How was your apple crop this year?

Tatty Hoaker

I have heard from a few people that their apple trees failed to produce fruit this year.I was wondering how did the rest of the country fair out.

Personally, the biggest problem i had was the majority of my apples were either ate or pecked at by birds.This is the first year this has happened to me on this kind of scale.Maybe it is something to do with the shortage this year of apples in this part of the world.

michael brenock · Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2009 10:17 am Post subject:

my apple crop is the worst ever. I had plenty blossom but very poor set because bees were not active during the flowering time. I had scab very severe and then I had June drop in July. I had four apples and they were blown off two weeks ago in strong winds. The trees are almost without leaves and i think that next years crop will not be great as the tree has built up no reserves.
michael brenock Horticultural advisor (retired)

NoobGardener · Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2009 12:24 pm Post subject:

terrible...I didn't get one single apple. Mad

Maybe I should plant some apple trees first though Laughing

Garlicbreath · Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2009 1:20 pm Post subject:

I've one apple among three trees. Terrible

kindredspirit

NoobGardener

Tatty Hoaker · Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2009 8:54 pm Post subject:

I actually thought about that at one stage.

Does anyone know if hanging a few compact discs from the branches works.

Sean Ph'lib · Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2009 9:53 pm Post subject:

I'm sorry to hear about the poor apple crops - I'm sort of embarrassed to say that I have great crops - all except my Bramley's Seedling, which has only a couple of dozen apples on it. I'm picking my Katja tree now and, so far, I've sold 25 kgs of perfect fruit and consigned about 15kgs (small apples,windfalls, caterpillar-damaged, bruised etc) to the cider basket. There's about the same quantity left on the tree, so I consider that a very good crop. St Edmund's Pippin is next in line to pick (not quite ready yet), and the crop is very heavy - I've had to tie up some of the branches and support them with gabhalogs!
As to scab: my Red Devils (normally pretty scab-free) are very badly scabbed this year,, but Sunsets and Fiestas (normally affected ) are almost completely scab-free! It's hard to understand. But, all in all, I've no complaints about this year's crop.
Regarding my Bramley's Seedling: every year the crop is affected by bitter pit; some of the apples are perfect, but others are inedible because of it and you don't know which is which till you cut them open!. The upshot is the whole crop is unsaleable and ends up in the cider basket. So this year, I'm going to try dehorning it and top-grafting it over to something else.

Michael196 · Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2009 11:02 pm Post subject:

have had a successful crop this year. Attacks from bees and butterflies, but th fruit is ripe and delicious. Juts trying to get to the fruit before the it is all eaten.

michael brenock · Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2009 8:12 am Post subject:

Sean
Bitter pit can be controlled or prevented by giving lime to the tree, believed to be caused by a shortage of available calcium during a period of rapid growth, more likely to occur during dry years
michael brenock horticultural advisor(retired)

Sean Ph'lib · Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2009 8:09 pm Post subject:

icon · Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2009 11:27 am Post subject:

best ever crop of apples of all types
pity about bloody crows and wasps
got in a pro to prune the trees last december really worth it

ian · Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2009 10:50 pm Post subject: apple crop

excellent crop this year, last was poor so i pruned tree back quite hard creating an opening in the centre, got about 300 fist sized apples slight lemony flavour but sweet also and very crunchy, half have dropped so far, usually get them thru to mid october, wish i knew what variety they are as tree is about 13 years old and surely at end of life soon so as to replace, tried to propagate from last years cuttings but none rooted,

forest flame · Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2009 11:00 pm Post subject:

hi ian
have you tried to air lair the tree it should work. having said that if the tree is producing a crop like this years you should get many more years out of it.i wa sin a garden recently where the apple tree is more than 30 years old and still laden with quality fruit.

michael brenock · Posted: Tue Sep 01, 2009 7:53 am Post subject:

apple trees can live to beover 100 years old and still be productive. apple trees are propagated by budding or grafting not by cuttings or layering. If they root from layering the controlling effect of the rootstock is lost. show us a picture of the apples and describe them then it might be possible to identify them and buy a replacement.
michael brenock horticultural advisor (retired)