It's been an extraordinarily hot summer with no significant levels of rainfall, which is understandably taking a toll on our outdoor spaces.
For this reason, in recent weeks you might have been experiencing your apple trees dropping fruit before it's ripe, which naturally gives cause for concern. Luckily, gardening royalty Monty Don is on hand to put your mind at rest by explaining why this is actually a good thing, with positive news about how your apple tree is doing what comes naturally to survive the water shortage.
If you are currently faced with a ground cover of fallen apples that are not ready to eat, your first instinct will be to panic that something is very wrong with the tree, when in fact, it's quite the opposite, as Monty explains: "It might seem like a disaster, but actually it means the tree is responding to drought and handling it."
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On episode 22 of Gardeners’ World, Monty helpfully shared his expert advice for those worrying about their fruit trees.
"If you find your apple trees are dropping apples left, right and centre, don't worry, it's the result of the drought, and the tree is looking after itself. These are apples that are half ripe, but the trees have jettisoned them."
In layman's terms, it means the tree is offloading and scarifying some fruits because it is struggling to cope. As Monty goes on to explain: "The tree is running out of water. The fruit is taking up a huge amount of that water; so in order to save some fruit, they have dropped apples."
This is simply the tree doing what it can to conserve water and use it only where it's needed. It's better to lose half a crop of ripe apples than suffer further levels of drought and risk the life of the tree itself. By reducing the amount it has to grow, the tree can stay healthier for longer on the limited water it has in reserve.
Many social media followers have been quick to share their acknowledgement of the real reason behind their fallen apples, one writing: "Thank you for the reassurance - That’s a relief." With another exclaiming: "I’ve been blaming the squirrels!"
While you can always use these early windfall apples to enrich your homemade compost, some have even been sharing helpful tips for using the apples for their pectin – the natural substance found in the skin that is used for thickening jams, jellies, and marmalades.
How do we know how to do this? Well, I know this because one of our favourite experts, Nancy Birtwhistle, shared her tips earlier this summer for how to use windfall apples...
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The good news is that there is finally rain forecast for this week, meaning the garden will get a much-needed watering. Given how hard the ground will be after being in a drought for so long, it's well worth aerating the soil around any plants to allow the water to penetrate deeper to the roots. Now is the time to lean into rainscaping and rainwater harvesting ideas to maximise any future downpour.
