This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ask the Expert: Can an apple tree grow in a yard by itself?

The fact that apples grown from seedling trees are extremely tart and basically inedible — as opposed to cloned or grafted ...

No apple tree grown from seed will ever be the same ... the area around the site where the eggs are laid. The flesh stops growing, resulting in a sunken, misshapen, dimpled area.

If left to their own devices, most apple trees grow into large, globe-shaped trees, with the best fruit forming on the tree’s outer perimeter, high above convenient apple-picking height.

Create a strong branch structure to hold the growing fruit Create fruiting wood where you want to pick the fruit Allow light ...

The term espalier refers to the way fruit trees are trained to grow against a wall. It makes the tree easier to prune and the fruit easier to pick. This decorative method was often used ...

In Fielding Questions, readers also asked about specific apple tree sprays and commiserated about fake hosta seeds.