Strange Apple Tree Experience
Question from Dave:
Last year you were very helpful regarding an olive tree concern I had here in Lafayette that ultimately work out fine. This time I am really confused about an unusual apple tree experience. I planted the tree about 30 years ago. Over the years it has produced small quantities of apples that seldom made it to full growth because the squirrels, birds and other critters got there first. Well this year has been unbelievable. There have been so many apples that many of the limbs have bent over and now drag on the ground. The critters couldn’t even keep up and I have had many bushels of beautiful fruit. I’m mystified as to why this occurred. We had a lot of rain last winter and this past spring I had a large nearby Monterey pine removed. It was close to the apple tree but didn’t block it from the sunlight. My concern now is that the tree is more like a large bush and some of the bent limbs are too strong to be forced back upright. I would greatly appreciate any thoughts you may have as to what caused the mystery and also any suggestions regarding pruning strategy for future years.
Answer from Pat:
Trying to figure out what causes a fruit tree to bear particularly well one year when it never bore good fruit before is like being a detective in the time of Sherlock Holmes. All we have is the facts, with no modern science to help us. In this case, you have provided me with several clues. For example, I know there is no problem with pollination since you always had a lot of fruit though it was small. We can’t say it was the weather, since during the last 30 years there have been several very rainy ones. Thus, weighing all the possibilities the most obvious reason you got more and better apples this year was because you cut down the Monterrey pine tree (Pinus radiata) growing nearby. Though this pine tree didn’t cast a shadow on the apple tree, it posed a more subtle though equally devastating competition. Monterey pine has many surface roots. The roots of Monterey pine characteristically stretch out far beyond its drip line, often as far as 30 to 50 feet from a mature tree. These roots were sapping all the moisture and nutrition from the soil surrounding the apple tree and as a result, your apple tree suffered. Now that the pine tree is gone this old apple tree will come into its own in a way it never has done before and it’s likely to continue for many years bearing bumper crops. I hope you enjoy a plethora of good apple pies and an abundance of excellent fresh apples too.
As far as the bending branches are concerned, when pruning time arrives, be careful not to over-prune or this can cause too much growth and not enough fruit. Your aims should be to keep the center of the tree opened up and remember in August to remove any fresh water sprouts (buggy whips) springing straight up from the tops of the scaffold branches. Mostly I would remove any dead wood. You can head back any branches that are sticking up too high into the sky but keep reminding your self not to over prune. Do not remove any existing spurs, since these will continue to bear fruit for several years. Then—but without over-pruning—I would try to lighten up the tips of a few of those bendy main branches that were loaded down this year. Remove a foot or two of the length back to a joint. Then I would lift the limb and place it on top of a sturdy support such as a piece of 2X4. Use treated lumber so it will not rot or fall prey to termites and paint these supports a color that looks good to your eye. White or green is fine. I know this is not supposed to be an appropriate way to deal with heavy branches, but in a home environment I think it’s fine. Also I have seen great horticulturists do exactly this, including the late great English garden expert, TV personality and writer, Christopher Lloyd. Sometimes people wait until the tree is loaded with fruit before lifting the limbs onto supports. This might be a better way to go.
About 10 years ago Christopher Lloyd invited me to stay with him at Great Dixter in Kent, England. A couple of years later I accepted his invitation. I had been attending the wedding of one of my granddaughters in Spain and then went to Scotland and England taking another granddaughter, Rachel Woolf, with me. Christo said “bring her along.” In the afternoons while Christo took a nap with the dogs, Rachel and I painted watercolors. One afternoon I went down into the wildflower meadow below the famous herbaceous border of Great Dixter and sat down on the ground painting an ancient apple tree. This tree had much character. It was tilted to one side at an intriguing angle. It’s branches were heavily laden with large green fruit, and about five of the main limbs were propped up on 2×4 ‘s painted white. These wooden supports looked as if they’d been there for several years.
I do want to caution you to be sure to start thinning the fruit next year when it’s about the size of an almond or a walnut. Leave just one fruit at each node and clip or twist off the rest. Don’t do as some books and internet sites suggest which is to thin the flowers. Thinning out the flowers on fruit trees is not recommended since it reduces the amount of pollen for pollination and cuts down on the chances for a good fruit set. Even when you thin the fruit there may be some June drop later on. Don’t let this worry you, simply pick up the fruit that has fallen and compost it.
Thank you very much for sharing your valuable knowledge regarding our apple tree dilemma. I’m sure it will be very helpful in achieving improved future harvests. I had the pine tree removed because it was wreaking havoc with our fence. Too bad I didn’t take corrective action years ago. There is also an orange tree in the near vicinity but it’s crop output hasn’t seemed to be affected. Perhaps now time will tell a different story. This morning I noticed that two of the apple tree main limbs, which were severely bent, have actually started to split near their junction with the main trunk. I suspect I should wait until winter before removing them. Thank you again for your help and your interesting and exceptionally useful web site. P.S. Really enjoyed your Christopher Lloyd anecdote. Sounds like a wonderful experience.
Regarding split branches on an apple tree. If it’s an unimportant branch fine to cut it off, but if it’s a major scaffold branch the loss of which will harm the tree’s symmetry, you can tie it back to the tree by screwing in large eye-hooks or bolts with a circle on one end, one in the branch and another in the trunk. Then cable the two together again. If the split is clean and the branch is still alive and growing it will graft itself back in place if you support it this way. The Japanese do this sort of thing all the time and they keep historic trees alive for hundreds of years. If they fall over, they push them up again. If they break, they stick them back together again and support the broken part until it returns to health. A lot of people don’t realize that orange trees characteristically (as I mentioned with Monterey pines) have surface roots that go far out beyond their drip lines. If your orange tree is not productive my guess is lack of sufficient fertilizer. Citrus trees are heavy feeders and few home gardeners feed them enough. Mature citrus trees need as much as one pound actual nitrogen per year. (That means 6 pounds of 20-20-20 fertilizer.) If you are fertilizing with organic fertilizer you can apply the whole amount under the drip line in late January. Where I live in Southern California orange trees bloom in February, perhaps in your climate they bloom later. I am surprised you can grow an orange tree in Lafayette since it freezes there. Protect the tree at night when frost is expected and make sure the blossoms don’t get frozen. Also, check that there are plenty of bees visiting the blossoms in daytime. Never use pesticides such as malathion—it kills bees. Folks who spray citrus trees with it never have a crop. I am very glad indeed to hear that you find my website interesting and helpful. Regarding Christopher Lloyd, yes it was fascinating. Fergus was always there too and he picked up lovely sole for lunch and helped us choose vegetables for meals. Christo did the cooking which was extremely good. He said he wanted me to sleep in the bed in which he was born. He also said (without being asked) “There are no ghosts in my house!” and there weren’t any. Nonetheless, my granddaughter felt lonesome in her room out of earshot down the hall so she came and joined me. There was plenty of room in the double bed for both of us. I got up first in the mornings. The 1910 bathtub was as big as a swimming pool. On the first day I drew a hot bath and climbed into it safely, but once I sat down I feared I’d never be able to climb out of it with my replaced knees. The tub was in the middle of the room and there was nothing to hang onto. Rachel was still asleep and didn’t hear me calling for help! Finally, I got the idea to let the water run down the drain and then I managed to climb out. Another incident was about champagne. Christo opened a fresh bottle of Veuve Cliquot every day before lunch. Then he would say, “Drink up! drink up!” to me. It was all I could do to finish my half of the bottle. I am not used to THAT much champagne before lunch. In the afternoons Rachel and I had the lovely garden all to ourselves. Then after Christo napped in the Great Room on a couch with the dogs, the garden was opened to the public and the three of us sallied forth and talked to people who visited. This was rather fun and interesting, though I was a bit shy about it. More so then, shortly after my husband had died, than I would be now having been on my own much longer.
Thanks for another timely response. Unfortunately my bent/split limbs are located near the tree top and as such there isn’t anything at a higher level to strap them to. Perhaps I can get some strong lumber and maybe with the help of a car jack I can brace them back into place from ground level. I’ve attached a photo to give you some idea of the situation. I know it’s hard to see the severity of the splits but I would say that at least half of each limb is still intact. Yes we do have a lot of frosty winter nights in Lafayette. The orange tree has always survived without visible damage but our two lemon trees are not as fortunate. Many years they’ve required extensive trimming to remove the frost damage. As such they each resemble a large bush rather than a tree. They seldom produce any fruit. Actually the orange tree was fairly productive last year in spite of the Monterey pine lurking nearby. It will be interesting to see how it performs in coming years with the pine gone. You’re right about the tendency to neglect applying adequate fertilizer. I will make a point to correct that from here on. I don’t use any insecticides on the trees but thanks for the note of caution.
No hope of propping these up. This looks like wind damage and the result of improper pruning early in the tree’s life. The tree didn’t have a good structure. There is nothing to do but cut these limbs off and leave as clean a cut as possible. Cut down to a joint. Leave no stubs. Regarding the orange tree, perhaps the Monterey pine was shielding it from frost. You can now purchase frost protective fabric for plants http://www.megagro.com/plant-frost-protection.htm. There are several brands. One is called N-Sulate and comes in large sizes, like yardage. Some people string Christmas tree lights onto the tree inside the fabric. This does the trick to protect plants from frosty nights.