North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Nathan Torgerson <nathantorgerson@yahoo.com>]

Plastic bagging, it's time consuming but so effective! If only plastic bagging worked for soft fruits! My experience so far: Pears worked fine,  plums were a disaster, every one of them  split wide open.  Peaches I haven't tried, but I assume that they'd act like plums.

 

This year I wrapped my peach tree with nylon tulle and will soon do the same with my plum trees (This is much quicker to do than individual bagging).  When the plums get bigger, I'll remove the netting (so the tree can grow normally) and cover the fruit with 5"x7" organza bags that I bought for ~$12 for 50 on ebay.  I'll probably cover a few peaches with the organza too just for testing if it affects the ripening, but I think I will leave the tulle on, because I have the netting supported with a pole above the tree, so I think the tree will be able to grow fine under the netting.

 

North suburbs of Minneapolis had a light frost last night, so hopefully that didn't get the peaches...

 

Nate

Andover, MN zone 4

Charles Paradise <machelp@attglobal.net> wrote:

> There have been 2 or more questions about bagging in the last few days.
> Previously I saved what I thought were some of the more descriptive 
> posts about bagging with plastic bags. I'm pasting these posts below 
> and I'm bagging some of my Northern Spy apples which are in good set and 
> clean - usually by now bites are already on most of the fruit - I will 
> be bagging immediately not spraying with Imidan before bagging.
> Charlie Paradise
> _______________________________________________
> I have used plastic bags for 2 years now and have had great
> success! Before I had almost 95% bad fruit even with sprying
>  in
> previous 6 years. Now after 2 years I have 95% perfect fruit.
> Last year I did use both zip lock (cheap ones from WMart, 1-2
> cents each) and fold lock tops that I stapled near the stem. This
> year I used only zip lock bags and I did not staple them as I did
> some last year for both types of bags. Yes it is one fruit per
> bag and any size would work, I use sandwich size, and that held a
> very large fuji, and will hold even a too big apple with out any
> problem. If the apple gets bigger than the bag it will just
> stretch it!
>
> I had about 1% blow down with the bag empty. I had about 1% late
> tree apple thinning, so the bag and the fruit both fell.
>
> Both years I waited until the fruit size was about 3/4" to 1 1/4"
> I thinned and then I bagged the remaining fruit. Some times on
> the same step others several days apart. I have talked to one guy
> that bags the fruit blossom cluster as soon as possible after
> polination (pedal fall) and
>  that keeps the PC plum curlio? off
> the earliest problem in some areas. Then after the apples size up
> he opens up the zipper type bag and then thins and reuses the
> zipper.
>
> I did use an insecticide spray at petal fall, and maybe one other
> 7-10 days later. This protected until the bags were on.
>
> I have now harvested 2 of my apple trees. I had some sun scald on
> bagged and unbagged apples, this is a different coloring and
> sometimes a split in the skin on the south west side of the tree.
> We have many days in the 90's and 100+ F so I think this heat is
> the cause not the bags.
>
> I have had a few (5-10) apples with water in the bag. Most of
> these the apple is just fine. I have trimmed the bottom corners
> of all bags, leaving about 1/2" opening to drain water, so this
> is not full of water just some droplets. Last year I had more
> with some fungal problems with water in the bag. I have seen a
> few maybe 5 with a black blossom end.
>  Less splitting and spots
> this year but not all picked yet.
>
> So after bagging 1000+ apples I have 900+ great looking apples, I
> harvest and leave the bags on for storrage. I did not do this
> last year but have read it helps keep them longer. We are
> entering some in the county fair this week and usually get
> several awards for the apple, peaches, and nectarenes not bagged
> though; also our garden vegies too!
>
> When I finish with the remaining 3 trees I will give a follow up
> with data from the control on a tree that had more problems last
> year with fungal spots in bags, and so this year I did about 1/2
> of the apples and so I will have some comparison of baged and
> unbagged. Data!
>
> I know that I have had a few, 2-3 with codling moth damage with
> the bag. But I also know that the # of unbagged fruit most have
> damage from bugs. I would guess over 50% damaged unbagged. Most
> of these fall earlier because they ripen faster. We still
>  trim
> and eat these but these are bruised also.
>
> I have also seen much control from the bird damage, with the bags almost 
> no damage, with out the bag over 50 % of the remaining fruit this is 
> high because of the low #'s of unbagged and they are hungry!
>
> Jim
> N. Idaho
> Zone 6
>
> _______________________________________________
> The wildlife in the States must be awfully intelligent. I used to
> get squirrel damage before bagging. For a two week period, the
> squirrels would come and sample an apple; one chunk and spit it
> out - no different than yesterday! With bagging, the deterrent
> appears overwhelming. I am tempted to try it on my peaches next
> year, as long as the winter doesn't kill all my flower buds. Bird
> pecks and wasp damage are also at a minimum - much much less than
> totally bare.
>
> As for the zip lock, yes, there is an opening by the stem that I
> am sure contributes to some contamination. For me, the damage
>  is
> minimal. I have removed bags that have half of the zip open and
> part of the apple is bare to the elements - the apple was
> perfect! It seems that the most critical period for the bags is
> when the apple is young and developing. The apple is covered and
> I suspect cannot exude enough of its aromatic 'nectar' to entice
> the little crawlies.
>
> When applying the zip lok, I have lost the odd apple because I
> slightly twisted the apple. But the lock is never so tight that
> it "bites into the stem". As for the "sail" effect. I would
> suggest that this enhances the stability of the stem. The fruit
> stem is made of similar material as woody stems. A stationary
> stem of an apple tree is definitely not as sturdy as one that
> waves in the wind.
>
> JB
> Can Zone 6b - just N of Toronto
> _______________________________________________
>
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