I feel quite positively that you, reader, know what time it is. If you’re not sure of the day, that’s okay. It’s the time that’s important. Some of you are way ahead of me and I hear you mumble, “It’s time for the SF Giants to win more than half their games.”
Or, “It’s time to lose five pounds, wash the car, take out the garbage.” All wrong. It’s time to thin the apples! Yes!
Can’t believe this column has come around again? It has and it must. This year, as opposed to last year, apple trees are lush with leaves which will provide nutrition to the fruit. If you take the time to thin the apples you will have a lovely crop of apples, ones you can be proud of. If you decide to ignore the tree(s) you will most probably ignore the resulting deluge of little green apples which God definitely makes, along with rain in Indianapolis.
Why do trees create this abundance of fruit? Why can’t they be discerning and careful, producing only large, perfectly endowed fruit? The answer: because they don’t care about size and looks. They only want to survive and grow more trees, in this case apple trees. They would be most happy with an apple tree forest.
We consumers of apples, however, are very picky. We like fruit large enough to peel, core and eat. Nobody wants to peel and core an apple no bigger than a plum.
So, on with the fruit thinning. If you still need rules: here they are. Thin each apple cluster to one apple. Either push the extra apples off or snip them with a small scissors. If the apples are close together, like grape clusters, pushing is best. If they are dangling on longer stems, snipping is more efficient.
My friend Bryce Austen taught me that one apple requires seven healthy leaves to nourish it. So, if two apples are dependent upon seven leaves, that is not enough to sustain good development.
Peaches need thinning as well. Spread your thumb as far away from your pinky finger as possible. That distance is the proper space between two peaches. You must imagine the peach in its mature size. If it is touching another peach it will be damaged and also provide hiding for bugs. Peaches need to hang free.
If apple blossom clusters are too close, remove one of the entire clusters.
Often the question arises, is there one apple that should be left more than all the others? If the cluster is suffering from disease or obviously harmed, do look for the healthiest apple. Most often the apple that stays on is the one that didn’t fall off.
Apple wood is very brittle when new and snaps off easily. Try to avoid brushing against new foliage when reaching inside a tree to thin the fruit. This, of course, as always, brings me to the subject of orchard ladders (again).
Do not use a ladder that is not an orchard ladder; a tripod aluminum lightweight creation that will keep you safely in the tree’s space without your falling over.
We all know folks that fell and broke something important, tumbling off a ladder. I know three individuals, all guys. Two ruined shoulders and a third broke his wrist.
Thinning and ladders are related to pruning, which was done during the dormant season, we hope. If a tree owner prunes properly there will be less productive wood to manage. Also, all fruit trees should allow for what is called “ladder entry.”
It is simply space allotted for the orchard ladder to gain entry to the center of the tree. Branches need to be pruned back to allow for the safe positioning of the ladder and the worker on the ladder. Its purpose is many: to reach the limbs to prune, to thin, to harvest.
If you have more than a few trees, it is best to divide thinning into hours. Early morning you can enjoy the east side of the tree with the sun at your back. Late afternoon, move to the west side of the tree and again have the sun at your back, not in your eyes.
The mockingbirds will enjoy your company and you will love the homemade apple pie.
Renee Kiff weeds and writes at her family farm in Alexander Valley.
