Home Orchard Society
Growing Good Fruit at Home
Apples
Over the years, I have experimented with alternate methods of
controlling the codling moth and apple maggot fly in our apple orchard.
It seems the traditionally accepted method of control is an application
of spray every seven to 10 days, starting in June and continuing into
September. Since... More
This year's crop of Belle de Boskoop bagged apples
was absolutely free of codling moth damage. The problem of apple scab,
however, was only partially stopped, if at all. Since my wife and I had
planned a 45 day vacation, exploring the national parks in the western
U.S., I knew that the tree... More
Thanks to Quinten K. Fadness and his article
"Growing Worm-Free,
Spray-Free Apples" in Pome News, Volume XXV, No.2, Spring, 2000 and to
Ted Swensen I now have Worm- Free, Spray-Free Apples. This has been
my lifetime happiest gardening and orcharding experience. As an
uncertified organic... More
The first immigrants to the new world brought seeds from their homes. Hence the first fruits grown by them were seedlings. As the apple, it was seemingly prized for cider above all else. At least it is recorded that as early as 1674 a single individual in Virginia made 20 butts (a cask holding... More
You've heard, an apple a day will keep the doctor
away. While it will certainly take more than a daily apple to keep you
healthy, it is a step in the right direction. Apples are delicious,
easy to carry for snacking, low in calories, a natural mouth freshener,
and they are still very... More
Here in Idaho we do have problems with codling moth, and a few fungal
problems too!
I have tried for seven years to get more non-wormy fruit. I have
failed all but 2 years. Often having 90+% wormy apples!
Last year I sprayed every 2 weeks with various chemicals; Diazinon,
Malathion,... More
Gene Evers won the Largest Fruit Contest at the 2002 All About Fruit
Show. He grew a "Stark Jumbo" apple, with a circumference of 161/2
inches, weighing 2 pounds, 5 ounces.
Would you like to challenge Gene and win the Large Fruit Contest at
the All About Fruit Show? Here are some hints on... More
While answering questions about rootstock at the HOS Spring Event, several people asked if they could have but one apple tree. I thought I knew of a few apple trees that were self-fertile. So I went to the literature and much to my surprise, I found that there are more than a "few" self-fertile... More
Many factors enter into the equation to determine tree size:
rootstock, soil fertility, growth habit, and vigor.
HOS has printed much information on rootstocks and this is
readily available. Soil fertility is a variable that must be taken
into consideration, but each growth site is... More
As my girl friend was trying on shoes and I was doing my impersonation of a pink flamingo, standing on one leg then the other, I noticed something. She was putting on disposable nylon foot sox. I thought, if it could cover feet, why not an apple.
I asked the clerk if I could have some of the... More
Surround®, a white, odorless kaolin clay, is used as a deterrent for
pests and diseases on fruit trees. Kaolin acts as a physical barrier
preventing insects from reaching vulnerable plant tissue. It acts as a
repellent by creating an unsuitable surface for feeding or egg-laying.
The... More
Some areas of the world such as England, the Benelux countries, and Eastern United States have had considerable experience with these apple varieties having three sets of 17 chromosomes (51 total), triploids.
Unlike the more common diploid (two sets of chromosomes, 34 total), these triploids... More
Mystery surrounds this apple, for no one knew or remembered when it originated but "Coxe" reported in 1817 "The original tree at Burlington, N. J. was large and old." There is no doubt that it was an old colonial fruit. The ‘Yellow Bellflower' was always called ‘Belle Fleur' by the French... More
