June drop

[Nes]

What with the season being a bit behind schedule, I was wondering if the June drop has happened yet, and therefore whether I should thin my apples now, or if I should wait a bit longer. I don't want to thin now and then find the rest drop, but my tree seems to have a very heavy set, and they're all clinging on still! I think it's a Blenheim Orange.

[boundtothesoil]

Over here in West Wales, the June drop is pretty much over. This is certainly so for early apple varieties like Discovery and Beauty of Bath, plus Conference pears and both Victoria and Czar plums. Some of the later apple varieties may still be dropping, but by now you can spot the fruitlets that are still in the process of being discarded by the tree - they tend to be the smaller, spindly, usually paler stalked fruitlets in a cluster. Tap/flick them and they'll come off! The ones the trees intend to retain are already gaining in size relative to the ones to be dropped.

Thinning has the greatest effect on final fruit size the earlier it is performed, although old MAFF technical bulletins do advise against doing this before the June drop.

[StephenH]

I haven't had one yet. My 'James Grieve' usually has a drop in heavily-cropping years, which this year is, but no sign of it happening yet - and I have been looking out for one, for the reason you give - I don't want to thin out before it.

[Bren In Pots]

Our two Worcester Pearmain haven't dropped yet odd thing is that yesterday we notice new blossom on one of the trees.

[FB.]

MAFF technical bulletins do advise against doing this before the JUne drop.

Most likely because it's best to wait until after the drop.
Also the number of flowers pollinated determines how many flower buds the tree will produce during the summer for the next years' crop.
In a good year for pollination, the tree "knows" that a lot of flowers were pollinated, that the crop will be heavy and that its resources will be pushed to the limit to raise all the fruits, so it inhibits the formation of flower buds for the next season.

For controlling biennial cropping, thinning of fruitlets is less effective than thinning of blossom buds or spurs during winter.

[jayjaybee]

Apple trees here in my Wiltshire garden don't seem to have dropped at all, although disappointingly a conference pear that was laden has shed 80% of it's fruitlets.
I have never been confident enough to thin out -I always feel that I will get rid of the best fruit and be left with the dross, so it never gets done (perhaps a bit of laziness too). So apples are left to their own devices mostly.

[stella]

My 2 apples trees have 'dropped ' so many there are not alot left

[Shroomy]

Apple trees here in my Wiltshire garden don't seem to have dropped at all, although disappointingly a conference pear that was laden has shed 80% of it's fruitlets.
I have never been confident enough to thin out -I always feel that I will get rid of the best fruit and be left with the dross, so it never gets done (perhaps a bit of laziness too). So apples are left to their own devices mostly.

From what i understand of it You take the best one of and the others will grow better bit like the survival of the fitess the bigest one normal gets all the goodness take it away and the others will thrive could be so very wrong though

[BUFFS]

all our apple trees are laden with possible bumper crops,with no sign of june drop,the pear trees,however,have done their usual trick and dropped the lot,gone from over 80 possible to zero,and it looked like being the first year in 9yrs that we would get a pear,goosegogs crop hit by sawfly,about half what we got last year,but blackcurrants are going to be great,very plump and starting to change colour,time to get my pudding bowl and spoon ready..on your marks,get ready......G.G.G....

[jayjaybee]

Thanks for that - I may take the plunge and give thinning a go. By the way having said that no apples had dropped yet in my plot, tonight the ground is littered with babies so we have well and truly dropped