Apple tree advice needed

[ellal]

We planted a 'cox's pippin' tree in march, and with the inclement weather has already started to produce apples - and lots of them!

However, the tree is still only about 1.8m and the branches are quite thin. So would it be best to remove the apples to avoid the risk of the tree/branches being 'overloaded'...?

 

[Trazor]

This is not as simple as it seems...

To work out how much weight each branch may hold, you will need to do the following..

Remove all the apples from one branch, and weigh them together, divide by the number of apples you have, to get your average apple weight.

Measure the length of this branch.
Now attach a spring balance to the end of it, and pull down until the branch breaks, making a note of the spring balance reading at the exact moment the branch broke.

Let us now assume your branch was 2 feet long, and the diameter of the branch was 1/2" where it broke, and it required 10 lbs of force to break it.
As the branch broke at 2 feet with 10 lbs force, it would need 20 lbs force at 1 foot to break. Work out the cross sectional area for 1/2" dia, which will be 0.1964 square inches.
Divide 1 by 0.1964 to give approx 5, multiply this by 20 lbs, which gives a breaking load of 100 ft lbs per square inch.

For each branch measure the diameter where you think it would break, and work out the cross sectional area. Measure the distance to each apple on this branch, in feet. Now multiply that distance in feet by your average apple weight in lbs, do this for each apple on that branch, and add them together. This will give you the total foot lbs torque on this branch.

Divide 1 by the cross sectional area of this branch and multiply by the foot lbs figure you have, provided the answer is less than the 100 ft lbs figure, the branch will not break.

I would allow a safety factor of 2, to allow for wind and rain, and them pesky birds.

So now you will need to work backwards, removing apples to the point where the total torque does not exceed 50 ft lbs.

Just substitute your own figures for the ones above, and you are done.........

 

[ellal]

yeah right...

I was just after whether it would be better to sacrifice the apples until the tree was a bit more mature, but didn't count on needing a degree in engineering...

 

[Trazor]

Seriously, if you are concerned, remove some apples from the furthest ends of the branches.
If you wish to save your crop, you could support the branches, with thick canes driven into the ground, and tie securely to the cane, but loosely around the branches.
Some varieties of apple tree do fruit quite vigorously, even early in life, and can damage themselves.

 

[JohnD]

50p says most of them will fall off in June.

You can thin the weak-loooking branches yourself if you can't wait.

 

[ellal]

I'm not bothered too much about saving the crop (didn't expect to be able to harvest any 'til next year anyway)..was just wondering also if by taking the apples off this year whether future yields would be affected?

as you can tell 'complete novice' as an apt description when applied to my knowledge of fruit trees!...

 

[JohnD]

taking the fruit away this year will help it grow stronger for the future.

 

[ellal]

taking the fruit away this year will help it grow stronger for the future.

Thanks..

 

[Thermo]

let nature do what it does best, look after itself. Its rare that it will over produce to cause damage to itself. Its an apple tree in a garden not an orchard cropping one!

 

[Old Perennial]

Id do nothing, The tree its self will naturally drop fruit enough for it to cope with. Ditto plums. If you fruit prone now and it drops naturally soon, you'll end up with nowt!