My apple tree had so may blossoms on it this year it was solid white. Now it has 500,000. tiny marble size apple where each blossom use to be. 100s of those tiny little apples are falling off every day. I assume the tree can't support all those apples I assume this is natures way of thinning out some of the apples so what is left can grow larger and get ripe.
What do you think?
Last year is the 2nd year the tree made apples.
The year before was the 1st year the tree made 14 bushel of apples.
The tree is 18 years old never made an apple until I followed online instruction how to trim it then a year later it made 14 bushel of apples.
Great to see someone still useing the term ' bushels ' in relation to apple crops.
I still think ' bushels per acre ' and not 'tons per hectare '
The first I can visulise easily the second I find very vague to grasp.
As regards thinning fruit.
Once we had a good crop thinner in Carbaryl...since it is banned now over here we have to resort to either blossom thinning....a risky method with late frosts possable...or hand thinning in June/July.
We prefere to thin to either single fruits or at least doubles per cluster to ensure good size and a better chance of the tree giving a good return bud for the next year.
Overcropping is the quickest way of making a tree bi-annual.
I still think ' bushels per acre ' and not 'tons per hectare '
The first I can visulise easily the second I find very vague to grasp.
As regards thinning fruit.
Once we had a good crop thinner in Carbaryl...since it is banned now over here we have to resort to either blossom thinning....a risky method with late frosts possable...or hand thinning in June/July.
We prefere to thin to either single fruits or at least doubles per cluster to ensure good size and a better chance of the tree giving a good return bud for the next year.
Overcropping is the quickest way of making a tree bi-annual.
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applestar
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Yeah. My Enterprise produced a lot of apples last year, but this year, it bloomed less and has less fruit. Part of the reason, I'm sure, is that I did cut off some flower buds in the late-winter pruning. I'm willing to give the tree a little rest this year (especially since my espalier trees are starting to fruit more this year).
Last year, I didn't thin fruits as much as I probably should have, though I waited until June drop was over, then took out any that were malformed or had bug signs on it. I also picked hard green apples when they were about golf ball size and made apple butter, and started picking racket ball sized blushed apples that tasted like intensely flavored Granny Smith in early September (Enterprise is supposed to ripen mid~late Oct). They were great for making apple pies and apple cakes.
Last year, I didn't thin fruits as much as I probably should have, though I waited until June drop was over, then took out any that were malformed or had bug signs on it. I also picked hard green apples when they were about golf ball size and made apple butter, and started picking racket ball sized blushed apples that tasted like intensely flavored Granny Smith in early September (Enterprise is supposed to ripen mid~late Oct). They were great for making apple pies and apple cakes.
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Pippin Limbertwig
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- Joined: Mon Sep 14, 2009 6:22 pm
- Location: SW Virginia (Appalachia)
In our area late May thinning to one apple every 6 inches - or 1 per spur will help produce a good flower crop next year.
Later thinning, after the natural fruit drop, will still improve fruit size and quality. It takes the energy produced by a minimum of 50 leaves to mature 1 apple.
My favorite method is to let small children play with sticks in the orchard ;0)
Later thinning, after the natural fruit drop, will still improve fruit size and quality. It takes the energy produced by a minimum of 50 leaves to mature 1 apple.
My favorite method is to let small children play with sticks in the orchard ;0)