Thinned "Jonared" apples.  5.30.17

This year looks like a good year for the young apple trees.  This Jonared Apple is 3 years old, and had good bloom and fruit set for the first time this Spring.  I thinned the developing apples to at least 6 inches apart, for better fruit development and to avoid alternate year bearing.  Jonathan is a nostalgia variety for me, but the red Jonared sport was as close as I could come when ordering on line.  I have since found some true Jonathan scion, and grafted them to this tree, this year, to see if I can see any difference.

This is the time to thin fruits, if it's not already done.  The developed the most cells per fruit at the early stage, so thinning them results in better development.  Many of my grafts from the past 3 years will have their first taste this year, including Porter (one), Newtown Pippin (one), Baldwin (5), Arlie Red Flesh (6), Goldrush (6), Priscilla (4).  For best graft development, better to remove the first fruits, but I'm not getting younger so I am leaving them as if they are understock branches, so I get to taste them.  Since I thinned aggressively, they still have a chance for more fruit next year.