Apple tree

Apple tree

‘Golden Delicious’

Apple trees can thrive in most soils, but prefer well-drained soils with a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction that does not dry out in the summer. The proximity to the coast is harmful because of the spray. Most apple varieties require cross-pollination by another variety that flowers at the same time. However, some specialized nurserymen can on request graft on a subject two or three varieties that pollinate each other. In this way, it is enough to plant a single tree. The best time to plant is late autumn or the current of winter when it is not freezing. The roots of a recently planted tree require a quantity of water. In dry periods, it is good to ensure sufficient soil moisture.

For the first 2 or 3 years, arrange a mulch in the spring in the form of a well-decomposed layer of straw or manure. Every winter, at the end of January, the trees will be fed 35g of potash sulphate per square meter. All 3 years add 70g of superphosphate per square meter. Fertilization will be completed each year in March with a supply of ammonia sulfate (35g per square meter for trees on bare ground, and up to 70g per square meter for grassed orchards). Fertilizer should be applied regularly to an area slightly above the level of the foliage. It will be allowed to enter the soil naturally. Weeds will be removed by light hoeing. Mature trees require irrigation during long dry periods. Bring 20 liters of water per square meter at regular intervals to irrigate the roots along their entire length.

Thinning
Thinning allows full growth to the fruits left on the apple tree, because a tree too loaded produces only small fruits. We will begin thinning the berries in late May, before the natural fall in June. The latter is normal and should not be a cause for concern. However, it can become excessive if the soil is dry or poor. In this case, the remedy lies in proper feeding the tree. On each bouquet, remove in priority the central fruit often deformed at the base by cutting its peduncle with a pair of sharp scissors. The smallest fruits will then be removed to keep only two on each bouquet, only one if the bouquets are very close together. Clear again in July if the promise of harvest seems too strong. We aim to keep one fruit every 10-15cm at the rate of one fruit per crown.

Time and harvest
The best way to make sure apples are good to pick is to lift a fruit horizontally with the palm of your hand and turn it slightly. If it is good to pick, it should come off easily, the peduncle remaining on the fruit. To reach out of reach, use a pick bag mounted on top of a pole. Place the rigid frame of the bag against the peduncle. If the apple is good to pick, it must fall into the bag. The apples will be harvested carefully, because the slightest impact marks them. Picked apples will be placed in a protected container. Early apples (ripening in August) are not preserved and should be eaten immediately. Mid-season and late varieties are picked in September-October and until the first frosts. These apples harvested before maturity will ripen during storage. Care will be taken to keep half-season varieties (consumption since late September to December) away from end-of-season carisummers (consumption from January)because the volatile gases released during the maturation of the former may cause the subsequent ones to mature too early. Some varieties can, under good conditions, be kept until April or May. Place apples in a well-ventilated room, or they will need to sweat for 2 or 3 days. Then sort all damaged or attacked apples (even slightly). The least affected apples can be eaten immediately.

Conservation
The best technique is to individually wrap each apple in a square (25x25cm) of parchment paper or newspaper. This packaging must not be watertight. We will simply reshuffle the four corners of the square of paper on the fruit. Apples can also be kept without papillhostage, there are risks of rot and excessive drying. The storage room should be dark, moist and cool, with temperatures around 37.4 to 41°F. Excessive ventilation may cause fruit to wilt too quickly. If it is too low, there is a risk of internal rot. To increase ambient humidity, periodically moisten the soil and room. Packed apples will preferably be placed in a single layer on clear racks, possibly in two or three layers if the room is well ventilated. All rotting apples will be regularly eliminated. Instead of being individually packed, apples can be placed in polyethylene bags by 2-3 kg in order to avoid rot extensions. The carbon dioxide released into the bags by the perspiration of apples slows down the ripening process, but the excess may cause fruit rot. For this reason, the bags will be pierced with a few air holes. Two different varieties will not be mixed in the same bag, because the gaseous emissions of the earliest fruits cause the ripening of the later fruits.