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Fruit & Orchards

Bitter Pit in Apples

14 years ago

I have had problems with what I think is bitter pit the last couple of years. My apples have small slightly sunken spots a bit darker than the apple and when you cut into them they are brown and corky looking. I have read that lime stone will help as well as calcium spray. I will not spray calcium so was wondering if anyone has had this problem and if lime really does help. My soil is a bit acidic.

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Comments (6)

jean001
14 years ago
Calcium may or may not help because the underlying mechanism is a transport problem -- getting the calcium to the correct place.

Conditions which increase the likelihood of bitter pit include one or more of the following: excess nitrogen, heavy fruit set, and/or an apple variety that's more susceptible to the problem than are other kinds.
imred
Original Author
14 years ago
I have read quite a bit about the causes which seem to be many and varied. It seems it isdue to calcium levels what ever the cause. Some say it can be controlled by spray, others by adding lime to the soil. Others give no real solutions. Also the 2 most affeted for me are Fuji and Gold Delicious, which are not supposed to be as affected as other varietis. I was hoping to contact someone who had had the problem and had either solved it or lessened its effects.
RED
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The nitrogen will leach out with rain, at least after it is converted to nitrate form. Phosphate and potash don't leach out with rain but can be tied up by the soil and thus become unavailable to the tree. So nitrogen needs to be applied once or twice a year if needed. P and K only need be applied when a soil test shows they are lacking. Applying too much of any nutrient is wasteful, bad for the environment, potentially problematic by affecting uptake of other nutrients, and in the case of nitrogen can reduce fruit eating quality. Go easy on the fertilizer, especially something like 10-10-10. Fruit trees usually need more N than P or K.
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I also seem to have to hold them on the tree to the bitter end to get the fruit to fully flavor up. When the trees first started baring this wasn't the case. This may be the reason you are having the problems- you are keeping the fruit on the tree well after seeds have reached maturity. For me the majority of the fruit develops rot before the fruit is actually worth eating but these are the typical round circles of rot that starts on the exterior. Until this season I assumed the issue was early springs and very warm weather when they ripened but this year should have been perfect. The fruit was huge and beautiful but bland. By the time it flavored up, 80% of the fruit had huge rot spots or had already dropped off the tree. I have only one site where this apple is actually worth growing, it seems, but I will keep working on it. Next year I won't thin until shortly before they start to ripen. I don't want to have to do all the requisite calcium sprays is the thing. Not that big of a fan.
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alan haigh
14 years ago
Summer pruning is also supposed to help because growing shoots dominate calcium intake, which also means excessive vigor is a problem. Commercial growers often rely on the calcium sprays throughout the growing season. Try to keep growth moderate if you can- go easy on any amendmending that increases water and N to trees.
imred
Original Author
14 years ago
Hman, do you think adding lime to the soil will help?
RED
alan haigh
14 years ago
Commercial orchardists around here generally keep their pH close to 7 but still use the calcium sprays, but getting the soil close to neutral is supposed to help. What's your pH now?

The advice about going easy on N is if trees seem excessively vigorous, by the way. If they are only moderately vigorous then excess vigor isn't your problem.
imred
Original Author
14 years ago
I haven't tested the ph in my orchard, but talking with farmers in the area have found that the entire area is acidic, plus there was sedge grass growing when I cleaned off the orchard area. Sedge grass prefers acidic soil. My trees are only moderately vigorous so I don't think Nitrogen is the problem. I just hate to start another spray schedule. I just thought of something . I need to check if I can tank mix calcium and the effect it would have on stonefruit as I try to use a spray mix that will work on all my trees

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