Apples

Apples aren't common in Hawaii, at least those being locally grown. But there are low chill varieties that will grow here. I can't say that they're great fresh eating apples, but they are passable. And any apple you can grow on your own land is something special, enough to overlook the downsides. 

My main problem with growing apples are frequent attacks by the Chinese rose beetle. Those beetles can devastate a tree, setting it back. The trees recover, but the loss of leaves takes it toll. And for the first time this year, pollination was way down. Next year I'll try hand pollination. 

Right now my trees have young apples on them. They're not ready to harvest yet even though they look red. Adam made the mistake of picking them last year way too early, just because they looked red. According to prior experience, the apples should be ready sometime in September. 

Crazy Apple Tree

The last time my apple trees were in bloom was last March. That appears to be a normal time, don't you think? Well, here it is November and the trees are pushing both flowers and green buds. Crazy! 

No, I'm not making this stuff up. It's too crazy to think an apple would be blooming now. Since I'm no experience apple grower, is this normal for Hawaii? 

I'm seeing lots of fresh new leaves popping out all over the trees. This is something I'd expect to see in the spring. But perhaps the apple trees don't follow normal behavior in Hawaii. 

Im still learning a lot about things grow differently here. 

Apple Trees in Bloom

Went to check on my apple trees and discovered that they have blooms on them. Oh how that brought back memories of New Jersey! There were lots of orchards in my area there.....apple, peach, pear, nectarine. Those apples were great. 

I find the apples grown in Hawaii are acceptable but nothing to write home about. And unless they're grown high on the slopes of Mauna Loa or Mauna Kea, gardeners here are limited to low chill varieties only. I've only found two types being offered for sale here, and I've got one of each. 

Photo above, these are flowers on my Anna tree. This tree is still quite young, so I only let it produce one apple last year....just so I could say that I got an apple. Yup, a silly ego thing, I'm sure. This year I'll let it keep 3 apples and see what happens. 

Growing apples at lower elevations (I'm at 2400', which is a lot lower than the orchards on Mauna area), is quite difficult due to the Chinese rose beetle. Those beetles can destroy the leaves practically overnight. I haven't yet found a real effective way of controlling them. I truly wish there was a bt product that targeted them.