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| Apples in need of thinning. At 30 cm in diameter, hand thinning may be the best option for crop load management. Photo: Annie Klodd |
Today is June 24 - have you thinned your apple crop yet? In episode 22 of What's Killing My Kale, Annie took a deep dive into apple crop load management (thinning) techniques with fruit tree researcher Becky Wiepz. Becky recently received her Masters degree in Horticulture at Penn State, studying a crop load management technique called artificial spur extinction. This non-chemical technique may be a promising option for organic apple growers in the Midwest, as it reduces or eliminates the need for chemical thinners during the growing season. In addition to artificial spur extinction, we compared the advantages and disadvantages of various thinning techniques, and laid out what options apple growers have at this point in the season if they have not thinned yet.
You can listen to and download the episode here.
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