r/Apples • u/PuffinTrain • 10d ago
Help a newbie?
I have two young apple trees planted last August, purchased from a garden center on an end-of-season sale that flowered impressively and now have what look like tiny apples growing on them. They are McIntosh and Zestar. I live in south-central Wisconsin in the United States. Do I need to do anything immediately to help the trees do well? Am I supposed to reduce the number of apples that they bear, or are these not even apples? I’m not super enthusiastic about using pesticides, but if there’s something I should do now, I’m all ears. Thanks for any advice you have for a newbie!
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u/PreferenceSubject398 10d ago
Yes those are apples, until they have had time to fully root and established themselves which is usually two to three years depending on the soil and other factors most growers remove all the apples so the tree will spend more energy on growing than making apples. I would recommend removing apples especially the ones in clusters to save energy. But leaving a few on the tree is negotiable.
For spraying that can be managed with orchid spray but it is generall so covers several different potential problems with experience you may be able to use some specific sprays for what is affecting the trees at any one time.
As for going with out any of pest control I would not recommend because there are so many ways for an apple to be ugly even with the best of care and luck.