{
  "schema_version": 1,
  "record_type": "plant",
  "slug": "apple",
  "botanical_name": "Malus domestica",
  "categories": [
    "tree fruit",
    "perennial crop",
    "container crop"
  ],
  "common_name": "Apple",
  "difficulty": "Moderate",
  "family": "Rosaceae",
  "growth_habits": [
    "deciduous tree",
    "grafted",
    "bush or trained form"
  ],
  "lifecycle": "Woody perennial",
  "requirements": {
    "container": {
      "minimum_diameter_cm": 45,
      "minimum_volume_litres": 40,
      "plants_per_container": 1
    },
    "harvest": {
      "typical_uk_months": [
        "August",
        "November"
      ]
    },
    "light": {
      "minimum_direct_sun_hours": 8,
      "preferred_direct_sun_hours": 8
    },
    "planting_out": {
      "frost_tolerant": true,
      "label": "Plant dormant tree",
      "minimum_reliable_temperature_c": 0,
      "note": "Use workable, unfrozen soil; this is not a hardiness limit. Blossom is frost-sensitive"
    },
    "soil_ph": {
      "maximum": 7,
      "minimum": 6
    },
    "spacing": {
      "maximum_cm": 360,
      "minimum_cm": 240
    }
  },
  "summary": "Apples are deciduous fruit trees that need a sunny, well-drained site, a suitable rootstock and compatible pollination. Plan their mature size before planting.",
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "rhs-growing-apples",
      "publisher": "Royal Horticultural Society",
      "url": "https://www.rhs.org.uk/fruit/apples/grow-your-own",
      "supports": [
        "planting",
        "containers",
        "harvest",
        "botanical_name"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rhs-apple-rootstocks",
      "publisher": "Royal Horticultural Society",
      "url": "https://www.rhs.org.uk/fruit/fruit-trees/rootstocks",
      "supports": [
        "spacing",
        "support",
        "rootstocks"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rhs-fruit-pollination",
      "publisher": "Royal Horticultural Society",
      "url": "https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/beginners-guide/fruit-basics/fruit-pollination",
      "supports": [
        "pollination"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rhs-winter-pruning",
      "publisher": "Royal Horticultural Society",
      "url": "https://www.rhs.org.uk/fruit/apples/winter-pruning",
      "supports": [
        "pruning"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rhs-container-fruit",
      "publisher": "Royal Horticultural Society",
      "url": "https://www.rhs.org.uk/fruit/fruit-trees/containers",
      "supports": [
        "containers",
        "water",
        "feeding"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "umn-growing-apples",
      "publisher": "University of Minnesota Extension",
      "url": "https://extension.umn.edu/garden-and-home/yard-and-garden/gardening-in-minnesota/growing-apples",
      "supports": [
        "light",
        "soil_ph",
        "planting"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "isu-growing-apples",
      "publisher": "Iowa State University Extension",
      "url": "https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/how-to/growing-apples-home-garden",
      "supports": [
        "feeding",
        "water",
        "thinning",
        "propagation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "isu-apple-problems",
      "publisher": "Iowa State University Extension",
      "url": "https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/how-to/diseases-pests-and-disorders-apple-trees-home-gardens",
      "supports": [
        "problems"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "isu-apple-storage",
      "publisher": "Iowa State University Extension",
      "url": "https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/how-to/how-harvest-and-store-apples",
      "supports": [
        "harvest",
        "storage"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "uga-chill-hours",
      "publisher": "University of Georgia Extension",
      "url": "https://site.extension.uga.edu/townsandunionag/2022/12/chill-hours-2/",
      "supports": [
        "climate",
        "chilling"
      ]
    }
  ]
}