A Tough Season for Our Farmers
SHIMLA: I don’t know if you’re seeing the same in your orchards, but this year the trees are behaving strangely.
Serious “locha” symptoms—physiological or chemical—are showing up in all commercial varieties, and that too in a random pattern across different apple belts.
Sometimes, just to lighten the mood, I joke that maybe we’ll have another apple season in winter—like New Zealand, where they harvest apples even in the cold months.
But honestly, I pray nothing like that happens here. If trees start acting against their natural rhythm, we may end up with barrenness and dead spurs in the future.
What I feel is that the long monsoon is the real culprit. Continuous rain, heavy soil moisture, and weeks without proper sunlight have disturbed the trees badly.
At 7,000 feet, even low-chilling varieties usually manage fine, but this year I’m seeing Delicious varieties sprouting out of season! That’s not a good sign.
The excess moisture and lack of sun might have pushed buds into false activity. But my worry is these spurs may not survive till next season. So my advice is—don’t rush into hard pruning.
And don’t waste money on sprays or additives right now. If this is a physiological disorder, only natural dormancy in December will bring the trees back to balance.
Losses this year are already too many. Nearly 90% of the leaves have fallen by September itself.
With photosynthesis almost shut down, trees couldn’t store enough energy in their buds.
Chloroplast activity looks poor, spurs are weak, and honestly, the orchards look tired.
All we can do now is wait for a proper winter. A good, snowy season may still bring some relief and hope for the next crop.
Until then, patience is the only spray we have.
#AppleGrowers #HimachalApples #FruitFarming #ClimateImpact #AppleOrchards #FarmersVoice #Horticulture
