Cordon apple tree 'Redcats' - help!

Paul165

HI all

I've bought this cordon apple tree on a bit of a whim and, as a complete newcomer to gardening, have no clue what to do with it.

The full name is Malus Domestica 'Redcats'.

Guidance suggests I need a 'pollinator' - in laymen's terms, what do I need to do?

Also, I was hoping to grow in a pot and leave on the patio in sunny position.  Do I need to pot it with extra compost?  I've literally never potted a plant before!

Any help much appreciated!

Paul165

BobTheGardener

I would recommend a pot of about 50cm diameter.  You will need about 50 litres of compost to fill one that size - look for a compost which says 'John Innes #3' on the bag. This is a type of compost mixed specially for permanent plantings.  Put a few stones or gravel in the bottom to cover the drainage holes and fill the new pot with the JI#3 leaving about 5cm to the top (to leave enough room for watering.)  When you take the tree out of the small pot it came in, remove that green shoot you can see near the soil as that is a sucker coming up from the rootstock and will take over if left on - pull it away from the roots rather than cut it off if you can (less likely to re-sprout more suckers in the future that way.)  Plant the tree in its new pot so that base of the trunk is at the same level in the soil as it is now.  Give it a good soak, water regularly for the rest of the summer and you should be good to go.

For a pollination partner, I can't seem to find which flowering group it is in, but supplier advice seems to recommend another in the same 'cats' columnar tree family, such as Greencats or Suncats.  If any neighbours have apple (including crabapple) trees you may get fruit anyway.