UMass Video Fruit Advisor, 09/09/09: tall spindle MOPUP apple planting

Apple maturity report: 09/08 and 09/09/09

General comments on 09/08 and 09/09 apple maturity: Honeycrisp are definitely coming along nicely, with much improved color development and starch-index approaching 5-6. Harvest should begin in earnest, although sugars could be higher. Don't expect much in sugar development and varietal flavor given the unusally wet and cloudy summer of 2009, but fruit harvested and tested today (09/09) in Belchertown were very good flavor. Full report here.

Apple maturity report: 09/07/2009

General comments on 09/07/09 apple maturity: Gala maturity still lags, however, a cursory inspection of some Brookfield and Buckeye Gala fruit in Belchertown this morning (09/08) showed some good background color change from green to yellow. Those fruit will be harvested later this week. McIntosh are just starting to get 'good' and I expect rapid development of maturity now. Honeycrisp still need more time to develop varietal flavor, and fruit are holding on the tree nicely. Color development is creeping along. Full report here.

UMass Video Fruit Advisor, 09/04/09: Silken and Lindamc apples

Apple maturity report: 09/04/2009

General comments on 09/04/09 apple maturity: Shelburne and Deerfield in upper Connecticut River valley. Gala and Honeycrisp need more time, at least another week, in Shelburne. Marshall McIntosh being harvested in Deerfield, Honeycrisp could be spot picked on color now. In Belchertown, Silken (pictured at left) is a very nice, yellow apple which is approaching harvest. Lindamac McIntosh will be picked Monday, and they have great color. Full report here.

Apple maturity report: 09/03/2009

General comments on 09/03/09 apple maturity: Lindamac, Gale Gala, Buckeye Gala, Honecyrisp (Northboro, MA). Lindamac, Gale Gala, Honeycrisp (Stow, MA). My first look at Gale Gala. With the exception of Northboro Honeycrisp, all fruit from 2nd leaf trees. With the exception of Northboro Honeycrisp, all fruit needs a week to develop better sugar, maturity, and flavor. Starch index of the Northboro Honeycrisp was unusually high, meaning the fruit were very mature, or there was not much starch, and hence sugar, to start -- harvest of these Honeycrisp should commence as soon as color is adequate. Full report here. Also see 09/02/09 apple maturity report.

Show me the money...

A colleague of mine in NJ just reported that he picked one (20 bushel) bin of Lindamac apples off 100 trees planted last year to a tall-spindle training system that I had sourced from Willow Drive Nursery. These were knip-boom trees, so they were decent, but the branching was a little variable and they may have been 2'nds, so I can't say they were truly great. Nice, but not great, probably equivalent to a decently feathered 1-year nursery tree. Now, some head-only math:

• 20 bushes, assuming an average count of 100 apples per bushel, equals 20 apples per tree -- more than the 5-10 recommended on 2nd leaf tall-spindle trees, but you got to hand it to McIntosh, it can be a very productive variety
• at orchard-run wholesale, 50 cents per pound, that is $400/bin. My colleague says he is selling for $300, so it is a bit of a give-away Win... :-)
• at full retail, $1.00 per pound, and 90% pack-out, that is $720/bin. Let's call it $700
• if the Lindamac were planted 3 ft. X 12 ft., that is app. 1,200 trees per acre, equals 12 bins/acre, equals wholesale value of $3,600 (might as well give then away) and retail value $8,400. At $8,400 you would have come CLOSE to paying for the trees in the 2nd leaf! Well, for 2/3 of the trees anyways...

Not bad. After the 3rd leaf, assuming everything goes well, it should be all gravy for retail apple growers planting to tall-spindle. Anyone care to refute my logic???

JC