Thin Your Fruit to Prevent Rotting in Backyard Orchards

Apples and pears should be thinned to a spacing of 5-6 inches apart; 3-4 inches is fine for smaller fruits like apricots, while plums can be thinned down to about an inch. If you can wait until you can put these fruits to good use, that's great.

How do you thin fruit trees?
Should you thin out apples on a tree?
Should I thin out my peaches?
Do apples need to be thinned?
What is the purpose of thinning fruit?
When should I thin my apple tree?
Why are the apples falling from tree to early?
Why are the apples on my tree so small?
How can I make my apples grow bigger?
Why are my peaches not getting bigger?
How do you keep a peach tree healthy?
When should I start thinning peaches?

How do you thin fruit trees?

Use secateurs/pruners or long, sharp scissors to cut away the fruits. Or with a little practice just tug the fruits away between your thumb and forefinger. Plums: These guys are among the most energetic of all tree fruits, so you'll definitely need to flex the fingers and get thinning.

Should you thin out apples on a tree?

Fruit thinning may be necessary on a range of tree fruit including apples, pears, plums, peaches and nectarines for the following reasons: The main purpose of thinning is to improve fruit size and quality. When a tree is carrying a very heavy crop, the fruits are often small and of poor quality.

Should I thin out my peaches?

Peaches and nectarines should be thinned to about 3 to 5 inches (7.5 to 12.5 cm). If spring con- ditions for pollination were ideal, excessive fruit may have set, requiring even more thinning. ... When the crop is heavy, fruit should be spaced no less than 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20.5 inches) apart.

Do apples need to be thinned?

Thin before each apple reaches the size of a dime in diameter. This usually occurs within the first 20 days after petal fall. Removing these small fruit early will keep energy available for the fruit that remain and fruit buds for next year. Thinning by homeowners is typically done by hand.

What is the purpose of thinning fruit?

The main benefit of thinning to the gardener is to give those fruits that remain the space they need to grow into bigger, healthier fruits. The fruits left to grow on will enjoy more airflow, sunlight and energy from the tree for even ripening. Fewer, bigger fruits are generally more useful than many tiny fruits.

When should I thin my apple tree?

Thinning an apple tree can take place throughout the summer but, ideally, you should thin in the late spring. The tree will naturally thin itself, called the “June drop.” This doesn't always occur in June, however. It depends on your region and the cultivar, but it does happen a few weeks after the fruit sets.

Why are the apples falling from tree to early?

Often, a period of stress (a long, hot summer with very little rain) will cause a tree to abort its fruit in order to conserve energy. Apple trees require deep watering during drought. Lack of pollination can result in pea-size fruit that falls off prematurely.

Why are the apples on my tree so small?

If fruit tree blossoms aren't thinned prior to opening, up to 90 percent of the small, hard fruit that develops right after pollination will eventually be shed from the tree. ... These fruits continue to develop and may remain on the tree throughout the growing season, eventually ripening into seriously small fruits.

How can I make my apples grow bigger?

Hot, dry weather in spring can exacerbate it. Although the amount of fruit that falls on its own might be alarming, you often need to do some additional thinning to get the larger fruit you desire. It is ideal to remove all but the largest fruit from each cluster and space the apples 8 to 10 inches apart on the branch.

Why are my peaches not getting bigger?

If rootstock is not healthy or the peach variety does not perform well in your area, peach quality could be compromised. Another possible cause of poor quality fruit is the dying off of the scion, or upper part of a tree graft. If the rootstock takes over the scion, this may diminish both fruit quality and tree size.

How do you keep a peach tree healthy?

Unlike most ornamentals, peach trees need regular pruning, fertilizing, and spraying to stay healthy and productive. Keep the ground around your tree clear of grass and weeds that would compete for water and nutrients, and mulch generously.

When should I start thinning peaches?

Mid to late February is when to thin a peach tree through pruning. It's the time after the worst of the winter freeze is over, but before the tree leafs out. Pruning too early can cause its own set of health problems, so tempting as it may be, don't prune during the January thaw.