06/08/2026
Thinning! One of the most important yet tedious jobs we do over the summer. Thinning apples is the process of removing excess young fruitlets. This practice helps to direct the tree's energy into the remaining fruit, resulting in larger, higher quality apples. It is also immensely important for next year's crop. Apple trees set their flower buds for next year's crop during the mid-to-late summer of the current year. Because the tree has to support growing fruit while simultaneously trying to build flower buds for the next season, it requires immense energy. If the trees have to heavy of a crop, this will take away from the energy the tree needs for the following year. If not enough energy is stored the trees will produce little or no fruit the following year.
