My apple trees have set a heavy crop of fruit. Do I need to thin the fruit?
My apple trees have set a heavy crop of fruit. Do I need to thin the fruit?
Apple and other fruit trees occasionally set too many fruit.
Thinning is necessary to:
- Obtain large, high quality fruit at harvest.
- Allow development of flower buds for next year’s crop, thus overcoming the tendency of some fruit trees to bear fruit in alternate years.
- Prevent limb breakage.
Hand thinning of apples should be done within 6 weeks of full bloom. Leave the largest apple in a cluster unless it is damaged. After thinning, apples should be spaced about 8 to 10 inches apart on the branches.
Pears, apricots, and peaches may also need to be thinned. Fruit should be spaced 6 to 8 inches apart on the branches. Plums will generally thin themselves.
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