Gala Apple Tree Facts: Learn All About This Scrumptiously Sweet Apple!

First discovered in New Zealand in the '30s by J.H. Kidd, these apples are among the top available varieties.

These apples are crossed between the Golden Delicious and Kidd’s Orange Red apples. They arrived in the USA only in the '70s but have become hugely popular.

Apples are edible fruits of the apple tree or the Malus Domestica. The trees are cultivated all over the world in small and big orchards, and come in a wide variety of apples.

Gala apples are propagated clonally and have a sweet taste and mild flavor. Growers have been able to grow some of the best apple varieties in tropical climates too.

Have you heard of the Royal Gala apples? Queen Elizabeth II of England visited New Zealand and enjoyed these apples so they were named 'Royal Gala' in her honor.

However, the parents of both Royal Gala apple and Gala are Kidd’s Orange Red and Golden Delicious. Both of these apple varities these tend to be crisp apples when fresh and perfect in the summer months.

Gala Apple Tree Classification

The apple plant is a genus of about 30-35 species of small trees of the family Rosaceae.

• Malus Domestica, or the domesticated apples, have more than 7,500 cultivars or varieties, including the Gala and Royal Gala.
• The Royal Gala apples are just a variety of the Malus Gala, but they have a slightly redder skin than Gala apples and are more popular in New Zealand and the UK. However, you can find this everywhere because it grows easily and starts fruiting early.
• The Gala variety comes from some of the best-known apple varieties in the world. Its easy availability, sweet taste, and mild flavor all make it popular. You can harvest it throughout the year.
• They are sweet but not overly, and the sweet flavor is perfectly balanced with fruitiness. This is what makes it an excellent snack, and its crisp texture is perfect for use in salads, baking, and cooking various dishes. 
• These apples grow in various temperatures and geographical locations, thus making them ubiquitous. As a result, they have taken over as the largest produced variety in many of the countries around the world.

Gala Apple Tree Features

Gala apples are a widely grown variety among other varieties of apples and are easily found in most supermarkets.

• You will usually find medium-sized apples with striped skins. They retain their freshness even after refrigeration.
• These are great for eating fresh and used for cooking and baking. You can also freeze them with good results.
• You will notice the leaves on the branches of the plant in your garden are a deep green when healthy.
• Its blossom is spectacular to look at and attracts a lot of attention with its white and pink colors.
• You will not have any problem when you prune the tree because the tree produces a large number of fruiting spurs.
• In the spring, clean up all fallen leaves, dead plant material, and twigs and allow the trees to grow in a healthy way. Keep an eye out for various pests which can infest the trees.
• Well-drained soil is a must as stagnant waters can attract more pests. The most prominent and damaging ones include aphids, woolly aphids, the fruit tree spider mite, the codling moth, caterpillars, apple scab, powdery mildew, and honey fungus.

Gala Apple Tree Plantation And Colors

All trees are self-incompatible and require cross-pollination for developing well.

• Like every other plant, Gala apple trees also grow well when their needs are met perfectly. Planting and pollination management of these trees is important and must be done with care.
• The trees need full sun for five to six hours and well-drained soil. Remove any weeds and grass around each tree.
• The dwarf plants need to be planted 4-8 ft (1.21-2.4 m) apart and semi-dwarf trees 8-16 ft (2.4-4.8 m) apart. The standard trees should be at least 14-18 ft (4.3-5.4 m) apart.
• Fall and spring work well for plantations, but avoid extreme cold or hot weather and plant the tree in full sun. A healthy plant can even be drought tolerant to some extent.
• The first year of the Gala apples growing as a plant in your garden is important, and you need to water the roots deeply at the time of plantation, whether it is dwarf or not.
• If you have limited space, you can grow them in pots too. Choose the right variety and container and monitor the temperature, fertilization, and watering.
• Gala apples are small to medium-sized and usually red when mature. They may have small sections with yellow-green vertical stripes. The fruit has lighter colors when young, but the stripes are still there.
• These apples are resistant to bruising but may get some marks because of their thin skin. They are aromatic and have a mild flavor. Healthy plants give a bountiful harvest year after year.

Gala Apple Tree Pollinators

Pollination is the process of fertilizing the female flower with male flower pollen.

• The Gala apple trees are self-fruitful, which means one plant can pollinate another. To get the best variety of apples, pollination has to be carried out well.
• The best options for cross-pollination of these fruit trees are Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, and Fuji.
• When using a grafted apple shrub, make sure there is direct sunlight and well-drained soil. Use special wax or tape to seal the graft and remove it once new growth appears.
• Even people with just one plant in their garden can use this technique. Inadequate pollination can make the fruit drop when very short, take time to ripen, and produce a low seed count. Only two or three seeds inside points towards a mediocre quality, while seven to eight seeds are ideal for apples.
• Eating fruit is great way to improve your overall health.