Features of picking apples

Many are familiar with the amazing aroma of ripe apples just picked from the tree. I just want to breathe it in, feel the taste of these incredibly tasty and healthy fruits. The apples are harvested when they are fully ripe. In order to preserve the harvest for a long time, you need to know in what time frame to do garden work, how to do it correctly, and through the use of what devices you can get fruits from the upper branches of the apple tree.

The final stage in growing fruits is harvesting them. At the same time, it is important not only to get a decent harvest, but also to hold events on time.

Experts subdivide the varieties of these fruits into certain types:

• summer;
• autumn;
• winter.

Summer varieties are not intended for long-term storage, they are immediately eaten. Such varieties ripen by mid-August.

Apples that have reached maturity in the fall are used for long-term storage. But this period may vary depending on temperature fluctuations. So, during a warm summer with a lot of rain, fruits may ripen earlier. Less favorable conditions will postpone harvesting.

In warmer climates, juicy fruits tend to ripen earlier. They begin to be removed from the trees at approximately the same time, taking into account the location of the region.

• In the Urals, the fruits become ripe earlier, they are harvested from the end of July to the beginning of September.
• In the Moscow region, you can start collecting them from the end of August. Eating continues until mid-October.
• In Siberia, fruit ripening begins in mid-August and lasts until the end of September.
• The collection in the Leningrad region and the Volga region is also carried out at the specified time. If you do this later, the apples will be overripe, but if you rush too much, they will not taste full.
• Regardless of the region, be it the Volga region or Udmurtia, autumn varieties are usually removed from the tree from the end of August to September.

With proper storage, winter varieties can retain a bright aroma and pronounced taste for 6 months. At the same time, they will remain juicy and crispy. Such varieties tolerate transportation better, are suitable for processing and fresh food.

The harvest time for autumn fruits is in September. Fruiting lasts 3-4 weeks. This allows you not to rush to harvest, but to do it gradually. Autumn varieties are stored for 3-4 months, after which they begin to lose density, become loose and wadded.

When the fruit season comes, you need to start picking them. Various methods will allow you to accurately determine the time.

• Moon calendar. The moon affects the state of the liquid not only in living things, but also in plants. At certain times, they receive a large amount of moisture, increasing the supply of necessary components. Calculation of days according to the lunar calendar will allow you to determine the timing of the harvest.
• Fruit tasting. Eating food will reveal the ripeness of the fruit.
• Appearance. Ripe fruits have an even color, without darkening.The bones are dark brown inside. The taste of the fruit is sweet and sour, the fruit is juicy and aromatic.
• Determination by pressing the fruit with fingers. The remaining dent indicates its full maturation.
• With the help of fallen apples. If there are a lot of large fruits on the ground, it's time to start harvesting.
• Method using iodine. A drop of iodine applied to the cut will help determine the ripeness of the apples. Fruits with a developed blue border on the cut and a yellow center are already completely ready for transportation.

It is not so difficult to harvest from undersized apple trees or dwarf varieties, which cannot be said about tall fruit trees with impressive sizes. Usually the most delicious fruits hang at the top.

Such fruit pickers can be made independently from improvised means, or you can go to the country store for them. In industrial conditions, a combine is used as such a device.

For a device to be functional, it must meet certain requirements:

• the collector must firmly grip and hold the fruit;
• have sufficient height;
• do not break branches or injure apples when removing them.

As a material for it, plastic, wire, burlap and others can be used.

• Plastic. The simplest and most popular option for making a fruit picker is plastic. Such constructions are simple and easy to use. The plastic "tulip" consists of two parts: a special glass with petals and a handle. To remove the fruit with a "tulip", you need to grab the apple so that it is in the glass, and scroll it a little. The stalk should be between the petals at this time.
• Wire. Wire or collet pullers also have a lot of fans. The structure consists of a plastic pipe and wire with a fishing line. To remove the fruit, the wire is fixed at the end of the handle, bending the edges into rings through which the fishing line is threaded. With the help of the fishing line, the mechanism will work. Once in the center of the stripper, the apple is fixed by pulling the line. To separate the fruit from the branch, you need to scroll the device.
• Saccular. Baggy options are no less popular. Such models are not only convenient, but also functional, since they can be used to simultaneously remove several fruits. It has a round shape, sharp tin petals that act as a knife. A small bag is attached to the mold. Thanks to the handle-holder, the device is attached to the glass. It should be of a suitable length, fairly light and comfortable. After cutting, the fruits will fall into the collector without being damaged.
• With capture. Gripper models are more often chosen for picking small fruits. To grasp the fruit, a plastic device in the form of a three-toed paw is used. The presence of a telescopic handle with a lever allows the mechanism to be activated, due to which an apple is found in the cavity of the collector. After that, you need to pluck it from the branch. The disadvantage of this device is that when using it, branches and leaves are often severely damaged.

In addition to store options, homemade fruit pickers are also used. They can be made independently using improvised materials in the form of plastic containers, plastic pipes or even cans. To make a structure out of plastic containers, you need:

• take a plastic bottle for 2 or 2.5 liters;
• prepare a stick that acts as a holder;
• use twine in work or replace it with wire

To make another homemade fruit puller, you need:

• cut the selected container into two parts - a part with a neck will come in handy in the work;
• make a wedge-shaped gap on the cut line and use it to separate the stalk from the branches;
• attach the stick to the neck with twine or wire, you can simply wrap it with tape.

There are certain rules for harvesting.

• Collecting apples begins with cleansing the place under the apple tree, raising the fallen fruits. This will protect the site from sick or poor-quality fruits, which can become a source of spread of diseases.
• The work should not be carried out in the morning, while the plants still have dew. Fruit harvesting is usually carried out in the afternoon, when the air has already warmed up well and the dew has evaporated. It is important that the weather is suitable for this. In the rain or immediately after it, apples are not picked.
• They begin to harvest from the lower branches, gradually rising to the top of the tree. Special devices will help to remove the fruits from the upper branches.
• Fruit intended for long-term storage should be removed with a stalk. Remove the fruits from the tree by scrolling until they come off by themselves.
• The varieties used for making jams, other preparations or food, that is, summer varieties, are cut off when they are fully ripe or slightly unripe. It is advisable to take off winter apples later. Better to do this before frost.

Only ripe dense fruits should be taken for storage. Immediately after removing the fruits, they are sorted.

Harvesting in the garden should be done carefully, carefully selecting fruits for storage and those that can be processed or used for food.

Wormy or deformed, as well as crumpled fruits should be set aside separately, they should not be left for storage in the basement. For this, only specimens without defects, wormholes, dents or rot are suitable.

The harvested crop is carefully folded into a plastic bucket.

Do not shake the tree or shake off the apples with a stick or other improvised means. If the fruits fall, they will be damaged, which in the future will cause the appearance of rotten spots. Such fruits can be left for the preparation of blanks for the winter, but they are no longer suitable for long-term fresh storage.

Harvested crops are best kept in wooden boxes with ventilation holes. It is necessary to process the container with a solution of potassium permanganate, then dry the container in the sun and lay the bottom with clean paper sheets.

For better preservation, cardboard boxes are also suitable. With a small harvest, each fruit is recommended to be wrapped in paper. In a spacious room, you can build many racks that are suitable in shape and size and lay the specimens on the surface so that they do not touch each other.

When stored in boxes or boxes, individual varieties are folded separately, taking into account the different periods of their ripening.

Fruits for storage should not be washed, it is important that a whole matte film remains on them, protecting them from the appearance of rot.

The crop is best stored in a cool and dry place. The best place for this is the basement. It must be clean and dry. The last trash is preliminarily removed from it, the cracks are clogged and the walls are disinfected with copper sulfate or slaked lime. It is also advisable to wash the floor with disinfectants.

It is recommended to store the crop at temperatures up to 5 degrees, with a humidity of 80–90%.

It is necessary to inspect the crop, removing spoiled specimens. Do not freeze them.