Have a Pristine apple tree It made about 45 apples but thinned it down to 15 or so. (It is about a 3 or 4 years old tree from guessing? - just planted it this year.)

It started to drop apples that were very yellow that were ready to eat. Should I have picked them before hand or when apples drop from the tree (mature apples) are they the best to eat?

I thought apples were supposed to mature in the late summer or fall? Think my tree was confused since it was from a nursery?

Z6

No different apples have different ripening times. You need to look yours up. One of my trees ripens in July and the other in September.

If you let your apples drop they will get bruised and will not keep. Better to harvest them just before they are at that point. Also in my yard the bunnies show up to eat the fallen apples and the sap suckers show up to drill holes in ripe apples and sip on the juices. The squirrels don't always wait until the apples are ripe. Once your fruit is ripe, generally everybody wants it. I have to pick mine at the point just before the squirrels go at it. If I find eaten apple cores in the yard I better get those apples in right then or the squirrels will strip the tree. That 's just life in the garden I guess .

Maybe pristine is just really early?

Ripe or not I'd pick them up. You can let the try to ripen someplace else other than under your tree.

"Drops" and autumnal leaves should also be cleared out from under trees. This is a breeding place for apple maggot fly and other things that don't need to encouraged to live near your trees.

Eat 'em, store 'em, or, compost 'em.

"Pristine" is actually a fairly early apple, normally ripening in August. There's a goodly amount of info on it on the internet.

Actually apple ripening time depends also on your location. So an apple that will ripen in California in June may ripen in New England in August. You count days from full bloom to ripe, though even that may be off because late ripening varieties tend to ripen faster in shorter season areas. Nurseries tell you when the fruit will ripen, but that is in THEIR area. Your timing may be different.

Thanks!!

I pick'm or else I wont get'm - and I don't mind a little tartness.

I just whupped up a batch of applesauce that was really easy - no peeling or cooking, even, just cut-up apples, lemon juice and agave syrup (or you could use honey) in the food processor.

quote:

Originally posted by Suasoria:
I pick'm or else I wont get'm - and I don't mind a little tartness.

I just whupped up a batch of applesauce that was really easy - no peeling or cooking, even, just cut-up apples, lemon juice and agave syrup (or you could use honey) in the food processor.

Your right. The other day I found a rabbit pulled down an apple and the branch as well!