Apple (Seb) Farming in India: Orchard Schedule, Fertilizer & SOP

By Sameer Allawadi – Technical Director, Utkarsh Agrochem Pvt. Ltd. · Updated November 2026

For apple growers in Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh and other hill states, and for growers trying low-chill apples in warmer areas. Covers traditional seedling orchards and high-density orchards on clonal rootstocks. Quantities are per tree or per acre as written. Products in bold are available from Utkarsh Agrochem.

Quick answer

Also known as: seb; सेब (Hindi), સફરજન (Gujarati), सफरचंद (Marathi), ఆపిల్ (Telugu), ஆப்பிள் (Tamil), ಸೇಬು (Kannada), আপেল (Bengali), ਸੇਬ (Punjabi).

This guide is for: apple growers in Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh and other hill areas, from traditional orchards to new high-density plantations.

Get the inputs: every Utkarsh product name in this guide links to its page on utkarshagro.com, where you can order online with delivery across India. More free schedules: Utkarsh crop schedules. Customer care: 75678 33044. Product information and offline orders: 88665 43678 or 90162 08648.

Before you start: is apple right for your land?

Apple is a 25–40 year investment. Indian orchards average about 8–10 t per hectare (3–4 t per acre), while well-managed high-density orchards in Himachal and Kashmir give 12–20 t per acre, so most of the gap is management, not climate. Erratic snowfall, dry springs, hail and premature leaf fall have made irrigation, nutrition and a fixed spray calendar essential. Check your land, water, money and market against these tables. If two or more rows fall in the "Not suitable" column, fix those first or choose another crop.

Land, climate and water

Money, labour and market

Planting distance and tree numbers

Water needed by tree size (drip, per tree per day)

The critical periods are bloom to fruit set and the 6–8 weeks of fast fruit growth (June–July); water stress then causes June drop and small fruits. Without drip, give basin irrigation every 7–10 days in dry weather and use a 10–15 cm mulch of grass, leaves or black film.

Utkarsh products used in this guide

Click a product name to see its details, pack sizes and price.

1. Quick yearly calendar — one page (mature orchard)

Months are for mid-hills of Himachal Pradesh and the Kashmir valley (1,500–2,200 m). At higher altitudes each stage comes 2–4 weeks later; at lower altitudes 2–3 weeks earlier. Follow the tree's stage, not only the date. Spray details are in Sections 5–7.

Always:

• Never spray insecticides during bloom; bees are essential for fruit set.

• Follow a fixed scab and leaf blotch spray programme in wet springs and monsoons; missing one spray in wet weather can cost the whole crop.

• Give Calcium Nitrate on its own day in drip, alone or with Magnesium Nitrate only.

• Add Sil-Spread to every spray; rotate fungicide groups; never mix two insecticides in one tank.

• Thin the fruit every year to get large apples and avoid alternate bearing.

2. Varieties, rootstocks, pollinizers and regional challenges

2.1 Varieties

Apple flowers need pollen from another variety. Without pollinizers and bees, fruit set and size fall sharply.

2.2 Rootstocks

Buy only certified, virus-free plants from registered nurseries; most imported-variety failures start with poor or virus-infected plants.

2.3 Region-wise challenges

3. Manure and fertilizer

3.1 Traditional orchards without drip (grams per tree per year)

When and how:

• December–January: FYM, DAP, MOP and Combi Soil in a ring from 30 cm away from the trunk to just beyond the canopy edge; mix lightly into the top 10–15 cm of soil.

• February: add Microbes 50–100 g and the Nematode and Fungus Control Kit (25–50 g of each product) per mature tree, mixed with the FYM. In orchards with root borer or white grubs, add the Grub and Termite Control Kit (25–50 g of each product per tree).

• Urea in two halves: the first 2–3 weeks before bloom (March), the second 3 weeks after fruit set (May). In rainfed orchards apply only when the soil is moist.

• Reduce urea by a quarter on very vigorous trees or where fruit colour is poor; too much nitrogen gives large, green, soft fruit with more bitter pit and storage rot.

3.2 High-density orchards with drip (per acre, about 1,200 trees, from year 4)

A dwarf tree needs much less fertilizer than a seedling tree: about 30 kg N, 16 kg P₂O₅ and 40 kg K₂O per acre per year (25–35 g N per tree). Year 1 trees get one quarter of these doses, year 2 half, and year 3 three quarters.

December–January: FYM 5–8 kg per tree + SSP 50 kg + MOP 15 kg per acre, with Microbes and the Nematode and Fungus Control Kit.

Run plain water for 15 minutes before and after fertilizer.

3.3 Calcium and micronutrient sprays (all orchards)

Beshape (boron 20%): spray 1 g/L at pink bud and petal fall — apple is very sensitive to boron shortage (cork spots, poor set). Black Pearl (liquid humic acid 12% + fulvic acid 3%): 2 L/acre as a basin drench or through drip after the first spring fertilizer dose. Release: 2 L/acre with the fertilizer doses through drip. Trichoherz-P (Trichoderma harzianum): use along with Trichoz-P, 5 g/L each, in basin drenches against collar rot and root rot. ZinGap (zinc EDTA) and Mandate (manganese EDTA): for rosette, small leaves (zinc) or pale leaves between green veins (manganese), spray ZinGap 1 g/L + Mandate 1 g/L at petal fall and again in June (they can be mixed), or give 1–2 kg of each per acre through drip in April. Use Combi-2 when several micronutrients are short together. F Plus used at bud break is an amino acid biostimulant (25–30% amino acids) that supports even bud break and flowering.

4. Planting, training, pruning, pollination and thinning

4.1 Planting

• Time: January–February (dormant plants), after the coldest spell; in snow-bound areas, March.

• Pits: 1 × 1 × 1 m for seedling rootstock; 60 × 60 × 60 cm or trench planting for clonal rootstocks. Dig 1 month ahead and let them weather. Fill with topsoil + 20–25 kg rotted FYM + Microbes 50 g + the Nematode and Fungus Control Kit (25 g of each product) + Neem Cake 500 g; add the Grub and Termite Control Kit where white grubs or root borer are known.

• Plant with the bud union 5–10 cm above the soil (much higher for M9 on wet sites); never bury the graft joint, or the variety roots itself and loses dwarfing.

• Dip the roots for 15–20 minutes in Sudoz-P 5 g/L + Trichoz-P 5 g/L + Roots Multiplier 2 ml/L (organic), or Carbendazim 50% WP 1 g/L (chemical), before planting.

• Water immediately; stake every tree; mulch the basin.

• Old orchard land (replant problem): remove all old roots, plough deep, grow a break crop such as marigold, mustard or legumes for 1–2 seasons, add plenty of FYM with the bio-kits, and do not reuse old pits.

• High-density: install the trellis (3–4 wires up to 3 m) and drip before or at planting.

4.2 Training and pruning

• Winter pruning (December–February): remove dead, diseased, crossing and inward branches; thin crowded spurs; keep the centre open to light. Paint large cuts with copper oxychloride paste (copper oxychloride 300 g in 1 L of linseed oil or as a thick water paste).

• Summer pruning (July): remove water shoots and suckers to improve fruit colour.

• Spread young branches to 60–70° with spreaders or weights; flat branches bear earlier.

• Burn or remove all pruned wood with cankers from the orchard.

4.3 Pollination

• 1 pollinizer tree for every 4–6 main trees, or a flowering crab apple every 6–8 trees; or graft pollinizer branches onto existing trees.

• 2–3 honeybee colonies per acre at 10–15% bloom; remove them before any insecticide spray after petal fall.

• No insecticide sprays from pink bud to petal fall.

4.4 Fruit thinning

Apple trees set far more fruit than they can size. Heavy crops give small fruit and lead to alternate bearing (a heavy year, then a light one).

• Hand thinning within 3–4 weeks after petal fall (before June drop): keep one fruit (the king fruit, the largest, central one) per cluster, and fruits 15–20 cm apart along branches.

• Aim for about 30–40 leaves per fruit on standard trees.

• Remove damaged, small and misshapen fruits first.

5. Spray schedule by growth stage

All doses are per litre of water. Add Sil-Spread 0.25 ml/L to every spray (except oil sprays).

Spray volume by tree size:

The nutrition column is the same for both routes. For pest and disease control choose either the organic route or the chemical route at each spray.

Note on your choice: in dry springs and in orchards with little scab or leaf blotch, the organic route keeps disease low when sprayed on time. In wet springs and rainy summers, scab and premature leaf fall can defoliate an orchard in weeks; then follow the chemical route at the key stages (green tip, pink bud, petal fall, and every 15–20 days in the monsoon) and use bio-products between them. Keep 5–7 days between a chemical spray and a bio-product. Never spray insecticides during bloom. Never use the same fungicide group more than 2–3 times a season. Follow the advisories of your state horticulture department and university each year.

In a wet monsoon, the leaf blotch sprays go every 15 days from June to August. Calcium sprays (Section 3.3) go between these sprays, not mixed with sulphate or phosphate products.

6. Scab and premature leaf fall

6.1 Apple scab

Scab (Venturia inaequalis) caused heavy losses in Kashmir and Himachal in the past and returns in every wet spring. The fungus survives the winter in fallen leaves and releases spores with every spring rain from green tip to early summer.

Signs: olive-green, velvety spots on leaves that turn dark brown; dark, scabby, cracked spots on fruits; badly affected fruits are misshapen and drop.

Prevention:

• In October–November, spray urea 5% on leaves before leaf fall, then collect and bury or burn fallen leaves (or shred them and spread urea 5% on them on the ground). This alone sharply cuts spring spores.

• Prune for an open canopy so leaves dry quickly.

• Keep the spray calendar of Section 5 at green tip, pink bud, petal fall and fruit set, especially before forecast rain.

If scab appears: spray within 48 hours of rain with Difenoconazole 25% EC 0.3 ml/L, Hexaconazole 5% EC 0.5 ml/L or Tebuconazole 50% + Trifloxystrobin 25% WG 0.4 g/L (chemical); follow with Fungus Control Kit, 5 g/L of each + MildewNIL 0.5 ml/L (organic) between chemical sprays.

6.2 Premature leaf fall: Marssonina and Alternaria leaf blotch

Since about 2013, premature leaf fall has become one of the most damaging problems in Himachal and Kashmir. Trees lose most of their leaves by August, fruits stay small and poorly coloured, and next year's buds are weak.

Prevention: fallen-leaf sanitation and urea 5% as for scab; open canopy; balanced feeding (enough potash, calcium and magnesium); mite control (mite-stressed leaves are more affected).

Spray programme (June–August, every 15–20 days; every 15 days in wet years):

Do not use the same strobilurin or triazole group back-to-back.

7. Other pests and diseases

Choose either the organic route or the chemical route. Doses are per litre of water unless written otherwise. Never spray insecticides during bloom. Keep 5–7 days between a chemical and a bio-product.

7.1 Insects and mites

7.2 Diseases

8. Fruit disorders, fruit drop, frost and hail

Frost and hail

• Frost at bloom (below –2 °C kills open flowers): avoid planting in frost pockets; irrigate the orchard the day before a frost night (moist soil holds heat); in small orchards, light smudge fires or burn wet straw at the cold end of the orchard after midnight; overhead sprinklers running all night protect flowers.

• Hail: anti-hail nets over the orchard (with subsidy) are the only reliable protection; open them after petal fall and fold them after harvest. After a hailstorm, spray Sudoz-P 5 g/L + Stress Free 2 ml/L (organic) or Captan 50% WP 3 g/L (chemical) within 24–48 hours to prevent infection of wounds.

9. Step-by-step orchard SOP

Stage A — New orchard planning (1 year before)

1. Test soil and water; check altitude, chilling and frost pockets (Before you start).

2. Choose the system: traditional (seedling) for rainfed, deep soils and low budgets; high-density (M9, MM106) where you have water, flat or terraced land and money for trellis and nets.

3. Choose varieties and pollinizers for your altitude and market (Section 2); book certified, virus-free plants a year ahead.

4. On old orchard land, remove old roots and grow a break crop first.

Stage B — Planting (January–March)

Follow Section 4.1: pits with FYM and bio-products, root dip, graft union above soil, stake, water, mulch.

Stage C — Young orchard (years 1–3)

• Train every winter (Section 4.2); remove flowers in year 1 on seedling trees (and in year 1–2 on high-density trees if growth is weak).

• Fertilize by age (Section 3); irrigate in dry spells; keep the basin weed-free and mulched.

• Intercrop with peas, beans, vegetables or green manure, not with tall crops; keep 1 m around trees free.

• Follow the spray schedule (Section 5) for scab, mildew, mites and woolly aphid.

Stage D — Bearing orchard, every year

Field walk every week from bud break: scab spots after rain, mites under leaves, woolly patches, sawdust at the trunk (borer), wilting trees (root borer, collar rot), leaf blotches from late June.

Stage E — Harvest and post-harvest

1. Harvest at the right maturity: ground colour changes from green to yellow-green, seeds turn brown, flesh firmness about 15–18 lb (Delicious), and days from full bloom (Gala about 110–120 days; Delicious about 135–150 days). Early-picked apples store poorly and taste starchy; late-picked ones get water core and drop.

2. Pick by hand with a twist and lift, keeping the stalk on; use padded bags or baskets; never drop or throw fruit.

3. Keep picked fruit in shade and cool it the same day if possible.

4. Grade by size and colour (extra large, large, medium, small, pittu) and remove bruised, scabbed, bored and cracked fruit.

5. Pack in corrugated fibreboard (universal) cartons or trays of 18–20 kg with tray liners; the old wooden boxes bruise fruit.

Storage: at 0–1 °C and 90–95% humidity, Delicious apples keep 4–6 months; in controlled-atmosphere stores up to 8–9 months. Gala keeps less. At room temperature, 2–3 weeks.

Yield (mature orchards): traditional seedling orchards 4–6 t per acre; well-managed semi-dwarf orchards 8–12 t; high-density orchards 12–20 t per acre from year 5–6.

Keep records

Write down for each block: variety and rootstock; dates of bud break, bloom and harvest; every fertilizer and spray (date, product, dose, weather); rainfall, frost and hail days; yield and grade-wise sales.

Crop planning: compatible crops, intercrops and orchard floor

Apple is a perennial, so planning means choosing compatible crops (farmers' "friend crops") for the orchard floor and young orchards, and avoiding incompatible crops ("enemy crops") that share its pests or diseases.

Pheromone traps, lures and other trapping methods

Using traps correctly: hang traps in the upper third of the canopy; replace lures as on the pack; count weekly.

Other non-chemical methods: scrape loose bark and apply Bordeaux paste; remove and burn cankered branches and mummified fruits; collect fallen fruits; trunk bands to trap caterpillars.

10. Cost and profit per acre (mature orchard, per year)

A mature traditional orchard (about 110 trees) costs about ₹1,40,000 per acre per year to run, including boxes. At a yield of 5 tonnes it breaks even at about ₹28 per kg. These are approximate October 2026 figures; check local rates.

Not included: land rent, anti-hail net and drip depreciation, transport and commission.

At 5 tonnes per acre:

High-density orchards: setting up costs about ₹8–12 lakh per acre (plants, trellis, drip; anti-hail net extra), and running costs are about ₹2.5–3 lakh per acre per year. With 12–20 tonnes per acre of better-sized, better-coloured fruit from year 5–6, income at ₹50 per kg is ₹6–10 lakh per acre, so the investment usually pays back in 5–7 years if water, management and market are in place.

Early varieties (Gala) that reach the market in July–August, large well-coloured grades, cold or controlled-atmosphere storage for later sale, and good packing give steadier profit.

Organic manures and growth regulators from Utkarsh

Use these alongside the fertilizer schedule above. They give slow-release phosphorus and potash and build soil organic carbon around the roots.

Growth regulators: Bloom Power and Flower Fix are not labelled for apple, so do not use them on this crop.

Frequently asked questions

Where can apple be grown in India?

Mainly in Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and parts of the North-East at about 1,500–2,700 m, where winters give enough chilling. Low-chill varieties are being tried at lower altitudes, but yields and quality are lower.

When should apple trees be planted?

In the dormant season, January–February, before buds swell; in snowy areas, plant as soon as the soil can be worked.

What is high-density apple farming?

Trees on dwarfing clonal rootstocks (M9, MM106) are planted close together on a trellis with drip. They bear from year 3 and give much higher yields per acre than seedling orchards, but need more investment and care.

How do I control apple scab and premature leaf fall?

Spray before and after rain from green tip onward, rotate fungicide groups as in this guide, collect fallen leaves in autumn, and use Sudoz-P with MildewNIL between chemical sprays.

Why do apples get brown spots inside (bitter pit)?

Bitter pit and cork spot come from calcium and boron shortage, made worse by heavy nitrogen and uneven water. Spray Calcium Nitrate, F-Enhancer and Beshape as in the schedule.

What is the yield of apple per acre?

Traditional seedling orchards give about 3–6 tonnes per acre; well-managed high-density orchards give 12–20 tonnes per acre at full bearing. See Section 10 for costs and returns.

Is there a subsidy for apple orchards and anti-hail nets?

Hill states support high-density planting, drip and anti-hail nets under MIDH and state schemes; ask your district horticulture office.

About this guide

Prepared by Sameer Allawadi, Technical Director, Utkarsh Agrochem Pvt. Ltd., Surat, Gujarat — makers of bio-fertilizers, bio-pesticides, biostimulants and water-soluble fertilizers since 1999. Last reviewed: November 2026. Doses are general guidance for Indian conditions; always read the product label and follow local horticulture department advice.

Topics covered: apple farming in India, seb ki kheti, apple orchard management, high-density apple plantation, apple rootstocks M9 MM106, apple fertilizer schedule, apple spray schedule, apple scab control, bitter pit in apple, apple pests and diseases, apple yield per acre.

Utkarsh Agrochem Pvt. Ltd. 177–179, Golden Plaza, Behind Kamrej Police Station, NH No. 48, Taluka Kamrej, District Surat – 394185 · Customer care: 75678 33044 · Product information and offline orders: 88665 43678, 90162 08648 · www.utkarshagro.com

This schedule follows the recommendations of Dr. Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry (Nauni, Solan), Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, ICAR-Central Institute of Temperate Horticulture (Srinagar), and the horticulture departments of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttarakhand, together with the experience of progressive apple growers and Utkarsh field experience. Use only pesticides registered for apple and follow the label and the current state spray schedule. Results depend on variety, rootstock, altitude, season and care.

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