Strange it may seem, Zinia, but it is that little bag (or similar arrangement) that protects the fruit from insects in the event you don't want to spray with insecticides every week. And who does? Apples grow in clusters, just as they blossom. Normally, there are about 6 blooms to a cluster, but sometimes 7 or even 8. Thinning normally consists of removing all but the very best, unmarked, largest apple from the cluster. You may choose to thin to 2 fruits per cluster, or even 3, but you need to thin, and the biggest best apples grow alone in the cluster, after all the others have been removed. You may have more fruit this year than the year past. If you summer prune your trees you will see even more, because you will have more fruiting spurs. I don't know exactly what puzzles you about bagging apples, but here is a quick outline of the procedure: 1. Buy a box of ziplock sandwich bags. Not the freezer bags, which are heavier. You want the lightweight stuff. 2. Take a scissors, and cut off the strip of plastic above the actual zipper closure. Now the zipper is right at the top of the bag. Make sure you open the zipper before you cut off the plastic above it, or you will have a hell of a time getting it open. 3. With the same pair of scissors, cut off the corners of the bags at the bottom to allow drainage. Now your bags are ready to install. 4. Place the bag over the little apple, with the stem in the center of the zipper, then close from both sides by gentle squeezing until you have it snug up to the stem. Make sure it clicks shut all the way across except where the stem passes through. 5. Stand back and admire your work. It is easier to do this job after thinning, when there is only one apple per cluster, but it is possible with two. More than that becomes a little complicated. 6. If you notice insect damage before you bag, you may have to use an insecticide in the interim, but if you find one nice undamaged apple you are home free, so you can remove and discard curculio damaged fruit. Try it. Good Luck. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Sounds like your having a disease problem...google apple scab or cedar apple rust see if that what the apples look like go from there. Need better pictures because the pictures looks like many problems on the leaves, what were you spraying? Also check out one of the spray threads on page one right now about a spray schedule I would recommend that you start one so you can enjoy the fruits of your labor...

Hi Valsound- I don't believe that the amount of Sevin(Carbaryl) is sufficient to do any thinning, as otherwise, it would be thinning for all the other people who use it. Also, there'd be a warning about that on the label. Really, it's about knowing what the diseases and insects that you face are. And if you've read my rants, you'll know that the Bonide FTS's ingredients often aren't effective against these pressures nor in sufficient quantities. Regardless of the insect, Trazicide can easily be obtained at Walmart, and will definitely keep your apples worm free. For diseases, I'd suspect you're facing Cedar Apple Rust and Scab. 2 sprays of Immunox (you may need to get that online) at petal fall and 10-14 days later will do the trick there. With the Bonide, you can spray it much more often, and it still isn't going to have any affect on Cedar Apple Rust. From a grower who's been there, the FTS really isn't even worth spraying. Instead, less sprays with Trazicide and Immunox you will get fruit you can be proud of. -Glenn

Fruitnut - Thanks. Any pointers on what I'm looking for with cambium damage? What does that type of damage indicate? Applenut - I had been using my felco bypass pruners. What do you mean by little clippers, and are they less likely to spread fire blight? When using pruners, I did disinfect the pruners with lysol spray before doing the thinning. I didn't disinfect between each cut, as I had not seen evidence of fire blight. Is this a valid approach, or should I handle differently? Is the lysol spray as effective as a torch? Also... from the photos... some of the stubs that have fire blight are pretty short and lead to one of the future scaffolding branches (similarly, there is one near the top of the leader). The first photo is a good example of this. Do I need to remove these scaffolding branches (to 6-8" inside of the last fire blight)?