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| | Tastes in apples vary from one person to another and change continually over time. As an example, the [[U.S. state]] of [[Washington#Agriculture|Washington]] made its reputation for apple growing on Red Delicious. In recent years, many apple connoisseurs have come to regard the Red Delicious as inferior to cultivars such as Fuji and Gala due to its merely mild flavour and insufficiently firm texture. | | Tastes in apples vary from one person to another and change continually over time. As an example, the [[U.S. state]] of [[Washington#Agriculture|Washington]] made its reputation for apple growing on Red Delicious. In recent years, many apple connoisseurs have come to regard the Red Delicious as inferior to cultivars such as Fuji and Gala due to its merely mild flavour and insufficiently firm texture. |
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| − | ==Growing Apples==
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| | </div> | | </div> |
| − |
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| − | ===Pollination groups===
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| − | There are four to seven pollination groups in apples depending on climate :
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| − | * Group A – Early flowering, May 1 to 3 in England ([[Gravenstein]], [[Red Astrachan]])
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| − | * Group B – May 4 to 7 ([[Idared]], [[McIntosh]])
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| − | * Group C – Mid-season flowering, May 8 to 11 ([[Granny Smith]], [[Cox's Orange Pippin]])
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| − | * Group D – Mid/Late season flowering, May 12 to 15 ([[Golden Delicious]], [[Calville Blanc d'Hiver]]).
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| − | * Group E – Late flowering, May 16 to 18 ([[Braeburn]], [[Reinette d'Orléans]])
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| − | * Group F – May 19 to 23 ([[Suntan]])
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| − | * Group G – May 24 to 28 ([[Court Pendu Plat]])
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| − | One cultivar can be pollinized by a compatible cultivar from the same group or close (A with A or A with B but not A with C or D). Late groups are better to avoid frost in cold areas.
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| − |
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| − | ===Thinning===
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| − | Apples are prone to [[biennial bearing]]. If the fruit is not thinned when the tree carries a large crop, it may produce very little flower the following year. Good thinning helps even out the cycle, so that a reasonable crop can be grown every year.
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| − |
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| − | Commercial orchardists practice chemical thinning, which is not practical for home fruit. Apples bear in groups of five (or more rarely six) blossoms. The first blossom to open is called the ''king bloom''. It will produce the best possible apple of the five. If it sets, it tends to suppress setting of the other blossoms, which, if they set anyway, should be removed. The next three blossoms tend to bloom and set simultaneously, therefore there is no dominance. All but one of these should be thinned for best quality. If the final blossom is the only one that sets, the crop will not be as good, but it will help reduce excessive woody growth (suckering) that usually happens when there is no crop.
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| − |
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| − | ===Maturation and harvest===
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| − | Cultivars vary in their yield and the ultimate size of the tree, even when grown on the same rootstock. Some cultivars, if left unpruned, will grow very large, which allows them to bear a great deal more fruit, but makes harvest very difficult. Mature trees typically bear 40-200 kg of apples each year, though productivity can be close to zero in poor years. Apples are harvested using three-point ladders that are designed to fit amongst the branches. Dwarf trees will bear about 10-80 kg of fruit per year.
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| − |
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| − | ===Pests and diseases===
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| − | {{Main|List of apple diseases}}
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| − | [[Image:Apple tree leaves with insect damage.jpg|thumb|right|Leaves with significant insect damage.]]
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| − | The trees are susceptible to a number of [[fungus|fungal]] and [[bacterium|bacteria]]l diseases and [[insect]] pests. Nearly all commercial orchards pursue an aggressive program of chemical sprays to maintain high fruit quality, tree health, and high yields. A trend in orchard management is the use of [[Integrated Pest Management]] (IPM), which reduces needless spraying when pests are not present, or more likely, are being controlled by natural [[predator]]s.
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| − |
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| − | Spraying for insect pests must never be done during flowering because it kills pollinators. Nor should bee-attractive plants be allowed to establish in the orchard floor if insecticides are used. [[White clover]] is a component of many grass seed mixes, and many bees are poisoned by insecticides while visiting the flowers on the orchard floor.
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| − |
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| − | Among the most serious disease problems are [[fireblight]], a bacterial disease; and ''[[Gymnosporangium]]'' rust, [[apple scab]], and [[Black Spot (disease)|black spot]], three fungal diseases.
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| − |
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| − | The [[plum curculio]] is the most serious insect pest. Others include [[Apple maggot]] and [[codling moth]]. For other [[Lepidoptera]] [[larva]]e which feed on apple trees, see [[List of Lepidoptera which feed on Malus]].
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| − |
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| − | Young apple trees are also prone to mammal pests like mice and deer, which feed on the soft bark of the trees, especially in winter. Growers usually sheath juvenile trees with wire mesh to protect them.
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| − |
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| − | Apples are difficult to grow organically, though a few orchards have done so with commercial success, using disease-resistant cultivars and the very best cultural controls. The latest tool in the organic repertoire is to spray a light coating of [[kaolin]] clay, which forms a physical barrier to some pests, and also helps prevent apple sun scald.
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| | ==Commerce and uses== | | ==Commerce and uses== |