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| Two years ago we were lucky enough to move into a house with an established home orchard, yay! We have 6 enormous apple trees, I would estimate each one is 30' tall and wide. It's clear now that 3 of the trees are stuck in a cycle of alternate bearing. How can I get these trees back on track to produce every year? I know thinning during the "on" years is recommended but I would need to rent a cherry picker and a small army to do that. The alternate bearing trees are Red Delicious, Yellow Delicious, and a green apple that ripens with Yellow Delicious but is more tart. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by konrad___far_north 3..just outside of E (My Page) on Sat, Dec 13, 14 at 1:16
| Most are alternate bearing,..looks like they're on track. Some commercials spray ...probably not something for us. I'd leave them alone,..you still have other apples. |
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- Posted by harvestman 6 (My Page) on Sat, Dec 13, 14 at 6:09
| You need to manage your trees more intensely for them to be annually productive. While it is possible for you to purchase thinning chemicals from a commercial supplier, I see no point unless you also want to renovate the trees, seriously reducing their heights and opening them up to create the shape necessary for good fruit production. This process in itself may go a long ways to solving the problem. If you want any guidance on this, please submit a photo. I have made much of my living doing this for the last 2 decades plus and can probably give you some advice. The easiest thing is just to accept what nature provides. Managing fruit trees is a labor intensive enterprise, particularly with full sized trees. |
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