BLOOM BEGINS: 2010 APPLE GROWING SEASON UNDERWAY
Thursday, May 6th, 2010
Early spring and warm temperatures get growing season off to early start
FISHERS, N.Y. - The New York Apple Association today announced the 2010 apple-growing season is underway as 10 million apple trees are in various stages of bloom across the state-with most varieties past full bloom in western and central New York.
Orchards along Lake Champlain are expected to bloom in the coming days.
There has been much discussion in the industry about early bloom. The extreme warm temperatures have caused trees to blossom two weeks early in some parts of the state.
The early bloom, while an anomaly, should have little impact on consumers and the crop size in the fall. In fact, the warm sunny temperatures forecast across the state are good for generating bee activity in the orchards, which means better pollination.
"It's been a weird spring so far, that's for sure," said NYAA President Jim Allen. "The early bloom can accelerate the fall harvest, providing fresh new crop NY apples earlier than usual, but we have a long way to go and a few more days of possible damaging cool temperatures to deal with."
"We encourage photographers, or anyone who appreciates spectacular scenery to visit our orchards to witness this most beautiful time in the orchard," Allen said.
Consumers can click on www.nyapplecountry.com to find a nearby orchard.
Sunny mild days encourage blossoming and strong bee activity for pollination. Fruit develops from clusters of blossoms after they are pollinated by bees.
This year will be particularly spectacular as more than 10 million trees will be in bloom.
New York is coming off one of the biggest crops in history, where upwards of more than 30 million bushels were picked. New York ranks second in apple production nationwide.
There are 697 commercial orchards in the state, on approximately 42,000 acres.
