plant Apple Trees

Planting Bareroot trees as soon as you can dig a hole in spring and until hot weather, the earlier the better. Plant container Apple trees throughout the growing season with complete success - that is the benefit of container plants - to extend the planting season. Your County Agricultural Extension Office is a great resource for first and last frost dates in your area.

How to Plant Apple Trees

Dig a large hole only as deep as needed to accommodate the bareroot or container root ball, and twice as wide. Add Nature Hills Root Booster to speed root establishment. Remove the pot or bag and situate it into the hole so the top of the soil (soil line if bareroot), is level with the new location's soil being careful not to plant too deep. Water in again very well and backfill with the same soil you dug up, tamping down gently to ensure there are no air pockets.

Top off with a 3-4 inch thick layer of Arborist mulch. Consider staking your tree to keep its trunk growing straight for the first year to ensure it stands tall against strong winds and drifting snow.

When to Prune Apple Trees

Trim off any broken branches from delivery as soon as you take them out of the box. Prune and trim Apple trees while dormant, in late winter or early spring, before you see new growth.

How to Prune Apple Trees

Dormant prune to:

• Remove any double leaders or narrow crotch angles
• Eliminate any crossing branches
• Thin interior branching and leave the fruiting spurs and strong branches in place opening up the canopy
• Branching at least 24-36 inches above the ground

Prune Apple trees in the summer to:

• Control size and shape by reducing the length of longer new growth on vigorous trees
• Remove water sprouts on the main trunk or older branches in the crown
• Remove suckers at the base of the trunk
• Thin fruit during heavy years on established trees

How to Care for Apple Trees

Growing an Apple tree is easy when proper soil, good drainage, attention to moisture, and regular fertility are maintained. Once you've chosen an Apple tree that works for your climate, in the size you need for your landscape, and its pollinator (if needed), then you've accomplished half the battle!

• Apple trees do best in full sun and well-drained soil
• Water your Apple trees when they get dry - especially during the fruit production stage, and drought periods to keep it stress-free
• Use arborists' wood chips to mulch over the roots of your Apples and have your soil tested to see what your soil may be lacking before adding fertilizers
• Maintenance pruning and shaping

Apple trees will tolerate a wide range of soils, so long as water and nutrients are not limited and the pH level is adequate.

How to Fertilize Apple Trees

For the first year, water alone is most important. It is always best to get a soil test to see what your soil is lacking before adding more fertilizers. Once established, a fertilizer routine may be beneficial. We do offer some excellent slow-release organic options, applied according to the package directions.

Fruit trees need more phosphate and it's possible to apply too much nitrogen which affects the soil's pH. Test soil acidity or alkalinity using a pH Tester.

Fertilize in spring when you first see new growth emerging.

• Don't overdo it
• Phosphates are your friends
• Pay attention to pH in areas with extremely high or low soil pH
• Follow the directions

Black Twig Apple Tree Pollinating Info

Black Twig Apple trees are triploid and need two pollination partners to bear fruit. Best planted in an orchard setting with multiple varieties around to provide pollen.

Harvest Times for Black Twig Apple Trees

Black Twig are typically ready to harvest in October.

Early-Season? Mid-Season? Late-Season? The terminology can be confusing for new Apple tree growers. Weather, climate and your tree determine when it's ripe.

For Apples:

• Early-season is usually June-July
• Mid-season can be August-September
• Late-season can be from late September-November

The growing season consists of spring, summer, and fall, and varies with climate and weather. Areas with longer growing seasons in the warmer hardiness zones can greatly affect the harvest times for each particular Apple variety grown in your area. Learn which growing zone you are in.

What Shipping Options Do You Offer?

NatureHills.com works closely with our growers and nursery professionals to ensure we ship when it is most appropriate for your area. Our goal is to deliver the hardiest plants by avoiding extreme high and low temperatures. Check out our shipping schedule for more information and to learn our wills and won'ts when it comes to shipping plants. Find your Apple Tree for sale here at NatureHills.com!

Rootstocks Explained

Apple trees have been grafted onto different rootstocks since before the mid-1800s. Different rootstocks are used to improve the anchoring of trees, eliminate diseases, and reduce the natural mature size of the tree itself. While there are many different types of rootstock, they are all labeled as being either Dwarf, Semi-Dwarf, or Standard.

The Apple descriptions, including flowering, pollination, and Apple characteristics are the same whether the plant is grown on a standard rootstock or some varying dwarfing rootstock. The overall size can vary by climate and soil but the understock used is ultimately what affects the mature size.

There will be some variation in sizes but as a guide, we are suggesting the overall mature size of these Apple varieties are:

Semi-Dwarf Apples

• Height: 12-18 feet
• Spread: 10 - 15 feet

Standard Apples

• Height 18 - 25 feet
• Spread: 15 - 18 feet

Remember that all fruit tree sizes can easily be altered if needed by simple pruning as the trees grow and develop.