Does anyone know how to stop my apples from falling off the tree?
Question:
Answers:
There are many reasons why an apple tree might shed its fruit prematurely. Most of the time, fruit drop might be natural, environmental or pest-related.
Following are 3 possible reasons why you may be seeing premature fruit drop of your apples;
1) Sometimes it's a result of the plant's inability to support the vast number of fruit that it has produced. Over-production of fruit, beyond what the plant can physiologically sustain, will result in an effort to conserve energy and the plant drops the fruit. It's a natural thinning process that results from the competition between fruits.
CURE: During the growing season, remove dwarf-sized and blemished apples. Use mini-pruning shears to remove those apples to prevent tearing of entire clusters.
2) Premature fruit drop is often related to unfavorable environmental conditions, such as late frosts, excessive heat or cold, and abrupt changes in humidity. Fruit drop may be also be soil related---irregular watering and improper nutrition.
CURE: Keep soil moist throughout the growing season. IF you live in a climate where winds and high temperatures are prevalent, use a mulch to minimize soil drying out between irrigantions. Make fertilzer applications (starting in early spring) about every 6 weeks using a well-balanced fertilizer...such as a 10-10-10 applied evenly on the soil surface under the entire branch spread of the tree and water in.
3) Pest-related fruit drop is more likely to occur late in the growing season when the fruit is nearing maturity. Common insects that cause premature fruit drop include codling moth, apple maggot and plum curculio.
CURE: Good idea to set out phermone traps which helps reduce male moth populations. Spray every 7 to 10 days once you begin to notice moths in traps or you can consult with your local farm extension office how to calculate days to larvae emergence. I spray a bacteria-based insecticide called "SPINOSAD" that will remain on the apples and prevent larvae from feeding.
Hope this information helps prevent further pre-mature apple drop on your trees. GOOD LUCK!
-Certified Professional Crop Consultant with over 30 years of experience and a Degree in Plant Science
if they are fully grown and ripe then they should fall off .the trick is to pick them before they do fall off.
if not i'm sorry i don't know.
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there are so many apples that fall for one reason or another.If you have blue jays they will knock them off other wise so many of them will fall and it is natural for them to do so.
Are they falling off while still small? That usually means there are too many for the tree to support, so it will "shed" some in order to keep the others healthy. I usually pick a lot of them off myself when small. That makes the remaining ones larger.
If they fall off when mature, then they are ripe. You can test them by grabbing the apple and gently tugging on it. If ripe, it will release. That way you can pick them before they fall and get bruised.
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