Hi Harvestman- No need to feel bad. On the contrary, you opinion (which was shared by a couple other posters) gives me a more balanced, and probably accurate, view of Liberty. Perhaps weÂll get a couple cool summers, and IÂll wonder what the heck I ever saw in it! In addition to all the normal variables that affect an apple, (location, climate, soil, weather, etc), I think this is a good example of when we evaluate a particular apple (i.e. I like it/ I hate it), we see that not everyoneÂs criteria is the same: A) A commercial growerÂs #1 criteria might simply be the name any name that isnÂt recognized by the public might not sell well. B) Perhaps a moderately-apple-educated grower like found on this forum might have flavor to be their #1 criteria. They know how to care for apples, and they want the best possible product. C) Perhaps a home-grower might have low maintenance as their #1 criteria. After all, anything that they grow themselves will taste much better than anything found in the stores, and really, theyÂre too busy with work and taking the kids to soccer practice to worry about their apple tree. I think IÂm somewhere between B & C. Perhaps youÂre somewhere between A & B? Anyhow, in the future, I really look forward to trying some of these really exceptional flavored ones that people keep talking about! Thanks as always for all your advice (even when it isn't what I necessarily want to hear! :-) ), -Glenn

Ironhorsedriver, You sound like you need a little fruit growing 101. First, peach trees should only grow about 10% of their blooms. To put it another way, after the shucks come off the fruitlets, about 90% of the fruitlets need to be removed by hand. This is called fruit thinning. I know it seems counter-intuitive to manually pull fruit off, but peach trees will set about 10 times the amount of fruit they can realistically carry. If you don't thin, you end up with very small fruit, broken branches, and stressed trees. If you don't thin, the tree will naturally abort some of it's fruit in June (called June drop) but it won't get rid of enough to eliminate the problems listed above. Plant spikes are a poor value for the money. Mostly they are a marketing gimmick. If you feel your trees are poorly growing, apply a small amount of a mild fertilizer (something like 10-10-10) under the canopy of the tree. Now more directly to your pest issues: Bacterial spot and scab can cause spotty fruit, but neither disease will cause abortions. The most common insects for peaches in the Midwest are Plum Curculio and Oriental Fruit Moth. Both will cause infected fruit to drop in my area. The best way to tell if this is your problem is to cut the fruit open and look for evidence of a worm or worm tunneling. An good insecticide starting at shuck split will generally control this problem. Triazicide Once and Done liquid concentrate is a good one. You'll probably need to spray it every couple weeks (maybe less). Make sure you follow the label directions. Olpea P.S. I've always wanted to blow one of those train whistles.

Start with the soil. Have a good reliable soil test for pH and major nutrients done and use these simple soil tests, 1) Soil test for organic matter. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. For example, a good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top. 2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drainsâ too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up. 3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart. 4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer your soil will smell. 5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy. to find out more about the soil this tree is growing in. All Apples need another somewhere close because they need cross pollination to produce a crop. That one apple last year may not have been properly pollinated and that may be why it dropped. They do that.

When we bought this house there was an existing apple. One of those with several varieties grafted onto it. Definitely had fire blight. We tore it out and burned it. Happily it wasn't near the big old Anna. No blight there. I'm glad you found out what the problem was and can start fresh. Good luck with your new trees. I hope your wife is good with apples because you are going to have them coming out your ears! She will need an apple corer, peeler and slicer all in one. I got mine on Amazon and it has a suction thing so it sticks to the counter while it's being turned.