The first month after bloom is a critical time for ensuring that apples reach their full potential size at harvest, according to Dr. Alan Lakso of Cornell University, New York. During the first ten days after bloom, the apples grow by cell division and the cells don’t grow very much in size, Lakso explained during the International Fruit Tree Association’s annual conference. During that period, the number of cells in the fruit grows exponentially. Early fruit thinning is important, as the number of cells in the fruit is reduced by waiting too long to thin. This is because of competition […]