Recommendations from experienced gardeners on when and how to properly remove apples for storage

A rich harvest of apples is the joy and pride of any gardener. But along with a large number of fragrant fruits, several problematic issues appear.

When to remove apples from a tree, and how to prepare the crop for further storage, where is the best place to remove the fruits for the winter?

Recommendations from experienced gardeners will help you harvest on time and preserve healthy and aromatic fruits.

How do you know when it's time to harvest?

To keep a picked apple juicy and aromatic for as long as possible, it must be picked on time.

Signs that it is time to pick fruit from the tree:

• Among the fallen fruits, large ones appeared with characteristic signs of ripeness (uniform color, distinct taste);
• the pulp is white or cream-colored;
• when pressed, the peel does not burst, indentations from the finger are not preserved;
• brown seeds;
• ripe fruit is easily separated from the branch along with the stalk.

There is also a chemical method for determining ripeness.

Algorithm of actions:

1. Iodine is diluted with 1 gram of iodine in a liter of distilled water. and potassium iodide 4 g.
2. A half-cut apple is dipped into the resulting solution.
3. After two minutes, the result is assessed. If the apple turns blue at the edges of the cut, the fruit is unripe. A blue tint around the edges and a yellow tint in the middle indicates that the fruit is ripe. If only a yellow spot appears on the cut, the apple is overripe.

Does the harvest time depend on the variety?

According to the ripening period, apples are divided into several groups:

1. Summer varieties. The fruits begin to be harvested in August. By this time, the fruits gain the maximum amount of sugar, juice, and vitamins. Experts advise that summer varieties be processed immediately, since they do not last long.
2. Autumn varieties. The harvest lasts from August to September. Autumn varieties can be stored for no more than four months (if longer, the apple loses its density and the pulp becomes loose).
3. Winter varieties. The fruits begin to be harvested in mid-September and end in mid-October. These are the most convenient apple varieties for storage. When picked in time, they retain their juiciness and taste until the beginning of spring.

How to pick?

There are certain collection rules apples, the observance of which determines how long the harvest will be stored:

1. The best time to collect sweet fruits is a dry, clear day. Experts advise harvesting in the afternoon, when the air warms up well and the fruits fall into the basket perfectly dry.
2. The tree is not watered before harvesting.
3. Ripe fruits are picked very carefully, grasping with all fingers, pressing on the stalk at the point of attachment to the branch.
4. First of all, fruits are collected from the lower branches, smoothly moving to the very top.
5. Picked apples are not thrown, but carefully placed in a prepared container (basket, dry bucket).

How to prepare for storage in the cellar?

Before baskets or boxes of fruit go into the cellar for storage, it is necessary to carry out a number of preparatory measures:

1. Sorting. The collected apples are sorted and divided by size (small, large, medium), by variety and by quality (the criterion of peel integrity and the presence of damage is considered). Particularly large fruits are set aside separately (they spoil very quickly).
2. Packaging. Experts recommend storing apples of different varieties separately, in different containers. Wooden boxes, previously well dried and disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate, are ideal for storing fruits.

   It is important to ensure that when laying the fruits the stalks do not touch each other. To do this, layers of fruit are sprinkled with dry sawdust of non-coniferous wood.

How to store?

Long-term storage is possible under the following conditions:

• air temperature within +2-5C;
• humidity 86-90%.

Store apples in a pantry or cellar. If possible, boxes with fruit are placed away from containers with vegetables.

The whole point is that sweet fruits emit a lot of ethylene (a gas that accelerates the ripening process of root crops).

Before putting a box of fruit into a cellar or basement, the room must be cleaned, the walls are disinfected with a solution of slaked lime, the floor is sprayed with copper sulfate diluted in water (500 grams of dry powder is enough for 10 liters).

You can learn how to properly store apples in the cellar in winter and how to prepare them for storage. here.

Adviсe

It is important to adhere to the following recommendations:

1. Apples on the south side of the tree ripen faster (they are picked first).
2. Ripe heavy fruits should not be pulled (there is a high probability that the tree branch will break).
3. You should not shake the apple tree to collect fruits from the upper branches.
4. Fruits with cracked skins should not be stored. Damaged, rotten fruits are immediately sent for processing.

Conclusion

By following the recommendations for proper apple picking, you can enjoy sweet, juicy and healthy fruits all winter.