Should I Remove A Portion Of The Developing Fruits From A Fruit Tree?

Does your tree have fruits set in heavy clusters?

Is your fruit tree very young?

Is your fruit tree very old?

Is your fruit tree very frail?

Was your fruit tree injured recently?

Does your fruit tree grow on a poor soil?

Are some fruits on your tree affected by a disease or a pest?

You should remove a portion of the developing fruit crop. Thinning is particularly important when the fruit is set in clusters. Fruit should be thinned even if only part of the tree has a heavy crop. By thinning fruits, you will avoid tree breakage.

You should remove a portion of the developing fruit crop. Fruiting can stunt the growth of young trees, thus preventing them from attaining enough size to ever have a good crop.

You should remove a portion of the developing fruit crop. As trees age, fruit size tends to decrease. Thinning the crop, even if the fruit set is only moderate, may be essential to attain good fruit size.

You should remove a portion of the developing fruit crop. Weak trees need to be thinned more severely than strong trees to attain good fruit size and to allow the tree to become stronger.

You should remove a portion of the developing fruit crop. Thinning the crop allows the tree to devote more energy to repairing the damage.

You should remove a portion of the developing fruit crop. Trees on poor soils cannot support a heavy crop as well as trees on better soils. Thinning the crop heavily will encourage good fruit growth on the remaining fruit.

You should remove affected fruits from the tree to stop the spread of the pest or disease.

Unless your tree belongs to a variety that will not develop good-sized fruit if it is not thinned early and heavy (check with the reputable nursery), you do not need to remove a portion of the developing fruit crop from your tree.