Summer is here and the sun is shining, creating the utmost perfect conditions for gardeners to grow everyone’s favourite fruit.
Apples are at their best when they are big, sweet and juicy, making them the most refreshing daytime snack—but getting them to that point is considered by many to be a complicated task.
But it doesn’t have to be, according to gardening experts at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), which recommends one simple and easy-to-follow method that ensures your summertime crop is healthy and abundant.
Many fruit trees, including apple trees, drop fruit naturally in early summer – this is called the ‘June drop’, which refers to the natural shredding of fruitlets (immature fruits).
The process is a good time to assess and thin the remaining fruit on your tree to make the most out of your crop.
Thinning after the June drop, a few weeks after the fruit set, allows you to assess the extent of natural thinning and make a more informed decision about removing the remaining fruitlets.
While this may seem the best time to leave everything well alone, experts say you should spring into action and get ‘thinning’.
Advantages include maintaining good air movement within the tree, as well as ensuring the better quality and quantity of fruit.
This practice helps prevent the tree from being overloaded, which can often lead to smaller and less favourable apples.
RHS explained: “Where a heavy crop has set, too many fruitlets may remain on the branches, resulting in a final crop of disappointingly small fruits.
“Deliberate pulling out some of the seedlings, usually along a row, so the remaining seedlings are spaced further apart.
“It reduces overcrowding, which can hinder their growth, thinning of the fruitlets produces better-sized, ripe and healthy fruits, albeit in smaller numbers.
“Pull out some of the seedlings, usually along a row, so the remaining seedlings are spaced further apart. It reduces overcrowding, which can hinder their growth.”
Without thinning there is the risk of branches breaking if trees overcrop, plus it may reduce the spread of pests and diseases such as ‘brown rot’.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to thin your apple tree:
- Start by removing any fruitlets that are obviously malformed or very small
- Generally, aim to leave one fruit every 4-6 inches for eating apples and 6-9 inches for cooking apples
- Examine each fruit cluster and decide which fruitlets to remove, aiming for one fruit per cluster
- Use tools – You can use sharp scissors or a knife to carefully remove fruitlets, leaving the stalk behind