By MATT LINDSEY

An extremely dry summer and fire blight posed challenges to apple growers, but they say late summer rain could provide a decent crop of apples at orchards across St. Lawrence County.

In Canton, it was an average spring with lots of bees, which of course are good for pollination, said Joel Howie, manager of Canton Apples.

“We had a good year, with a larger crop than last year, and last year was a good year,” Howie said.

The dry weather could make apples a little smaller than people are used to, but the flavors should remain great, growers said.

An extremely dry summer and fire blight posed challenges to apple growers, but they say late summer rain could provide a decent crop of apples at orchards across St. Lawrence County.

Kaneb Orchards in Massena was hit hard by fire blight and a lack of precipitation, Liz Kaneb, Kaneb Orchard partner said.

“A lot of them were affected … the early apples were late and there were not very many of them and they are smaller than usual,” she said. “Tough year.”

To battle the dry weather, Kaneb says they tried to water the trees the best they could with a water wagon, but ultimately it was a band aide on an axe wound.

“They don't get enough water that way, it just keeps the tree alive,” she said.

Kaneb is hopeful the recent summer rain will put more size on late apples in her orchard. MacIntosh, Honeycrisp and Cortland apples should be available by mid-September.

The rain this summer was “hit-or-miss” across the county for growers, Howie said. He believes Canton received more rain than the Parishville area based on talks he had with his friend Gary Snell, who runs Parishville Center Orchard.

As with frost and dry weather, growers worry about hail storms, which can wipe out a whole year’s crop in just one storm.

“We had a close call with a hail storm, but we were able to avoid it,” Snell said.

Snell says hail will dent apples, making them no good, if the size of the hail is large enough.

Kaneb says colder temps this past spring resulted in a late bloom. Then the dry weather hit. The combination caused smaller than normal fruit.

Because of the unusually dry summer, Snell said he used water from his pond to keep his trees healthy. He was able to borrow the needed equipment locally to make the process easier and not have to go out and buy new gear.

“I’ve never had to do that before,” he said.

Snell says his apples benefitted from no frost damage this spring and that the fruit was heavier than normal in June, before the dry weather.

One benefit the lack of rain provided was less need for spraying apples with pesticides to deter disease, insects and scabs.

“We cut back on spaying … it was so dry we did not have to worry about scabbing, bugs or fungus,” Steve Fobare of Fobare’s in Rensselaer Falls said.

“Less spaying is good for everyone,” Snell said.

Some late summer rain caused apples to plump up a little more for growers, including at Fobare’s. He said his orchard had a fairly dry spring.

“My apples are holding their size … the rain we have had lately is making them swell up and helping them a lot,” Fobare said.

Fobare says he was able to keep things green and growing by watering the trees manually.

Last year he lost around 75 percent of his crop because of a frost in May. He is happy with how this year’s crop has turned out.

“We have a good size on most varieties,” Fobare said. “They might be a little smaller but should be sweet.”

In Massena, Kaneb’s apples battled fire blight.

Fire blight is a destructive bacterial disease of apples that kills blossoms, shoots, limbs, and, sometimes, entire trees. The disease is generally common, although outbreaks are typically very erratic, causing severe losses in some orchards in some years and little or no significant damage in others.

“The trees were badly impacted,” she said.

She said there are a number of factors which contribute to fire blight, including weather conditions and insects.

To eliminate fire blight, it needs to be cut out of the tree, which can be damaging to the crop and apples are generally lost when it comes to this point.

Kaneb is hopeful her late crop fairs better.

For safety reasons, apples are pre-picked Kaneb Orchards, 182 Highland Rd.

People can buy early apples, cider, donuts, hard cider and other baked goods. Food can be eaten on site or taken home to enjoy later. They are open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

Kaneb noted that early apples are limited in quantity.

“We’d love for people to come out and enjoy the day some of our cider,” she said.

Hours of hard work for growers includes lots of pruning, orchard floor maintenance, fertilizing and picking, sorting and packaging apples.

“Pruning is one the hardest jobs to do … because you have to clean up the mess afterward,” Howie said. “We try to keep the ground free of apples … people don't like to walk all over them.”

For Howie, growing apples is a fun hobby that he gets to spend many hours doing with his son. He has managed Canton Apples for five years.

“I get to teach him work ethic and the value of owning your own business and that hard work pays off,” Howie said.

Honeycrisp, which is a North Country favorite, might be smaller than past years, but the flavor will not be affected, Snell said.

Snell has added about 100 Honeycrisp apple trees this year. Zestar apple trees have also been planted, but no apples will be ready this year.

Parishville Center Orchard will also sell Cortland, Gala, and Macintosh apples. He also has a fish stocked with trout which people can feed for free. A picnic area is also on site. More info: www.facebook.com/ParishvilleCenterOrchardNY/

Howie is urging people to give heirloom apples a chance.

“I try to get people to move away from the commercial apples,” Howie said. “They may not store as well but the flavors are there.”

U-pick at Canton Apples opens Sept. 10. Those looking for apples prior to that can find them in Canton at Nature’s Storehouse and at the Potsdam Food Co-op. Info: www.cantonapples.com/

Fobare, who mans the orchard mostly by himself, is recommending people try his new crimson crisp apple, which he says has a great taste. It's been around a little while, but is still new to a lot of people, he said.

Other varieties at Fobare’s include Honeycrisp, Macintosh and Empire. People are welcome to inquire about pre-picked apples beginning Sept. 1. U-pick opens Sept. 10 and they also offer wagon rides, a playground, corn maze, baked goods and pumpkin patch.

Fobare’s is located at 180 Johnson Rd., Rensselaer Falls. Info: www.facebook.com/FobaresFruits?fref=ts or http://fobaresfruits.com/index.php or www.fobaresfruits.com/

Other apple orchards in the area include:

• Brookdale Apple Orchard, 1997 County Route 49, Winthrop, 389-5840 offering a roadside stand and u-pick apples

• Goodwin’s Orchard, 37 Needham Rd., Potsdam, call 265-6161 for availability.

• J&W Orchard, 737 County Route 38, Norfolk, 384-2080,

• Merkley's U-Pick Apples - 4581 SH 68 - Dollar Road - Lisbon - Donald or Sara Merkley - 344-8880 or 528-0934.