To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Apple bagging/thinning
Date: Thu, 1 Jun 2006 15:36:19 -0500
Ginda,
I bagged my apples over Memorial Day weekend, too, when they were the size
of big peas. I didn't want to wait, because I started seeing leaf damage on
trees. I sprayed with neem seed oil, waited two hours and then bagged. I
thinned the clusters with scissors, which I had with me to cut off the
corners of the plastic baggies. I tried pulling and tugging, but the stems
were too tough, and I could see damage could be done if I persisted.
An interesting observation: the tiny apples I bagged doubled in size within
36 hours. Of course, we had a heat wave here in the Midwest with
temperatures in the low 90's and humidity to match.
Doreen Howard
Zone 4b--WI-IL Border