The harvest season is fast approaching, and summer apples are ripening. The two most common summer apples include Lodi and Yellow Transparent. They are generally well flavored but must be eaten or processed quickly, as they do not store for more than a few weeks at best.  They work especially well for applesauce. Two slightly later ripening summer apples to consider include Zestar and Sansa. Both keep between six and eight weeks.

 

For autumn-ripening varieties and fruiting pears, coddling moth control is still required into mid-September. There are several strategies for control. Early in the season, apples should have been thinned when they were the size of a small marble or slightly larger. Properly thinned trees have one apple for every six inches of branch. Coddling moth adults prefer to lay eggs on un-thinned fruit in areas where apples touch. Further, not thinning makes it more difficult to obtain complete coverage of apples with sprays. It is also important to remove leftover fruit from the ground and trees in the fall. This fruit is a breeding ground for diseases and pests. Along with insect control, thinning encourages trees to produce annually instead of biennially. It also reduces branch breakage from excessive fruit loads and minimizes overall tree stress.

 

Even when using other methods, pesticides are usually needed to reduce coddling moth numbers. Two soft chemicals labeled for control include neem oil and spinosad. These are considered to be safer for humans and animals and friendlier to non-target insects while still controlling a significant number of insects. However, they do not reduce numbers as effectively as synthetic pesticides such as permethrin, carbaryl or malathion. 

 

To determine when apples are ripe, one of the best methods is simply by taste. If the apple tastes like it is supposed to, it is most likely ripe. Consider these other indicators.

 

- Skin color changes from green to yellow or green to red. 

- Flesh between the skin and core of many red types changes from a greenish color to white. 

- Apples can be easily removed from the tree without damaging the spur.   

- Seeds in the core turn dark brown.

 

Pick ripe apples from the tree by pulling fruit upward and outward while rotating the fruit slightly. On some thin, long-stemmed varieties such as Golden Delicious, it is sometimes necessary to firmly place the index finger at the point of attachment of the stem and branch.  Research has shown that apples picked with their stem attached to the fruit keep longer than those with the stem removed. Apples should be stored at temperatures just above freezing and at high humidity. Frequently check for rotten fruit. Not removing one rotten apple really does spoil the bunch.