Harvesting and Storing Apples

How can a person tell when the apples are mature enough to pick?

Several things should be considered when determining the ripeness of apples. An easy thing to check is the seeds. If the fruit is mature, they will be brown in color. Fruit taste is also a good indication of ripeness.

Can fruits be harvested early?

Many individuals are tempted to harvest early because of bird damage, but if that is done, storage life will be shortened and quality will be reduced because of lower sugar levels.

Will a frost damage the apples?

It all depends on how cold it gets and how long the temperature stays below freezing. 28 degrees for a few hours won't hurt the fruits; whereas 20 degrees would be a problem. Warm sunny days and cool night temperatures tend to make apples sweeter.

How are apples stored?

To get maximum storage life, harvest fruits when mature, don't bruise the fruits, cool rapidly and store the fruits as close as possible to 30 degrees. 85-90% humidity is optimum.

What causes the bumpy appearance on the fruits?

This is caused by apple maggots. They also cause tiny brown streaks in the fruit and make they undesirable for use.

Pruning Fruit Trees

When should fruit trees be pruned?

The optimum time for pruning fruit trees is in the spring after the danger of severely cold weather has passed but before the trees leaf out.

Are all fruit trees pruned alike?

No - for pruning purposes, we separate fruit trees into 2 groups: The apples, crabapples and pears produce their fruit on older wood. When we prune them, we can remove new growth to control size without affecting fruit yield. The plums, apricots and cherry produce fruit on fairly new growth and when pruning we should thin out the older branches to stimulate new growth.

How should young fruit trees be pruned?

Fruit trees which haven't fruited should only be pruned to select main branches and remove diseased and dead wood. Heavy pruning of young trees will stimulate new growth and set back flowering and fruiting.

Should pruning paint be used on wounds?

Yes, with apples, crabapples and pears. Using pruning paint or latex house paint on the wounds will help keep fireblight from getting into the open wounds.

Repairing Split Fruit Trees

Contact an NDSU Forestry specialist or city forester and have them evaluate your tree before you attempt to repair any tree.

What can be done for trees that have split or have severe cracks in their trunks?

Trees which are split by wind damage or by a heavy load of fruit can be bolted back together to prevent future damage.

How would you go about fixing a tree which has split?

First, evaluate the situation to determine if the two split parts can be bolted together. If fixing is possible pull the two split portions together and tie in place. Then drill a hole or series of holes through the split portions at right angles to the split. Use either a threaded rod or bolt with large flat washers on each end to hold the split portions together.

Can the same technique be used with trees which are cracked?

Yes, but the process is much easier because you don't have to tie the tree in place before bolting.

Should pruning paint be used?

Normally it's not necessary but can be used if desired.

Selecting Apple & Crabapple Varieties

Can apples be successfully grown in our area?

Yes, many different varieties will do well in North Dakota. Try to stay away from planting dwarf trees, since the rootstocks are very tender and require additional winter protection.

What should be considered when selecting an apple variety?

The three major things to consider when selecting apple varieties are: hardiness, Fireblight resistance, and maturity date

Which varieties would you recommend?

I would recommend planting at least 2 different varieties. Haralred, a red colored selection of Haralson, is a late maturing tart apple which stores well. Hazen matures in mid season, is semi-dwarf and bears fruit at a young age. Minnesota has several good introductions including State Fair, Sweet Sixteen, Honeycrisp and Zestar.

Do you need to plant two different varieties?

Yes, it is important for pollination. Without two different varieties the fruit set would be extremely limited. The one redeeming thing is that crabapples and flowering crabs will work as pollinators.

Do crabapples do well here?

Yes, there are several good varieties. My two favorites are Centennial and Chestnut.

Why Fruit Trees Don't Bear Fruit?

Why are some fruit trees so slow to flower and bear fruit?

Usually a home owner purchases fruit trees which have been grafted a year or two earlier and should begin fruiting within 4-5 years. If it takes longer than that for fruiting, you may be pruning too much or over fertilizing your trees.

Why would pruning and fertilizing prevent a tree from bearing fruit?

Pruning on a tree tends to stimulate more vegetative growth. Basically it causes the tree to put its energy into growing rather than producing fruit. Over fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizer will cause a fruit trees to grow vigorously and look great, but will also delay flowering and fruiting.

What other situations could cause trees not to bear fruit?

Extremely low temperatures during the winter may damage fruit buds and prevent fruit from setting. If you only have one tree or one variety, pollination will be very poor since two different varieties are needed for good cross pollination. High winds, steady rainfall and cold temperature will decrease insect activity and reduce pollination. Certain varieties will take longer to flower and fruit than other varieties.

This page was last updated August 2002

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