Most apples eaten in Kenya are imported from middle east or South Africa. This is because exotic breeds require a lot of management practices and the fruit is quite delicate. Apples from Kenya are then exported to South Africa for making food dishes like apple pie.
Breeding apples
New apple species obtained from the Aberdares forest take 9 months to mature when planted in a nursery. When mature it weighs a quarter kg per fruit which is heavier than the exotic breed and has a unique taste.
When breeding the new species, indigenous tree species are grafted with exotic ones. They end up growing well in 11 months producing larger sweeter fruits than exotic breeds.
Maximum production
The factors for maximum production of apples are as follows; the distance between apple trees has to be 8.5 feet by 8.5 feet. Manure should be used for planting and it is added twice. Planting holes should be two feet deep and two feet wide.
The manure added helps the apple to bear 20 fruits in 9 months and within 3 year. A single apple tree bears up to 3000 fruits, as it grows you are able to get 7000 fruits.
Life span of apples
The new apple species that is grafted can last for four hundred years if harvested only twice in year. The grafted apple trees at the farm have a life span of fifty years of producing healthy fruits.
