I think that you've been misled about the growing of 'organic' apples. Professionally cultivated organic apples (and other crops) ARE sprayed, but with an arsenal of approved pesticides.

If you want to harvest some nice apples from your trees in the future, you'll need to do some research on the timing of the application of organically approved fungicides and insecticides, in particular. There are some very simple and effective products out there.

Try to find out what has been troubling your trees in terms of disease and insect pests. ID is essential in good organic (and otherwise) pest management.

Your local extension service might be of considerable help.

You can grow nice apples organically although they will not be blemish free as the heavily sprayed apples sold in the stores are. It will require spraying, the appropriate materials at the right time and that is where your local USDA Cooperative Extension Service office can help. You might alos want to look at the link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Organic Apple Growing

Thanks!

Keepitlow:

You have chosen a difficult crop to grow organically but it is not impossible.

First, do an enormous amount of research into apples including, but not limited to - rootstocks, training and pruning, planting, resistant varieties, disease and insect mgt..

Re rootstocks: the wrong one(s) in your location and soil will fail.

RE training and pruning: don't do like I did and start new trees with virtually no knowledge except for what came with the trees.

RE planting: extremely important it be done properly

RE diseases and insects: any one can wipe you out and there are many out there. Learn what is in your area or at least likely to be and then read up on them as much as possible until you think you know exactly what to do. Then go out and start learning how to do it so it works for you.
The biggie diseases are Scab, Cedar Apple Rust (CAR), Powdery Mildew and Fireblight. Just do a search for "apple insects", that is enough to get you started.

I started out without a thought to organic methods and am gradually heading that way. Two of my trees do not need to be sprayed with anything for CAR, the rest will get hammered by it every year if I do not spray fungicides 2 - 3 times at a very specific time. By waiting until the CAR spores are released and not schedule spraying, I have reduced the number of applications needed. The same could be said for any method, learn the biology, signs and symptoms and you will be in a much better position to succeed.

As far as CAR goes, there are no effective organic controls but there are "immune", "resistant" and "tolerant" varieties. "Freedom" for me is effectively immune to CAR, supposedly, so is "Liberty" and "Williams Pride". If you have no CAR around you you are very fortunate as there are many Scab and Powdery mildew resistant varieties to choose from.

I have Michael Phillips book and find it to be a very valuable resource. Above all, study, study, study and then start planting. Get soil samples for your orchard area to be at least many months in advance of planting, a cover crop or amendments may be in order.

That is my nutshell of suggestions for now now, get after it, fruit trees are wonderful and extremely gratifying to grow. If you are a perfectionist like me they'll drive you nuts at times and teach you patience.

Michael

A fair number of people mention "your local USDA Cooperative Extension Service office"

As it turns out, no such office exists.

However, you can obtain assistance if you contact your local university Extension Service office. They're usually listed in the White Pages, in the section County Offices.

Go here and use the clickable map to find the office in your county

http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/

Here is a link that might be useful: clickable map

Hi All, I met Michael Phillips this summer at the Kempton energy festival. His book is worth every penny and may contradict some of the more common theories of orcharding. Rather than discuss his thoughts and practices may I suggest that you get the book. The book is titled The Apple Grower.
I will give one of his ideas just to entice you and others. He strongly believes in fall cover crops grown in the orchard, winter rye, buckwheat, clover mix ect. Let it grow and stand without cutting until after flower drop of the trees. After flower drop scythe it down and let it lay where it is. The theory is that the high growth traps the fungus that generally cause grief later on. Also, do not mulch with pine wood only deciduous Ramial wood out at the dripline. Lots more, get the book. Best regards to all.

Sorry, that line should have read "your local state universities USDA Cooperative Extension Srevice office" since the USDA Cooperative Extension Service is a cooperative venture betwen the USDA and the state agricultural schools, the land grant schools every state has.

I had a lecture some years ago now by a pair of organic apple growers. They also do the cover cropping that pagardner mentioned above, as well as organic spraying and watching degree days for crawler trapping, companion planting for beneficials, etc. It was very rewarding to hear them discuss their operation and taste the fruits of their labor, but the main takeaway is: it's not easy. Not by any means.

Dan

We have around here half a dozen pippen apple trees growing along the road ditches, and its surprising that they have few, if any, issues with disease or insect pests. There's one right across the road from me - not the greatest apples, but edible.

There's one, up in the forest, that was the result of a CCC worker tossing his core into the ditch however many years ago, and guys on the road all stop and pick a few for lunch.

Watching the PBS episode of The Botany of Desire about apples brought this to mind.....

I have a few fruit trees in my garden which suffer from a number of problems.
This year I've adopted Activated Compost Tea which I hope will prove effective. So starting earlier this year I've sprayed and soil drenched all the fruit trees.
It looks like I've fixed apple scab, codling moth and powdery mildew.
I had leaf roller, but they are fairly easy to get rid of.
I'll have to wait till next season, but so far no signs of any of these problems. I believe ACT is worthy of a second look.

Beeman: are you certain that coddling moth exists in your region? I made the mistake of believing that it existed in my area and learned later that they aren't this far west, lucky me! If there is no Cedar Apple Rust in your area, lucky you!

Michael