Tips on Growing Pretty Apples - Mike McGroarty

Mike McGroarty's Backyard Growers Newsletter November 13, 2008

Tips on Growing Pretty Apples


Pat, even in a slow economy people still buy small.
low priced plants because it makes them feel good. Now is
a great time to start a Backyard Nursery so you'll have
plenty of plants to sell when things really pick up.

If you get involved right now, the middle of November, you
have all winter to study the materials and you'll be ready
to hit the ground running this spring.
http://www.freeplants.com/backyard.htm

A signed copy of my book makes an excellent
Christmas gift!
http://www.freeplants.com/easy-plant-propagation.htm



Tips for Growing Pretty Apples

Many people want to grow their own apples, but it can be very
disappointing when the apple crop is damaged by insects and
disease. The fruit can become so disfigured and blemished that
it is no longer edible.

Choosing a disease-resistant apple tree variety is the first
step in producing pretty apples. You will find an assortment
of apple varieties these days that are resistant to some of
the more common apple tree ailments, such as fire blight and
powdery mildew.

Many of the insects and diseases that attack apples and apple
trees tend to overwinter in the leaf litter and ground fall
apples beneath the tree. A simple method to improve the quality
of your homegrown apples is to eliminate the over wintering
habitat for those pests.

Leaves and fruit that fall from an apple tree should be picked up
and discarded. The leaves and ground fall apples should not be
added to your compost pile. They should be bagged and placed in
the trash, far from your apple trees.

Insects that attack apple trees like to spend the winter beneath a
blanket of fallen leaves. Once spring arrives, those insects are
ready to fly or crawl up into the tree where they damage the blossoms
and the developing fruit as they lay eggs for the next generation.
Without that warm blanket of leaves, many of those insects will
succumb to the cold winter weather.

Other insects lay their eggs in the apples. Come spring those eggs
hatch and the insects are ready to attack the next crop of apples.
If the ground fall apples are kept picked up, those insects won't get
the chance to damage next year's crop.

Practicing good garden hygiene will help you reduce the amount of
spraying necessary for a blemish-free apple crop. A good pruning
schedule is also beneficial, but that's an article for another day.

Have a great week!
-Mike McGroarty