Thinning Out Apples Learn How And When To Thin Apple Trees

Thinning an apple tree can take place throughout the summer but, ideally, you should thin in the late spring. The tree will naturally thin itself, called the “June drop.” This doesn't always occur in June, however. It depends on your region and the cultivar, but it does happen a few weeks after the fruit sets.

When should you thin out apples?

When to thin fruit

Experienced growers tend to thin in early summer, as this results in the greatest increase in size of those fruits remaining. But for inexperienced gardener, it is best to wait until after the June drop, other than removing malformed fruit.

When should you cut back your apple trees?

An introduction to pruning apple trees

The best time to prune apple trees is in late winter or very early spring before any new growth starts. The tree takes up a dormant state after shedding its leaves and before sprouting new buds. ...
If you are removing a large lateral branch the method is to make 3 cuts to avoid the branch tearing at the trunk as it falls.

How do you reduce the size of an apple tree?

To reduce height, remove tall, upright branches entirely, or cut them back to well-placed strong lateral branches that extend horizontally below the height of 18 feet. A chain saw again is handy because these cuts generally involve removing limbs 6 inches or more in diameter.

How do you thin fruit trees?

Use secateurs/pruners or long, sharp scissors to cut away the fruits. Or with a little practice just tug the fruits away between your thumb and forefinger. Plums: These guys are among the most energetic of all tree fruits, so you'll definitely need to flex the fingers and get thinning.

What causes apples to fall prematurely?

Apples start dropping off the tree before they are ripe or even fully grown. Often the flesh has softened and is less tasty than normal. There are many factors that can trigger early fruit drop: excessive fruit load, excessive summer pruning, insect damage, diseases and extremes in weather.

Why are my apples so small?

Apples and pears are thinned to one or two fruits per cluster, with at least six inches between fruits when the total crop is heavy. If a too-heavy crop is due partly to too much fruiting wood on the tree, some of the thinning can be quickly done with pruning shears, perhaps as a part of an early summer pruning.

What happens if you over prune an apple tree?

Over-pruning (removing more than 25 percent of the canopy in any one year) may result in the production of watershoots (epicormic growth), which are vigorous, tall, upright and leafy branches, producing no flowers or fruit.

What month do you prune fruit trees?

The best time for pruning fruit trees is at planting and in subsequent years, in early spring before buds break and trees are still dormant. Pruning should be undertaken at planting time where you cut the new stem off 24 to 30 inches (61-76 cm.) from the ground and remove any side shoots.

Can you prune apple trees in summer?

When to prune

Summer prune when the bottom third of the new shoots is stiff and woody. Generally, this will be from mid-July for pears and the third week in August for apples and about ten days later in the north. To reduce the possibility of secondary growth it can be left until late August.

Should I cut down my apple tree?

Fruit trees must be pruned every year, usually during the dormant period. ... Apple trees are the most common fruit trees home gardeners choose to grow. Pruning is necessary in order to open up the tree canopy to sunlight and air circulation and promote fruit production and a healthy plant.

How tall should an apple tree be?

An apple tree can be a standard or full-sized tree which grows to 30 feet tall; standard trees can take up to 6 years to bear first fruit. An apple tree can be a dwarf or semi-dwarf tree that grows less than half the size of a standard. A dwarf will grow 6 to 10 feet tall; a semi-dwarf will grow 12 to 20 feet tall.

How do you manage an apple tree?

Remedy

Use a general-purpose, balanced fertiliser and avoid excessive feeding.
Water trees regularly during dry spells and mulch to retain moisture in the soil.
Summer pruning of apple trees reduces the leaf area. However, avoid heavy pruning.

Should I thin the fruit on my apple tree?

So reducing the amount of cores the tree creates means more efficient use of the tree's energies. Because left to themselves apples will be crowded, any disease afflicting one apple will quickly and easily spread to the neighbouring fruits. So thinned apples are not only larger, but healthier as well.

Do plums need to be thinned?

If you want to promote ample fruit set each year, thinning plum trees is imperative. ... The tree will bear larger, sweeter and juicier plums if there are fewer on the tree maturing. Secondly, the enormous weight of too many ripening plums often causes the branches to crack, opening them up to silver leaf disease.

Why are fruit trees thin?

Thinning Fruit on Apple Trees

Leave about 6-8 inches between remaining fruit. On spur-type apple trees, fruit develops on spurs along the inside limbs – bearing fruit from the trunk, outward. These may need to be thinned out to encourage bigger and better fruit from the remaining spurs.

What to do with apples that fall early?

For example, you could use them:

To Make Apple Pectin. These unripe windfall apples are rich in natural pectin. ...
To Make Apple Jams & Jellies. ...
To Make Apple Chutneys. ...
To Make Apple Cider Vinegar (For Non-Culinary Uses) ...
As Supplemental Feed For Livestock.

What months are apples in season?

Depending on the variety, apples are available from late July through early November. Gala, Macoun and McIntosh ones are ready to go in September, so start stocking up now. Gala apples are sweet with a reddish-orange and yellow-striped skin.

What force causes an apple to fall from a tree?

An apple hanging on a tree is acted upon by two basic forces: 1) the downward force exerted by the gravity force and, 2) the upward force exerted by the tree limb. The downward gravity force is also know as "weight".

How do you increase the size of an apple?

Phosphorus increases apple size

Trials show that phosphorus can increase the commercial premium >75mm grade of apples by 24%, through increasing apple size. Thus, it is particularly important to ensure supplies are not limiting in the period 6 weeks post-flowering.

How do you grow bigger apples?

Hot, dry weather in spring can exacerbate it. Although the amount of fruit that falls on its own might be alarming, you often need to do some additional thinning to get the larger fruit you desire. It is ideal to remove all but the largest fruit from each cluster and space the apples 8 to 10 inches apart on the branch.

How do you increase apple fruit production?

Pruning is done with a view to divert the sap flow towards the fruiting branches and to force the plants to bear more fruits or to induce vigorous vegetative growth. During pruning, weak-growing and diseased branches are removed from the tree. Usually the trees are pruned every year in the month of December-January.