Fruit trees....

[Tortuga]

Does anyone have fruit trees?

 

I have a large apple tree that I have been fussing with for years, the previous house owners planted it so we don't know the variety but i suspect it is a Gala apple tree. Several years ago we had a huge crop pf apples but the last several years I get less that 20 apples. I use to have a problem with coddling moths but I think that is resolved. I still have an ongoing fight with powdery mildew, last year I sprayed with neem oil and I just did that again this week. BTW: there are a LOT of small apples this year, I hope most of them mature.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions?

[Ahuvah]

Go buy some big apples from the supermarket and sellotape them on. 

[pnutts]

Apple trees like cold weather for a period of time. That is why they do not do as well in hot climates.

[Miss Mouse]

Apples may need to be thinned if there is too many on a branch , this way they grow to be s better size ..... Kind of like thinning out your carrots so they can grow bigger. Lots of water and a good shot of manure will help as well. 

 

Google lthinning apples  on  utube. 

[tekmantwo]

and keep the snails away. ...

[Ahuvah]

turtles are just giant snails ... maybe that's the problem.

[New World Explorer]

10 hours ago, Tortuga said:

Does anyone have fruit trees?

 

I have a large apple tree that I have been fussing with for years, the previous house owners planted it so we don't know the variety but i suspect it is a Gala apple tree. Several years ago we had a huge crop pf apples but the last several years I get less that 20 apples. I use to have a problem with coddling moths but I think that is resolved. I still have an ongoing fight with powdery mildew, last year I sprayed with neem oil and I just did that again this week. BTW: there are a LOT of small apples this year, I hope most of them mature.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions?

When it comes to producing  20 apples you are not alone !

I have cherry tree that produces 20 cherries  - figure that ! 

 

Suggestion ?  Get a good chainsaw LOL     

 

[Friends just call me Ross]

We have an ancient plum tree that only bears one or two plums per year.

I know it must be ancient, because it was already an old tree when we bought 

the farm 44 years ago.

 

I don't blame the tree, though.

We often get killing frosts right in the middle of blossom time.

Kills the blossoms and the pollinators.

 

I'm not sure if plum trees are like apple trees and that this year's 

fruit was set last year, already.  But, in any case, the tree is gnarly

 

 

and I love it--even though it often mutilates me

with its incredibly sharp thorns/spines while

I'm mowing under and around it.

 

I think I'll purchase some tree fertilizer spikes for it.

It definitely could use a shot of SOMETHING.

 

Do they make people spikes?

 

Speaking of killing frosts...

The buds on our trees are just now beginning to open and teeny tiny leaves

are bursting out.

 

 

The forecast is for below normal cold and snow this weekend.

I sure hope the baby leaves don't die.

[Sylv]

We had a single plum tree in the backyard when I was young. Without fail, the plums would ripen the week that we were at the district convention. The neighbourhood kids sure enjoyed them, though!

[pnutts]

When real young we had a plum tree - it went when driveway was put in.

We also had a sour cherry tree which in later years sure fed the birds well .  We had gotten enough for a couple of pies years before, if we left enough after snackin'.

Finally about 30 years ago it got some sort of blight in its roots, etc. so we cut it down.

Edited May 13, 2016 by pnutts

[Precision]

It's probably too late in the season , but apple trees respond best to fertilizing applications in late winter or early spring using  a slow release 10-10-10. Irrigate  and fertilize out to the drip line, and trim fruit when apples are approximately dime size. Fruit should be 4-6 inches apart. to maximize size and quality of fruit, and to minimize disease. Apple trees love well drained soil, and full sun. responding best to hot days and cool nights. Mid-City nursery in American Canyon, and Van Windens up in Napa have a nice selection of fruit trees, if you  decide to plant a couple more. 

 

Have you seen the cultivated cocktail trees ?  Kind a cool    Shoot us a picture of your tree, if you can Richard. Lots of apple pie ala mode just around the corner!

Edited May 13, 2016 by Precision

[tekmantwo]

12 hours ago, Stormswift said:

turtles are just giant snails ... maybe that's the problem.

https://www.google.com/search?q=burn+centers+in+california&oq=burn+centers&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l3.9552j0j4&client=tablet-android-samsung&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

[Tortuga]

40 minutes ago, Precision said:

It's probably too late in the season , but apple trees respond best to fertilizing applications in late winter or early spring using  a slow release 10-10-10. Irrigate  and fertilize out to the drip line, and trim fruit when apples are approximately dime size. Fruit should be 4-6 inches apart. to maximize size and quality of fruit, and to minimize disease. Apple trees love well drained soil, and full sun. responding best to hot days and cool nights. Mid-City nursery in American Canyon, and Van Windens up in Napa have a nice selection of fruit trees, if you  decide to plant a couple more.  

How do you know about Mid-City nursery? That place is awesome.

I have not fertilized the tree, I used a systemic treatment from Bayer several years ago when the tree was unhealthy, it did a lot to help the tree, however I haven't done anything since then except spray with neem oil.

 

I took this picture this morning.

 

[Friends just call me Ross]

It's a beautiful tree!  

Sure is bushy, though.  Might be why the fruit yield is so poor.

The tree is putting all its nutrients and energy into maintaining all those leaves and branches.

Just a thought...

[Tortuga]

Just now, Friends just call me Ross said:

It's a beautiful tree!  

Sure is bushy, though.  Might be why the fruit yield is so poor.

The tree is putting all its nutrients and energy into maintaining all those leaves and branches.

Just a thought...

True, we get it pruned every other year and it wasn't pruned this year. We compromise between a fruit producing tree and aesthetics, so it's a little fuller than just a fruit bearing tree. I've noticed the pruning will affect the tree and it seems to do better on the year it isn't pruned.

[Tortuga]

1 hour ago, Precision said:

Mid-City nursery in American Canyon, and Van Windens up in Napa have a nice selection of fruit trees, if you  decide to plant a couple more. 

We use to have a pomegranate tree in the corner of the yard behind the apple tree but it kept splitting and losing branches, it finally looked like skinny kid with a bad haircut so we had it cut down, then found the trunk was rotten anyway. One day we will put a fruit tree where the pomegranate tree was and then we'll be prepared to remove the apple tree when it reaches end-of-life.

 

We do have two Meyer lemon trees and a lime tree. 

[Sylv]

Is there another apple tree nearby that is flowering at the same time? I remember hearing that fruit trees need the pollen of a different tree to produce fruit (something about male/female flowers) ... wait a sec while I Google it.... here it is:  http://www.biotopics.co.uk/genes1/apples.html

[Tortuga]

13 minutes ago, Sylv said:

Is there another apple tree nearby that is flowering at the same time? I remember hearing that fruit trees need the pollen of a different tree to produce fruit (something about male/female flowers) ... wait a sec while I Google it.... here it is:  http://www.biotopics.co.uk/genes1/apples.html

I don't know if there are other apple trees in the neighborhood, i would be surprised if there aren't any, lots of people like to grow things. We are surrounded by farm land so I'm sure there are other apple trees in the area but they may be a couple of miles away. 

[Precision]

3 hours ago, Tortuga said:

How do you know about Mid-City nursery? That place is awesome.

I have not fertilized the tree, I used a systemic treatment from Bayer several years ago when the tree was unhealthy, it did a lot to help the tree, however I haven't done anything since then except spray with neem oil.

 

I took this picture this morning.

 

Nice...beautiful healthy mature tree.  Looks like the systemic Bayer treatment did the trick. Mid- City online shows a nice bare root stock selection. If I lived a little closer I would love to swing by and trim it up for you just a little,  no charge of course 

 

[Peanuts]

23 hours ago, Tortuga said:

True, we get it pruned every other year and it wasn't pruned this year. We compromise between a fruit producing tree and aesthetics, so it's a little fuller than just a fruit bearing tree. I've noticed the pruning will affect the tree and it seems to do better on the year it isn't pruned.

If you've noticed its doing better every other year, it could be biennual bearing https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=280

 

 

 

[Ahuvah]

22 hours ago, Tortuga said:

I don't know if there are other apple trees in the neighborhood, i would be surprised if there aren't any, lots of people like to grow things. We are surrounded by farm land so I'm sure there are other apple trees in the area but they may be a couple of miles away. 

Hiya Turbo ... NZ is into growing heritage fruit - when witnessing over the road we were surprised at one place where he has an orchard almost but they all heritage fruit. The heritage pears next door are over 160 years old , we have two apple  trees but they are still little. This thread has been interesting.

[Tortuga]

1 hour ago, Peanuts said:

If you've noticed its doing better every other year, it could be biannual bearing https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=280

There is some good info on that site, thanks.

[Tortuga]

1 hour ago, Stormswift said:

Hiya Turbo ... NZ is into growing heritage fruit - when witnessing over the road we were surprised at one place where he has an orchard almost but they all heritage fruit. The heritage pears next door are over 160 years old , we have two apple  trees but they are still little. This thread has been interesting.

Hey Swifty....we don't know how old this tree is, it was here when we bought this place 20 years ago.

[Tortuga]

On 5/12/2016 at 4:10 PM, Tortuga said:

I still have an ongoing fight with powdery mildew, last year I sprayed with neem oil and I just did that again this week.

The neem oil spray didn't stop the powdery mildew this time. I contacted a local nursery and they told me the late rains this years are causing a lot of powdery mildew issues and neem oil doesn't affect the powdery mildew, which is interesting since I found a lot of websites that say neem oil does stop powdery mildew. They did recommend a copper base spray, so I'll try that next.

[Miss Mouse]

I am wondering if there are not enough bees to pollinate or it is too cold at exact time the bees should be doing there thang !  I have read a lot about colony's of bee's dying off.

Here we can if we want to have higher yield in our gardens can rent a hive. The Bee Master  ( not related to the Door Master/Lance)  will bring the hive in the spring. Leave it until

the fall and come and collect it. You get to have the honey that they produce. It is not that expensive but well worth the effort.  

 

Go bend the ear of the tree keeper at your local nursery he might be able to come up with a reason your tree is not producing.