Thinning apples and other fruit

[nickdub]

Had a check over a few of my trees and its got to the time where the fruitlets which were not pollinated properly have either already fallen or will do so if I give them a firm push. So now if you are in the same boat its possible to thin the remaining viable fruitlets out - first to 2 or 3 per spur and then maybe fewer with reference to the size of the tree. Thinning fruit is no ones idea of an interesting job, but it pays dividends at the end of the season in larger individual apples and also helps stop the tree becoming a biennial barer. Be careful how you take the little fruit off, as you don't want to snap the spur - if unsure use one had to support the spur on the branch side and the other to hold and push the little fruit at right-angles to where it was naturally.

Similar operations are often necessary on other top fruit - particularly plums, pears peaches etc but the timing varies a bit depending on the tree and where you live.

[veggiechicken]

I've been knocking out the unpollinated ones and removing any damaged small fruits.
Keeps me looking busy when really I'm just standing in the shade, sheltering from the sun!

[It never rains..it pours]

Thx for the reminder nickdub , however thinned mine yesterday. Due to bird issues have thinned to 2 to 3 lower down and thinned lot more at the top. As I understand it you leave the central fruit and remove side ones not that l achieved that always
Needing to thin plums and peaches is just a dream here, plums too young

[Mikey]

Why is it that espaliers prefer to fruit biannually rather than annually, and can you prune anytime on the non productive year?

[Thelma Sanders]

I did my Braeburn apple this week. It's been here for 3 years but it is the first time it's had more than a couple of flowers. I left just 1 fruit per spur (about 15 apples, if they all make it) as it is its first fruiting year

[Jay-ell]

Thanks for this - I was looking at my apples in the square foot orchard thinking do I thin? How do I thin? If I don't thin will they drop off?

[nickdub]

Thx for the reminder nickdub , however thinned mine yesterday. Due to bird issues have thinned to 2 to 3 lower down and thinned lot more at the top. As I understand it you leave the central fruit and remove side ones not that l achieved that always
Needing to thin plums and peaches is just a dream here, plums too young

You're very welcome - generally speaking the "central fruit " often called the King is removed and 2 or 3 left from the rest on a spur - the reason being that the King can very often have a short fat stalk, and these don't keep well due to damage when picking. There are exceptions to this by variety, Bramley for example, where all the fruit have short stalks and so usually the largest pair on any spur are left, no point leaving 3 as the swelling fruit will pop one off later anyway as a rule.

[nickdub]

Why is it that espaliers prefer to fruit biannually rather than annually, and can you prune anytime on the non productive year?

I suspect its just that espaliers have correspondingly less leaves due to their shape than bushes and so are able to successfully carry less fruit per year. If thinned sufficiently it should be possible to stop the biennial bearing problem, as long as they also get plenty of water and feed while the fruit are swelling.

[nickdub]

Thanks for this - I was looking at my apples in the square foot orchard thinking do I thin? How do I thin? If I don't thin will they drop off?

You're very welcome - hopefully I've managed to forestall a few of these dilemmas- if you are still puzzled by anything on this, I'll be happy to try to answer as best I can.

[Jay-ell]

Is it ok to use secateurs rather than attempting to pop them off. I have visions of me wrestling with them and loosing.

My trees are cordons, this is the start of the 3rd year for them. Last year I pruned off (most) the fruit to let them concentrate on trunk and roots (after my mistake the 1st year when I let one bear fruit - which stunted it's growth and, because it was young, deformed the stem). Would 2 per spur still be OK, they're not loads of spurs on there yet

[nickdub]

Is it ok to use secateurs rather than attempting to pop them off. I have visions of me wrestling with them and loosing.

My trees are cordons, this is the start of the 3rd year for them. Last year I pruned off (most) the fruit to let them concentrate on trunk and roots (after my mistake the 1st year when I let one bear fruit - which stunted it's growth and, because it was young, deformed the stem). Would 2 per spur still be OK, they're not loads of spurs on there yet

secateurs are fine if you can manipulate them in to do the job - as far as 2 per spur goes, its a reasonable guess as to what might be sensible, to get to a more accurate estimate it comes down to what leaves the tree has got. If there are loads of big, strong, dark green leaves on the tree, then its amazing how much fruit it can develop OK, of course the weather, feed and watering also come in to the equation.

[devonuk]

Have you already had a natural "June drop" (of viable fruit, not pollination failures) or do you think it unnecessary to hold off until that has occurred?

[nickdub]

Have you already had a natural "June drop" (of viable fruit, not pollination failures) or do you think it unnecessary to hold off until that has occurred?

Yes mine have already fallen, or can just be knocked off by a flick with a finger - it does depend a bit on the variety, but it should be fairly obvious, as usually the stems on the unpollinated ones are a different colour by now to those of the viable fruitlets.

[devonuk]

Yes, I can tell the unpollinated ones - I thought the June drop was meant to be a natural self-thinning of *pollinated* fruitlets. But it's not something I have observed in practice.

[Losos]

Bramley for example, where all the fruit have short stalks and so usually the largest pair on any spur are left, no point leaving 3 as the swelling fruit will pop one off later anyway as a rule.

Yes that's exactly what happened to our Bramley last year (Due to a few non gardening calamities we didn't get round to thinning last year)

I did some thinning last week but have more to do, your post has been a kick up the proverbial to me