Have you ever considered planting a high density orchard at home? Nearly full production can be achieved within four years, less space will be required, a larger variety of fruit may be planted and the training and pruning is quite simple. Further, the horticultural techniques learned in training these trees are easily applied to controlling the growth of other plants in the landscape. Researchers have developed the Tall Spindle System for apple production that may be of interest to gardeners …
Small and large apples will taste the same. However, smaller apples may be firmer and less juicy than larger apples. Large apples may show more calcium deficiencies such as bitter pit or corking.…
The primary method of controlling apple tree size is by using dwarfing rootstocks. While dwarfing rootstocks are the most common practice for controlling size in fruit trees, there are many other methods or techniques used to control the size and vigor of trees. Any practice increasing the harvest index or proportion of biomass going into fruits rather than wood or leaves will tend to reduce the size (total volume or biomass) and vigor (rate of growth) of trees. These horticultural …
Internal browning is a low-temperature storage disorder of certain apple cultivars which develops in some fruit stored at or just below freezing. A cross section of an apple typically shows affected tissues to be brown and firm and usually radiating out from the core. Occasionally, the browning may be confined only to the core or the core area can be normal and browning is in the outer layers. Firm fruit allows the diagnosis of internal browning from the other internal …
Time of harvest depends on the intended use of the apples. Apples that will be consumed immediately can be left on the tree longer than those intended for cold storage. Generally, fruit can be harvested from the tree over a couple of weeks. Fruit that drops from the tree is usually over ripe. To determine the approximate time of harvest, check a fruit tree nursery catalog or their web site for a list of harvest dates for various cultivars. These …
There are several possibilities why apple trees bloom but fail to set fruit:
Nursery catalogs or their web sites often list apple pollination charts or recommend good apple varieties to use as pollinzers. Varieties listed in these charts have overlapping bloom periods and are effective pollinizers. However, some varieties, such as Winesap, Stayman, Mutsu, and Jonagold, produce sterile pollen and therefore cannot be used to pollinate other apple varieties. …
Apple cork spot is a physiological disorder that can affect apple quality and reduce visual appeal. Cork spot generally appears in the outer portion of the fruit flesh as small green dimples or depressions. This disorder may begin developing in June and continue throughout the initial stages of growth and enlargement. The green spots eventually enlarge to corky, discolored areas 1/4 to 1/2 inch into the flesh of the apple. The corky spots may occur anywhere on the fruit flesh.…
Fruit should be grasped in the palm of the hand and rotated and lifted upward to remove them. The stem should remain attached to the apple. Never grasp the fruit with your finger tips or pull the fruit downward.…
