Maritza, Susan and Orchard Sox

The time has come to put your sox on! Orchard Sox, that is.

That was one of the jobs at stewardship in Ben Nobleman Park Community Orchard this week. Susan and Maritza, after weeding the pollinator garden with Sherry, spent some time slipping these little sockettes on the baby fruit of our young apples trees.

Just slip a sockette on a baby apple, pear, or plum when it is about the size of a marble. Then to secure the sock in place, twist the open end around the fruit stem and tuck it in.

These nylon barriers will prevent apple maggots from laying their eggs under the skin of the fruit and they will grow and stretch as the fruit grows. They also protect against coddling moth and spot wing drosophilia.

Once the fruit is ripe, we will just remove the sox and eat our perfect, worm free apples. We can’t wait!

Want to see how to apply Orchard Sox? View the video below: