Scarlet Sentinel Columnar Apple Tree

Here's a modern-day apple tree for you to fall in love with! The manageable Scarlet Sentinel™ Apple (Malus domestica 'Scarlet Sentinel') is a columnar Apple Tree that stays super narrow for supreme space-saving versatility!

Gorgeous clusters of bright white flowers are sweet-smelling and cover this fetching selection in spring. Watch in amazement as full-sized Apples develop all along the entire length of this pole-shaped tree. It's an astounding show!

These full-sized greenish-yellow apples form directly on the trunk of this unique tree. Once the apples develop their characteristic attractive red blush in mid-to-late September, you'll be ready for harvest.

You'll want to use its partner, Golden Sentinel Columnar Apple as a pollination partner.

Space-saving dwarf and columnar, any sized garden can add a few of these beauties! Now you can give your family healthy fruit grown at home, along with an eye-catching lesson in the bounty of our natural world.

How to Use Scarlet Sentinel Columnar Apple In The Landscape

It doesn't get much easier for the savvy backyard gardener. Enjoy homegrown apples for every purpose, whether snacking, cooking, baking cider or keeping. Ripening in mid-September these can be stored until February!

Plant these in containers on the patio or plant them in the ground for use as a vertical accent in a border or island garden bed. Just make sure you can reach them for harvest!

Be a groundbreaker and consider using these on either side of your front door to spark conversation and welcome visitors with unique pair of sentries! Imagine being able to gift your guests with crisp, juicy, tart-sweet apples similar to a McIntosh from your very own tree!

An excellent choice for apple juice and sweet cider, plus they are tart enough for baked desserts. Holding their shape in cooking and desserts great! The white flesh is also perfect for applesauce or apple pies!

Space-saving columnar trees are fantastic focal points for your garden, acting as exclamation points throughout garden beds. Use these in formal rows, alternating with their pollinator partners for a unique and intriguing line along walkways or adding privacy along a side of your patios.

Balcony gardeners, container gardening and even rooftop gardens can grow these compact trees! Any sunny site will allow you to enjoy your own modern orchard!

#ProPlantTips For Care

Apple trees need full sun for the most blooms and best fruit production. Any site receiving 6 plus hours of direct sunlight per day is optimal. Be sure to choose a site with great air circulation. Add Nature Hills Root Booster while planting for a life-long symbiotic relationship with the tiny feeder roots.

Fruit trees also require consistent moisture or best crops. Plant in rich, organic medium and well-drained soil on the slightly acidic side. Add compost to your planting site to add higher organic matter to the soil.

For best results, fertilize your tree regularly with Dr. Earth Fruit Tree Fertilizer or a good organic, slow-release fertilizer. A generous layer of mulch helps retain soil moisture as well as insulate the root system from heat and chill.

Read our Garden Blog and watch the YouTube channel for step-by-step pruning tips and tricks. You'll squeeze every bit of value from your trees by learning how to maintain your columnar apple tree!

They ripen later in the season and often produce a crop the first year after planting. You'll squeeze every bit of value from your trees by learning how to maintain your columnar apple tree!

Order your own columnar variety Scarlet Sentinel Columnar Apple Tree from NatureHills.com today before they’re gone!

Scarlet Sentinel Columnar Apple Tree Frequently Asked Questions

When to Plant Scarlet Sentinel Columnar 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 Scarlet Sentinel Columnar 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 Scarlet Sentinel Columnar 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 Scarlet Sentinel Columnar 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 Scarlet Sentinel Columnar 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 it gets 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 Scarlet Sentinel Columnar 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

Scarlet Sentinel Columnar Apple Tree Pollinating Info

Scarlet Sentinel Columnar is not self-fruiting and needs a pollinating partner. Pair with one of these varieties:

• Golden Sentinel Columnar Apple Tree

Harvest Times for Scarlet Sentinel Columnar Apple Trees

Scarlet Sentinel Columnar’s are typically ready to harvest in September.

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 Scarlet Sentinel Columnar Apple Tree for sale here at NatureHills.com!