🍎 Apple Tree
Malus domestica
fruits deciduous fruit tree
☀️ Sun
full sun
💧 Water
moderate; consistent water during fruit set
🗺️ Zones
3–9 (variety-dependent)
🪴 Soil Type
well-drained loam, moderate fertility
🧪 Soil pH
6.0–7.0
📏 Spacing
15-25 ft apart (standard); 8-15 ft (semi-dwarf); 4-8 ft (dwarf); 20-30 ft between rows
📅 Days to Maturity
3-8 years (from planting grafted tree); bears fruit in 2-5 years after planting
🍴 Edible Parts
🍽️ ["Fruit"]
🤝 Companions (10)
Excellent trap crop for aphids; woolly apple aphids prefer nasturtium over apple; climbs trunk as living mulch
Dynamic accumulator — deep roots mine potassium and calcium; chop-and-drop feeds shallow apple roots; 'comfrey ring' classic in permaculture orchards
🤝 Chives / Garlic / Onions
Antifungal properties reduce apple scab; repel aphids, borers, and mites; chives specifically deter apple scab — plant in tree drip line
🤝 Dill / Fennel flower
Attract parasitic wasps (Trichogramma) that parasitize codling moth eggs — a primary apple pest
Orchard floor nitrogen fixer; attracts bees for pollination; outcompetes grass without competing with tree roots
Accumulates phosphorus, potassium, copper; attracts predatory insects including ladybugs and lacewings
Nematode suppression; repels aphids; root exudates discourage soil pests
Attracts pollinators and predatory wasps; accumulates potassium and calcium for fruit quality
🤝 Artemisia (wormwood)
Repels codling moth — plant near trunk but not directly under; strong scent confuses pest navigation
🤝 Daffodil
Rodent deterrent — voles and mice avoid daffodil bulbs; plant in ring around tree at drip line
⚠️ Keep Apart (5)
⚠️ Walnut trees
Juglone toxicity — apples are moderately sensitive; growth stunting and wilting within root zone
⚠️ Grass / Turf (directly under)
Competition for water and nutrients; grass hosts rodents that girdle trunks; creates humid microclimate favoring scab
⚠️ Potatoes
Late blight and early blight shared pathogen reservoir; apples increase potato susceptibility and vice versa
⚠️ Cedar / Juniper trees
Host cedar-apple rust (Gymnosporangium) — requires both hosts to complete life cycle; remove one host within 500 ft radius
⚠️ Rowan / Mountain Ash
Shared pest complexes; fire blight susceptibility in both species
💊 Medicinal Uses
Contains quercetin, catechin, and chlorogenic acid antioxidants concentrated in the peel. Rich in pectin (soluble fiber) that lowers cholesterol and supports gut health. Traditional European and global remedy for digestive health ('an apple a day'), fevers, and as a general tonic. Apple cider vinegar used for blood sugar regulation, weight management, and digestion. Bark used historically as febrifuge and tonic. Seeds contain amygdalin (cyanogenic glycoside) — not used medicinally in quantity.