Fruit, nut trees benefit
from thinning
Bill Sevier Ask a Master Gardener
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Q: The production of apples on my tree goes
in cycles — lots of apples one year and fewer the next. Is there anything I can
do to prevent this? S.G., Sand Springs
A:
Yes, there is. Every
year, you should thin out the apples when they are the size of a quarter so
that there are 6-8 inches between each young fruit.
Thinning fruit is important for optimal
production in most all fruit and nut trees. There is a reason for this, and it
relates to basic plant biology.
Any fruit or nut produced by a tree is dependent
on an adequate supply of water, nutrients and energy (mostly sugars). Water and
nutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and others are absorbed from
the soil by the roots. To do this, there must be ample amounts of nutrients and
water in the soil. Energy comes from photosynthesis. This is the production of
sugars, an effect of sunshine on the trees leaves. So for fruit production, a
tree needs healthy roots, plenty of leaves and sunshine.
There is a limitation of the amounts of
nutrients and energy a plant can supply for growing fruits and nuts. When the
demand is greater than the tree can deliver, fruits and nuts are not only small
but also do not have the sweetness and flavor expected from that particular
variety of tree.
Thinning not only improves quality of fruit, but
there is also less chance of unwanted fruit drop, cold injury and limb
breakage. Be aware that all fruit trees do not need to be thinned; some
varieties will thin themselves of excess fruit early on in development.
The cycling of fruit and nut production (large
crop one year and small or no crop the next) is usually due to depletion of
energy stores in the tree during a heavy crop year, followed by a need to
replace energy supplies and produce little fruit the following year.
Thinning fruit can be painful. For some fruits,
such as peaches, upwards of ¾ of the total fruit crop may need to be removed to
produce a quality product. Commercial growers of fruits and nuts (mainly
pecans) have several ways of thinning their trees. This involves a variety of
chemical sprays, as well as some mechanical shaking of trees.
Most homeowners thin what they can reach by
hand. When thinning, one should look not only for proper spacing between fruit,
but also select the largest and healthiest fruit in a cluster to keep on the
tree.
Some of the recommended spacing between fruit
when thinning are: Apples 6-8 inches, apricots and plums 4-6 inches, peaches 6
inches. Cherries are not likely to need thinning. Most pear trees also need no
thinning unless that variety is prone to cyclic production.
As stated, thinning can be painful but is
essential for full-sized tasty fruit and nuts.
Garden tips
· Termites and ants are swarming now and will be
into May. It is essential to identify whether the flying insect is a termite or
ant. To tell them apart, one may need a hand lens, but the essentials are this:
Termites have no waist — the waist is the same size as the chest — while ants
have a tiny waist. Termites have straight antenna; ants antenna are bent. Each
have two pairs of wings, the termites are of equal size, while ants have a
shortened pair.
· Termites flying inside your home is significant
and an exterminator should be consulted. Termites outdoors could be important,
but most are feeding on woody material (old stumps for example) and are doing
natures work in breaking down dead organic material. Nevertheless, if you see
termites outdoors nearby, your home needs inspection for signs of invasion.
· March is the second best time of the year to
seed cool-season turfgrass; however, fall is the best time to plant.
· Let spring-flowering bulb foliage remain as long
as possible before removing it.
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