06/06/2025
Keeping it Real with Rice
Thinning/Baby Fruitlets
After successful pollination, fruit begins to ‘set,’ forming baby apples, or fruitlets.
Once there is an idea of ‘fruit set,’ growers can evaluate the best fruitlets to keep.
The process of removing some fruitlets is known as ‘thinning’- an essential practice for healthy fruit production.
Though some trees will drop fruitlets on their own, thinning remains a very manual and integrated process between the grower and the fruit trees.
Thinning fruit may seem counterintuitive, but it actually leads to larger, better-shaped produce.
By improving the chances that one or two fruitlets will develop into good-sized apples, without any competition for resources from the remaining fruitlets.
It also improves airflow and sunlight within the tree’s canopy, helping to reduce disease and promote even ripening.
In the long term, thinning supports a more balanced harvest.
Without it, a tree that bears heavily one year may struggle to produce the next.
But by removing some fruit strategically, we ease that burden—encouraging consistent yields, season after season.
For more information and all things apple, go to www.ricefruit.com.
