I have a son who is a doctor. I was talking with him the other night and told him we had been working a lot in the yard and had planted two apple trees. He said his lawn was about nonexistant right now. I told him he could plant an apple tree. He said he couldn't do that. I asked him why not. He said if he did it might grow apples. I asked what was wrong with that. He said, "Well you know what they say about apples." I had to sit and think what they said about apples and then it came to me. "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." I told him then, he should plant a pear tree. He said he couldn't do that either. So, I asked him why. He said he didn't have a partridge. Dooley
Haha dooley I never realised that apples to a doctor are like Kryptonite to Superman Get him to grow a money tree.. oh hold on on second thoughts he may not need one being a doctor and all
Nice joke Forgive me for making it slightly more serious in here. I have an apple tree myself and last year ,and most years, I seem to get LOTS of very small apples. There too small to eat and just rather annoying. I was told to pick some out of the large groups so the ones that were left would grow bigger. Just wanted some advice as to how many to leave on a bunch?? - I usually get bunches of about 4 or 5 to start with. Also, how early should I start picking the apples off these bunches?? Thanks in advance for any help!! MB
On my peach tree, I pick them off as soon as the peaches begin forming. I usually leave one from the bunch but depending on how closely clustered together they are you might be able to leave two.
one? I was guessing/thinking more like two. Most of my apples seem to get eaten by birds and squirrels. Thanks for the advice, think i'll stick to your advice and see how it goes, will be better than a hundred apples too small to eat!
Ah I see Toni beat me to it. I would only leave one or two on each branch as well. Give the tree regular liquid feeds too which should help the apples grow.
Yep Eileen is correct there, on the liquid front. Apples are made up of over 70% water. On the fertiliser front, I would apply a granular fruit specific fertiliser in March. Follow that in April with a 7cm layer of well rotted F.Y.M or compost lightly tickled into the top layer of soil. Do not allow the compost or manure to sit against the trunk of the tree.
Our neighbor has two apple trees on the side of his house that faces ours (right across from our computer window. I can see em right now ) In the fall, when the apples are ripe, I love watching the squirrels carry them away! They look so funny with a huge apple in their little jaws