Picking Fruits
Posted on February 26, 2009, by admin, under Gardening.
In the case of top fruits the whole process changes. It is very often necessary to gather pears, for instance, when they are quite unripe, and they ripen up perfectly in the store.
Commercial growers have such containers strapped to the body of the picker so as to leave both hands free for harvesting. This makes it easier, too, for climbing ladders where the trees are tall.
With the summer or early varieties, which are going to be used in the home, it is important to pick when the fruits arc just ripe, and the date will vary from season to season. It is inadvisable to pick dessert apples too early in the summer or autumn as they may be tough. Late-keeping apples when picked too early often shrivel in store.
As the baskets are weighed, then they are taken to the packing table, it will he as well if the foreman examines them to see that the picking has been done correctly and that a whole lot of unripe fruit has not been included. Bad picking will be pointed out.
The stalk then separates from the spur on which it is growing quite naturally and without having to do any tugging or pulling at all. Most people fail to realize that the skins of apples, pears, plums and peaches are very delicate. They have only got to be slightly bruised and they are seriously damaged. Furthermore, fungus spores may easily enter such a wound and rot will set in.
They can be easily moved about from one tree to another and the fruit can be harvested without pulling down the branches dangerously or overreaching and doing damage. When picking or rather when transferring the fruit from the container to the orchard box, some sort of grading is necessary, in order to save time later.
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