The core tips & products for a tasty ‘National Apple Day’!

Crunchy, sweet or tangy, most of us love this delicious fruit…in fact it is the apple of our eye in October!  Check out the apple-icious tips below from Barnsdale which will keep your fruit in check until next spring!

October – Harvest Apples

The early varieties will have already been picked and eaten, so our attention should now turn to those that will store – the maincrops. Check they are ready by cupping in your hand, gently lifting and turning. If they are ready they will come away from the tree easily. As for the early varieties, these need to be picked carefully and placed either in a sealed polythene bag, with a couple of small pin pricks in it, or wrapped in paper. The polythene bag method utilises the carbon dioxide they release to slow down the ripening process. Don’t forget to label each bag before placing it in a dark and cool place.

January – Prune Apples

This is the time of year when we can carry out some structural and restorative pruning of apples and pears. Cut out all crossing branches/twigs and ones heading off in the wrong direction. It’s also a good time to remove older branches/spur formations that need to be replaced by younger growth, as winter pruning encourages growth.

February – Renovate Trained Apples

This is the ideal time to remove some of those older spur clusters to rejuvenate them. If left they become old and gnarled and less productive. Therefore with each of our trained apples and pears, that’s cordon, espalier, fan, step-over, etc, we remove one or two older spur clusters each winter and in that way, we maintain healthy and very productive trees.

And what STIGA products are handy for your apples?

The ergonomic design of the new STIGA SC 100e makes this battery pruner both functional and comfortable to use allowing you to work efficiently and quickly. Solid, well balanced and equipped with a non-slip handle, this latest generation pruner offers high safety security thanks to a button with an easy lock-off system and standby/lock-off software.

SC 100e – RRP £149