October 8, 2025, 3:32 am | Read time: 4 minutes
Once the last apples are harvested and the ladders are put away, it seems the work in the orchard is done. But it’s precisely now that it is determined whether the tree will stay healthy through the winter and bear fruit reliably next year. With three simple care steps in the fall, you can lay the foundation for a good yield in the coming year.
1. Remove Fallen Fruit and Mummified Fruit From the Apple Tree
Fallen apples and shriveled mummified fruit, which hang in the branches like small black balls, are more than just unsightly remnants. They are ideal hiding places for pests such as Monilia, which can survive the winter there and infest the fruit next year. Scab, on the other hand, overwinters in fallen leaves. Therefore, infested leaves should be collected and disposed of. Healthy leaves, however, can remain and serve as a natural mulch layer.
Infested fruits and leaves are usually easy to recognize. Typical signs are brown rot spots with light spore pads forming in concentric rings, a characteristic of Monilia. In the case of apple scab, dark, olive-green to black spots appear on leaves and fruits. Diseased fallen fruit and infested leaves should not be placed on the compost or used as mulch under the tree. Instead, they should be disposed of in the organic waste bin or regular trash.
2. Prune the Apple Tree in the Fall
After the harvest, the crown often appears lighter, tempting you to reach for the shears. However, for the tree, this would be the wrong signal. A vigorous pruning in the fall can lead to unfavorable, stronger new growth the following year and also provides an ideal entry point for fungal diseases such as fruit tree canker through the fresh cuts.
Only the removal of dead or damaged branches is allowed. Everything else is postponed until late winter when the tree is dormant and its structure is clearly visible.
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3. Properly Care for the Apple Tree’s Root Zone After Harvest
The root zone refers to the ground area under the entire crown. Fine roots run just below the surface here, through which the tree absorbs water and nutrients. They benefit from gentle care in the fall.
For this, a thin layer of mature compost is evenly distributed and only lightly worked into the surface. This way, the roots running close to the surface remain undisturbed. Compost improves soil structure and promotes soil life, keeping the tree healthy in the long term. On top of this, a layer of healthy autumn leaves is added. It should be loosely spread and not applied too thickly to decompose evenly. The leaf layer balances temperature fluctuations and protects the soil from erosion. A small circle around the trunk is left free to keep the bark dry.
Protection from Browsing in Winter
Young apple trees are particularly at risk in winter when wild animals such as hares, rabbits, or deer gnaw on the bark. A simple protection made of wire mesh or special trunk protection spirals safeguards the sensitive bark from injury. It’s important to apply the protection loosely and check it regularly to ensure nothing cuts in.