Harvest time varies with individual tastes and locality. One may consider a fruit ripe, while another individual believes it is immature. However, fruit picked too soon does not store well and does not develop full flavor. Probably the most reliable index is the number of days after bloom: Red Delicious takes 135 to 155 days from full bloom to harvest, whereas Granny Smith takes 170 to 180 days from full bloom to harvest. Other factors to consider include seed maturity; …
I bought some Whitney crab apples for pickling. I ate one prior, and it was fine. After I did the pickling, I cut a few open and there was a brown ring around the core of the seeds. Do you know what might have caused this?
The brown flesh around the core may have been caused by a fungus such as Alternaria sp.that entered through the calyx early in the fruit’s development. The condition, called moldy core, often cannot be detected until the fruit is harvested and cut. Here is a note about moldy core from the University of Massachusetts Apple Team:
“Moldy Core: This disease causes a rot with visible fungal growth in the seed cavity and core of some apple cultivars, particularly Delicious …
What is the method to get apple trees to set fruit?
All varieties of apple trees require some cross-pollination for fruit set. Even though some varieties are listed as self-fruitful, they will set fruit more heavily and more regularly if they are cross-pollinated. For solid block plantings, select varieties such as spur-type ‘Winter Banana’, spur-type ‘Golden Delicious’, or flowering crabapples such as ‘Manchurian’ and ‘Snodrift’ for pollinizers. Place honeybees in apple orchards when the first blossoms open. For more information on managing fruit trees, see this article on Pollination of Tree …
What are some suggestions for growing apples successfully in Colorado?
Reliable varieties for this area are ‘Cox Orange’, ‘Red Delicious’, ‘Golden Delicious’, ‘McIntosh’, ‘Jonathan’, ‘Fameuse’, ‘Northwest Greening’, ‘Joyce’, ‘Wealthy’, ‘Lodi’, and ‘Haralson’. Select two different varieties for cross pollination and good fruit production. In most cases, planting semi-dwarf varieties rather than standard size trees will allow enough room for at least two different varieties in the landscape. For additional hints for growing apples successfully, see the Colorado PlantTalk script on Apples.…