Apple Bramley 20 | M27 11.5litre (bush)

A compact version of the best known cooking apple. Position: full sun Soil: fertile, well-drained soil Rate of growth: fast-growing Ultimate size on M27 rootstock: 1.8m x 1.8m (6ft x 6ft) Flowering period: April and May Hardiness: fully hardy Pollination Group: this apple belongs to pollination group 3 (flowering late season) A more compact and improved version of the classic ‘Bramley’s Seedling’, ‘Bramley 20’ is perfect for smaller spaces, as it’s slightly less vigorous – but with the benefit of heavier crops of the same top quality cooking apples. A spreading tree that is covered in pure white, cup-shaped flowers in mid- and late spring, followed with a white fleshed fruits that are ready to harvest in mid-October. Garden care: Keep the base of the tree weed free, fertilise at the beginning of each year and water regularly during hot, dry spells. The main prune should be done in the winter as long as it isn’t frosty or freezing. Take out the 3D’s (dead, dying and diseased wood) and create an open shape. Then reduce the leaders back by a third. Aim to create an airy structure without any crisscrossing branches. In August you can do a summer prune by shortening any side shoots (or laterals) which are longer than 20cm back to three leaves. This will allow the sun to ripen the fruit and encourage more fruit buds. Make sure that the growth you’re cutting away feels firm to the touch. Pollination Information: This apple belongs to pollination group 3, so you will need to plant one other different variety of apple to guarantee cross pollination, and a subsequent bumper crop. Ideally this should come from the same pollination group, however it is possible to use one from group 2 or 4 as well.