Fruit Thinning Treatments-May 9, 2019

The average fruit size for Gala, Honeycrisp and Pink Lady in Winchester today is 13.19, 13.08 and 14.06 mm, respectively. Although 6-BA-carbaryl or NAA-carbaryl mixes can still be effective at this stage, thinning applications will not be possible during the rest of this week & weekend due to the rain. On the other hand, the thinning model predicts a carbohydrate surplus next week, making thinning a bit challenging. The recommended options for next week are: a) Increase the rate of thinning materials by 15-30% according to the model outputs (note: another update will be posted on my blog on Monday, May 13), b) Wait until your apples approach an appropriate size (19-25 mm) for rescue thinning applications.

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