Apple Tree?
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Apple Tree?
| Thu, 09-27-2012 - 10:34am |
Does anyone have an apple tree?
Do you spray it every year?
If you don't spray do you still use the apples?
What do you spray it with?
How do you know what type of apples you have?
Can you freeze apples (cored and chopped) or can you only can them?
We've never sprayed before, but I want to start using them so I need some information. Would the same spray work for a cherry tree? Our apple and cherry tree are side by side and while I don't give 2 hoots about the cherries, I know my sister would come pick some. Any information is greatly appreciated.
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Never sprayed an apple tree, dont even know why you would do it. I only know how to cut the branches to make the appletree healthier.
We used to have 12 apple tree in our garden when I grew up and it was Katja, Fillippa, Åkerö, Gravenstien, Aroma, Singe Tillish, Cox Orange, Transparante Blance, Cox Pomona, Järn äpplen ( winter apples) and 2 Risäter.
We used to have 4 more, which was 2 gravenstien, 1 åkerö and 1 risäter.
How I know what apples I had, well it was well documented and also the Katja was my parents love tree and my mum planted the Filippa, Aroma, cox Orange. We also had a pomolog over to check that the documents were true, since not all apple trees can be treated the same.
I think Susan was referring to the "spraying" as some type of fertilizer or something to keep the bugs away. I guess y'all don't need fertilizer or bug spray there in Sweden.
Bug spray, no, we used to not be allowed to spray fruit trees back in the day and no never sprayed fertilizers.
How ever this gave us a good discussion topic at the Ladies Coffee this morning and no one had ever added fertilizer to an apple tree and we also talked about bug spray which no one had done either. It made the morning much more interesting then the normal gossip about cows and who did what and why.
Oh and if you want to freeze apples, core and paraboil them and it will work.
Apple sauce, apple butter, apple juice concentrate can also be made and frozen. You can make wine out of both apples and cherries and apparently really good liqueur of of both.
Yes, this is now the talk of the village, I should really thank you because the only other thing that has happened here is a suicide.
Sorry about the suicide, Hanna....
I am totally curious how the talk of how to care for an apple tree is the talk of your town and the main topic of your coffee club. I guess it's a good thing that it got y'all's mind off the death though.
I don't want to beat the subject into the ground so those of you who do not care to discuss Swedish apples can just move off this thread now... (sorry gals).
I am still wondering though....
Do you not have bugs in Sweden? Do you not have fungus? How do you keep little critters and insects from eating the apples and bark of the tree? I know rabbits and deer like to eat the bark.
I know some people here paint the tree about 1 foot off the ground with white latex paint to help the tree not to get damaged by temperature changes but only for the first 5 years or so.
Do Swedish apples come off the tree totally unblemished, unmarked and insect/worm free with no fertilization or non-toxic pesticides/etc.?
Do you just eat around the bugs, worms or blemishes or cut them out and then eat what's left?
Daisy it has been a very slow week in this village and it is also apple harvest time and apples are more fun to talk about then boars, deaths and the new train station. We are pondering to have an applecake/pie day next week.
When it comes to apple, the spotless apples you see in the store are just the ones that looked the best, the rest goes in to applesauce and juice. Home grown apples, some will have spots and some wont , doesn't matter which country you are in.
Also the spots on the peel doesn't make the apple bad, it can be removed with a knife and the apple can be eaten, how ever bruises and dents which is common in apples that have dropped means they can't be stored for the winter without rotting and they are best for jam, if you cut away the bad parts.
When it comes to bugs, the most common here is a little beetle that lays it eggs in the flower, the apples grows around it and the worms eat the apple seeds only and then burrow it way out through the left over of the flower and leaves the fruit fully edible but no seeds.
Most often if the apple trees are getting fungus or bugs, we just pick away the rotten fruit, infected leaves and in rare cases for home growing, you can be allowed to spray with sulfur and that is most often all you need.
Cutting the branches is a good way to keep the tree healthy and happy and the apples nice and juicy.
When it comes to bark eating animal, only young trees needs to be protected, we uses a special tubing that can be remove later on and doesn't harm the environment.
But when it comes to growing apples for commercial use then the rules are totally different and I don't think Susan has an orchard for commercial use.
Susan, do you want some of the recipes I gotten from the ladies? It is everything from porkstew to sweet clear jelly.
My hubby's aunt lives in an area of Michigan where they have tons of apple orchards so we have really been fortunate to have fresh picked apples very often.
I don't think I've ever bitten into or cut into an apple that has the seeds eaten but I probably would not eat it if I did. I don't mind eating around or cutting away a bruise from falling off the tree but knowing a bug or worm had been feasting inside the apple would probably turn my stomach even if I knew it had gone back out.
Thanks for the information, Hanna, it's always nice to learn how things work there in Sweden. I agree that spots do not make an apple inedible, I've eaten around plenty!
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