# Apples



## fish-r-ride (Jan 5, 2009)

When do apples start getting ready to pick. I have what is suppose to a red delicious apple tree. This year it is loaded. I had two last year but I think the tree is finally getting old enough to bear apples and we had a cold winter. Today I found 2apples on the ground and picked them up and ate one. It was firm and a little tart but also sweet. Like it might be just right for a pie. My kind of apple. Last years apples never turned red so this makes me wonder about what kind it really is. What I'm asking is when should they be getting ripe.


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## Dick Hanks (Aug 16, 2007)

The ripening time for apples is determined a lot by the variety, but climate conditions have almost as big of a roll. It will be impossible to determine the variety that you have based on the ripening time and no more info. Ripening time for apples usually start early to mid August and runs to late September or October.

Red Delicious have very distinctive bumps at the blossom end of the apple. If these are present, it is probably a Red Delicious.

Any pictures?


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## fish-r-ride (Jan 5, 2009)

The tag on the tree when I got it said red delicious, but they never turned red last year. Can you pick them early and let them ripen.


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## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

No .


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## Mantaray (Aug 29, 2004)

I don't mean to steal this thread but since this topic talks about apples, I think I could get some help. I bought & planted a Fuji apple tree some 6 years ago. It has grown fairly tall and I have pruned it once in a while. The problem is - it's not productive, no fruits at all. Occasionally I saw a few flowers in the spring but then they were gone. Right now I see many leaves turning yellow & about to fall off.

I found out there has to be 2 apple trees side by side in order for it to cross-pollinate. What should I do? My wife absolutely doesn't want another apple tree since our backyard is loaded with orange, persimmon, peach, guava and lemon trees.

Any advice would be appreciated? My wife wanted to get rid of it but I'm thinking about chopping down to a few feet and grafting a sweet peach variety from my friend's onto it. Can this be done? :headknock


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## Dick Hanks (Aug 16, 2007)

Plums, peaches and nectarines are in the same family and can be cross grafted. Apples are not in that family. A peach scion grafted onto apple root stock will not survive.

Apple trees do need cross pollination, but the other tree doesn't have to be real close by. Bees cover a fairly large area. We have an apple tree that is being pollinated from other apple trees that are about 500 feet away. If you live in town, there could easily be another apple tree that close. If not, you could graft a crab apple scion on to your tree and it would pollinate itself.

If your tree is getting a lot of yellow leaves this time of year, it is stressed. This could also be a factor in the tree not getting very may blossoms. Could this be heat stress? Are other people in your area successfully growing apple trees?

Lastly; Apple trees usually are older than other fruit trees before they start producing. I've had apple trees go past 6 years before they started producing.

For now, you should concentrate on why you are getting yellow leaves.


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## fish-r-ride (Jan 5, 2009)

I had my tree planted a long time before it started producing. I don't know how old it was when I got it. This is it's first year to really produce. I had 2 apples last year. I would say I had it at least 7 years in the ground. One of my biggest problems is that my soil is real sandy. Does not hold moisture at all, so I am watering alot now.


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## Dick Hanks (Aug 16, 2007)

fish-r-ride said:


> I had my tree planted a long time before it started producing. I don't know how old it was when I got it. This is it's first year to really produce. I had 2 apples last year. I would say I had it at least 7 years in the ground. One of my biggest problems is that my soil is real sandy. Does not hold moisture at all, so I am watering alot now.


 I'm not in Texas during the summers, so I could be wrong, but I think that the heat has to be at about the extreme limit of what most apple trees can take.

If you haven't applied a thick (3' to 5") mulch around your apple tree, you may want to consider doing so. Especially since you have sandy soil that drains fast. The mulch will do 2 things: 1) Greatly reduce the amount of evaporation from the soil, and need to water as often. This will help keep the soil uniformly moist so is isn't going "wet-dry-wet-dry" 2) Keep the soil, and more importantly, the tree roots, much cooler.

Don't put the mulch right up against the trunk. Start about 6" out from the trunk and go out to almost the drip line of the tree. Try to pick a mulch that water and air can penetrate fairly easily. I use wood chips that I get from the local power company. They DELIVER truckloads for FREE !


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## fish-r-ride (Jan 5, 2009)

I will try that. Sounds pretty logical. Anything will help. Still wondering if they are going to turn red. Do you know when that should start happening?


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## Dick Hanks (Aug 16, 2007)

If in fact your tree is a Red Delicious, the apples should start to ripen 135 to 155 after the initial bloom. Blossoms form at different times in different areas based on climate conditions. That's what I was saying in my 1st post on this thread. Do you know when your tree bloomed? 

If you think that they may be ripe, you could check one by cutting it open. A ripe Red Delicious will have dark brown to black seeds. Not light brown or green. The flesh should be a yellow/white with no green tones.

As mentioned previously a couple of good pictures would help us to help you. You are asking for answers, and we have no clue what we are dealing with.

Trees can often be mislabeled. Especially the ones purchased at box stores.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

Dick Hanks said:


> I'm not in Texas during the summers, so I could be wrong, but I think that the heat has to be at about the extreme limit of what most apple trees can take.
> 
> If you haven't applied a thick (3' to 5") mulch around your apple tree, you may want to consider doing so. Especially since you have sandy soil that drains fast. The mulch will do 2 things: 1) Greatly reduce the amount of evaporation from the soil, and need to water as often. This will help keep the soil uniformly moist so is isn't going "wet-dry-wet-dry" 2) Keep the soil, and more importantly, the tree roots, much cooler.
> 
> Don't put the mulch right up against the trunk. Start about 6" out from the trunk and go out to almost the drip line of the tree. Try to pick a mulch that water and air can penetrate fairly easily. I use wood chips that I get from the local power company. They DELIVER truckloads for FREE !


 This is excellent advice...pay attention to it and you will be well served!


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## fish-r-ride (Jan 5, 2009)

Mid March is when the tree bloomed. I hope these pictures are attached.


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## Dick Hanks (Aug 16, 2007)

This is a tough one. The bottom picture doesn't have any of the normal characteristics of a Red Delicious. The apple is very round, and doesn't have the normal elongation at the blossom end that a Delicious should. It is also missing the classic bumps on blossom end of the apple.

However, in the 1st picture, if you go to the center, and then look at the 2 apples that are slightly to the lower left of center, those look like they may have a Delicious shape.

I've heard that ripeness, cool nights, sunlight can all contribute to the apples skin turning red. Your tree is shaded by other trees and may not be getting enough sunshine to help the apples turn color. If in fact cool nights are a factor, you are missing that as well.

I'd wait another week. and then cut one open and look at the seed color. A taste test should also help at that time.


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## redexpress (Apr 5, 2010)

If you decide to start over with just one apple tree, you can get a triple graft at the spring Bear Creek Park sale. I got a Fuji, Golden Dorsett, and a Anna this last spring. It is doing very good so far.


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## fishingcacher (Mar 29, 2008)

redexpress said:


> If you decide to start over with just one apple tree, you can get a triple graft at the spring Bear Creek Park sale. I got a Fuji, Golden Dorsett, and a Anna this last spring. It is doing very good so far.


That's a great tip. How long did it take before it developed fruit?

-- I wonder if the variety is a Golden Pippin?


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## redexpress (Apr 5, 2010)

Heck it had apples on it this spring.....the first year. I think I posted on here about it. I pulled them off hoping it would help the roots develop better. The tree is doing great. I went to the spring sale for a satsuma. I got that and a Republic of Texas orange. I just bought the apple thinking it probably wouldn't make it. But it has lots of new growth and looks good. It gets a few aphids but I haven't done anything about it.


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