Apple 'Braeburn'

Where to Plant
Choose a warm, sheltered position in full sun where the fruits can enjoy plenty of sunshine as they develop and ripen. 'Braeburn' benefits from a long growing season, so give your tree one of the warmest spots in the garden. Plant in fertile, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil and avoid sites that become waterlogged.

Planting Your Bare-Root Tree
Plant while the tree is dormant, avoiding periods when the ground is frozen or waterlogged. Unpack promptly and soak the roots in a bucket of water for around 30 minutes before planting. Dig a hole wide enough for the roots to spread naturally without bending or crowding them.

Position the tree at the same depth it was previously growing, keeping the graft union above soil level. Spread the roots naturally, backfill with soil, gently firm and water thoroughly. M26 trees benefit from permanent support, so secure your tree to a suitable stake when planting.

Watering & Feeding
Water regularly during the first growing season and during prolonged dry spells. Consistent moisture is particularly important while the apples are developing. Feed in spring with a suitable fruit tree fertiliser and mulch around the base with well-rotted compost or organic matter, keeping the mulch clear of the trunk.

Pruning
Prune free-standing apple trees during the dormant season to maintain a healthy, well-balanced framework. Remove dead, damaged, diseased, crossing or badly positioned branches and remove any shoots growing from below the graft union. Trained forms may also need summer pruning to keep their shape and control new growth.

Do I Need Another Apple Tree?
Not necessarily. 'Braeburn' is self-fertile, so it can produce fruit without another apple tree nearby. However, growing a compatible variety with an overlapping flowering period can improve pollination and help increase your harvest.

Pollination Group 4
'Braeburn' belongs to Pollination Group 4. If you'd like to add a pollination partner, choose a compatible apple that flowers at around the same time.

Spring Blossom
Apple blossom appears in spring before the fruits begin to develop. Bees and other pollinating insects visiting the flowers help with fruit set, making the blossom an important part of the year's crop as well as an attractive spring display.

Developing Fruit
The apples develop through summer and into autumn, gradually taking on their characteristic red flush as they ripen. 'Braeburn' is known for heavy cropping, so if your young tree sets a particularly large number of fruits, thinning them gives the remaining apples more room to develop.

Top Tip:
Give 'Braeburn' plenty of sun and warmth. It needs a longer ripening season than many apples, so a warm, sheltered position will give the fruits the best chance to develop their characteristic flavour.

When to Harvest
'Braeburn' is a late-season apple, generally ready to pick from late October into early November. Exact timing will vary depending on the season and where you garden.

How to Tell When Apples Are Ready
Cup an apple gently in your hand, lift and give it a slight twist. A mature fruit should come away from the branch easily with its stalk attached. If it resists, give it a little longer to ripen.

How to Pick
Handle the apples carefully to avoid bruising, particularly those you plan to store. Pick sound fruits individually rather than pulling or shaking them from the tree.

Storing Your Harvest
'Braeburn' is an excellent storing apple and retains its crisp texture particularly well. Choose sound, unblemished fruits for storage and keep them somewhere cool, dark and well ventilated, checking them regularly and removing any that begin to deteriorate.

Top Tip:
Keep your best undamaged apples for storing and enjoy any bruised or marked fruits first. A good harvest can give you crisp homegrown apples long after picking season has finished.

Fresh from the Fruit Bowl
'Braeburn' is a classic dessert apple with firm, crisp and juicy flesh and a delicious sweet, aromatic flavour. Enjoy the apples just as they are or slice them into salads for plenty of crunch.

In the Kitchen
Their firm texture also makes 'Braeburn' apples useful for baking. Try them in apple cakes, tarts, crumbles and pies, or simply bake them until tender for an easy autumn pudding.

Make the Most of Your Harvest
One of the pleasures of growing 'Braeburn' is that you don't have to eat the whole crop immediately. Store your best apples and bring them into the kitchen as you need them for a supply of homegrown fruit through the colder months.

Top Tip:
If you're storing a large crop, check your apples regularly. Removing any fruit that starts to soften or deteriorate will help protect the rest of your harvest.

Bare-Root Trees
Your tree is supplied bare root while dormant, without a pot or compost around its roots. It will usually arrive with a woody stem and branches but little or no foliage. This is completely normal and fresh growth will begin as the tree comes out of dormancy in spring.

On Arrival
Unpack your tree promptly and don't allow the roots to dry out. If you can't plant immediately, keep the roots moist and the tree somewhere cool and sheltered until you're ready to plant.

Grafted Fruit Trees
Apple 'Braeburn' is grafted, combining the fruiting variety with a rootstock that helps determine how strongly the tree grows. You'll usually be able to see the graft union towards the base of the stem. Keep this above soil level when planting.

M26 Rootstock
'Braeburn' is grafted onto M26 rootstock, a dwarfing apple rootstock well suited to smaller gardens. Its eventual size will depend on growing conditions and how the tree is trained and pruned. Trees on M26 benefit from permanent support.

What to Expect After Planting
Your young tree won't look like a mature fruit tree straight away. During its first few years it will establish its roots and develop its framework of branches, with cropping increasing as the tree matures.