Evendays

While inspecting one of the apple trees from the balcony of our apartment, I spied the underside of leaves. Not a good sign. The underside of leaves should face the ground, not the sky.

A branch a bit thicker than an inch had broken (more like “cracked”) during the night, scattering half a dozen apples on the walkway below. There had been no storm, no winds, no rain. Just too much fruit.

I propped up the branch and strengthened a few others, but we may lose even more branches. There are just too many Golden Delicious apples on this tree.

The tree is carefully pruned each February when bare branches, often covered with frost, give but a hope of October apples. I stretch support wire from the trunk to the branches, allowing passage on the path below, giving the tree form, guiding branches along a trellis.

Last year, just one side of this tree gave fruit. Our second tree gave but 8 apples. Yes, only 8. This year, on both trees, the apples hang in bunches, like grapes ready for harvest.

I may have to thin the apples, destroying some of the smaller fruit, and even some of the more beautiful fruit, just to save the branches and assure a bright future for the tree.