When To Prune Apple Trees?

Pruning the apple tree is extremely important, if you want it to have a strong framework and want it to yield a lot of fruits. Although the best time to do it is around October and December, you can also prune it during the summer season. I will explain the effects of summer and winter pruning below.

So, when to prune apple trees?

Apple

Summer season is the period, when they produce fruits. So, if you trim the tree around this period, it will transfer most of the tree's dynamisms into enhancing the current fruit crop. This will help you to get more apples from your tree.

When To Prune Apple Trees?

Winter pruning involves kind of cleaning process. Basically, after the fruiting season, you simply get rid of the branches that grow awkwardly, for instance branches that grow crisscross. Also, you must get rid of the branches that are drying. So, winter pruning helps you to prepare your tree for the next fruiting season with healthier branches.

Quick Steps To Pruning Your Apple Tree

First, you need to remove suckers. These are the small branches that grow at the base of you tree trunk. By removing the suckers, you will allow your tree to grow in good shape.

Second, you need to get rid of any branches that are dry or diseased. The diseased or dry branches can spread to whole tree, if they are not removed.

Third, cut off the crossed branches. By getting rid of the crossed branches, you will give your tree a vase shape and this will help the air circulation between branches. The air circulation will prevent the tree to catch airborne diseases.

When To Prune Apple Trees?

I hope you find this article about when to prune your apple tree helpful. You can find more information about growing apple trees at GrowFruitsAtHome.com.

Type 2 Diabetes - Are Apples Really the Best Fruit For Diabetics?

People with type 2 diabetes always want to know if fruit is OK for diabetics to eat. Unfortunately, newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics need to absorb so much information that this simple question becomes impossible for them to answer. On top of that, there is a lot of information on the internet about fruit and diabetes that's downright false.

Fortunately, there are quite a few types of fruits that have excellent benefits for people with type 2 diabetes. Among them are citrus fruits, such as oranges and grapefruits, all type of berries... strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries, and apples. Even bananas can fall into the good fruit category, although they tend to have a little more sugar than some fruits.

Apples

Apples: The Perfect Fruit For Diabetics?

Type 2 Diabetes - Are Apples Really the Best Fruit For Diabetics?

As long as you monitor your blood sugar levels and don't overdo it with too many servings of fruit, you can enjoy nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber in lots of fruits. Let's take a look at the apple as it might just be the the perfect fruit for diabetics.

Apples are so good for diabetics that research done on people with pre-diabetes found that apples could even keep people from developing diabetes. In the twenty-four hours after "apple consumption", pre-diabetes symptoms were fewer. It seems that an apple a day can really be as good at keeping the doctor away as the old saying says it is.

Apples Are Loaded With Fiber:

Apples are an excellent source of dietary fiber. Eating one medium-size apple has the same effect as eating a bowl of bran cereal. In fact, just one apple contains 20% of the daily recommendation for fiber. Because an apple has so much fiber, it is good at controlling blood sugars by releasing them more slowly into the blood. This can give you energy over the long-term and not the quick spike of glucose given by a lot of other fruits and juices.

Studies have shown that apples can reduce the risk of some cancers and heart disease, and they can reduce inflammation in those people who have joint diseases. Apples are excellent for digestive health and have a positive effect on your colon. In addition, one of the brightest research findings is that apples are full of antioxidants.

Apples contain antioxidants:

Antioxidants get rid of free radicals... substances which cause cell damage and lead to elevated blood sugar levels. The antioxidants in apples are known as phytochemicals, and include an extra-special flavonoid called quercetin. Quercetin has been shown to prevent cancer and it's benefits for many other diseases are now being researched. It has promising-looking benefits for Parkinson's Disease and Alzheimer's Disease. If you ate one apple (with skin), approximately 100 grams, you would receive equal antioxidant benefits to taking 1500 grams of vitamin C.

Not only do they cut your risk of acquiring type 2 diabetes, apples help get rid of the plaque which builds up in your blood vessels causing blockages and heart disease.

Maybe the expression "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" should be changed to "two apples a day will keep type 2 diabetes away".

Type 2 Diabetes - Are Apples Really the Best Fruit For Diabetics?

Would you like more information about alternative ways to handle your type 2 diabetes?

To download your free copy of my E-Book, click here now: Answers to Your Questions... its based on questions many diabetics have asked me over recent months.

(c) 2010 Beverleigh Piepers is a registered nurse who would like to help you understand how to live easily and happily with your type 2 diabetes.
http://drugfreetype2diabetes.com/blog

Apple Cider Vinegar and Honey Remedy

The health benefits of the apple cider vinegar and honey drink are widely known. This recipe has traditionally been used as an at-home self remedy for many ailments, and even an anti-aging elixir. Many people have smartly made use of its cleansing and disinfecting properties to self-detoxify their body. It is seen as a powerful cleansing agent and natural healing elixir with naturally occurring antibiotic and antiseptic that fights germs and bacteria.

Alkaline-Forming Diet

Apple

So, how does this vinegar and honey remedy actually work? A person's bloodstream tends toward becoming acidic with our modern diet of fats, starches and processed foods, (e.g fast foods, meats, peanuts, seafoods, alcohol and coffee)and if your body is acidic, disease can flourish; if it is alkaline, it is in balance and can fight off germs and ailments such as bladder and kidney conditions, osteoporosis, brittle bones, joint pains, aching muscles, low energy and chronic fatigue, and slow digestion. Raw fruits, leafy green vegetables, legumes, and tea are examples of alkaline forming foods. Interestingly and ironically, a food's acid or alkaline-forming tendency in the body has nothing to do with the actual pH of the food itself. For instance, lemons and limes are very acidic, however the end-products they produce after digestion and assimilation are very alkaline so lemons and limes are alkaline-forming in the body. Likewise, meat will test alkaline before digestion but it leaves very acidic residue in the body so, like nearly all animal products, meat is very acid-forming. It is important to know that stomach acid or the pH of the stomach is an entirely different matter from the pH of the body's fluids and tissues. The body has an acid-alkaline (or acid-base) ratio called the pH which is a balance between positively charges ions (acid-forming) and negatively charged ions (alkaline-forming). When this balance is compromised many problems can occur. The body is forced to borrow minerals-including calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium from vital organs and bones to neutralize the acid and safely remove it from the body. And severe damage can be done to the body due to high acidity. Ideally, for most people, the ideal diet is 75 percent alkalizing and 25 percent acidifying foods by volume. Allergic reactions and other forms of stress also tend to produce excessive acids in the body.

Apple Cider Vinegar and Honey Remedy

The alkalinity of apple cider vinegar can correct excess acidity in our system and help prevent and fight infection. Honey added to the vinegar naturally makes the mixture more drinkable for people. And the good news is that unprocessed raw honey has been classfified as an alkaline-forming food. (Processed honey is only little acidifying and artificial sweetener is very acidifying). When you first drink the apple cider vinegar formula, it might taste horrible to you, but as your body becomes less acidic and more alkaline, it would begin to taste good. The ailments that could be cured by this apple cider vinegar and honey treatment include:

1. Premature aging

2. Obesity

3. Food poisoning

4. Heat exhaustion

5. Heartburn

6. Brittle nails

7. Bad breath

8. Arthritis

9. High blood pressure

10. High cholesterol level

Try this healthy and refreshing vinegar and honey drink! Essentially, to prepare:

* Mix a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and a tablespoon of raw honey. (Apple cider vinegar is actually made from fresh, organic, crushed apples that are allowed to mature naturally in wooden barrels, but you can get it easily from the grocery shops or supermarkets.)

* Dissolve in a glass of chilled water.

* Take it twice daily.

Note: For this vinegar and honey remedy, do not get commercial distilled vinegars as they do not contain the same health values of organic, raw apple cider vinegar. The powerful enzymes and minerals like potassium, phosphorus, sodium, magnesium, sulphur, iron copper, fluorine, silicon, pectin and natural malic and tartaric acids, which are important in fighting body toxins and inhibiting bacteria growth, are all destroyed during the distilling process.

Apple Cider Vinegar and Honey Remedy

Source: http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/vinegar-and-honey.html

Ruth Tan runs the popular website Benefits of Honey which is an immensely rich, quality resource on honey and its benefits, and a plethora of health-related issues. Discover the amazing health benefits and all the positive spin-offs super-food honey can bring to your life and the lives of your loved ones at http://www.benefits-of-honey.com

How to Grow Apples

The first thing you need to grow apples is a long-term commitment. Growing apples takes considerable time and quite a bit of work. Still, if one of your fondest childhood memories is the apple tree in your backyard, producing your own apples is a satisfying part of gardening.

Site Selection

Apples

Before you begin growing apples, make sure you have room for at least two trees. Typically, two apple trees bear enough fruit to keep a family of four in good supply. Apple trees need to grow in full sun, which means they need at least six hours of sunlight each day. Even dwarf varieties need to be spaced at least 8-feet apart. It is also essential to provide your trees with good drainage. Although apple trees tolerate a variety of soil types, they prefer sandy loam to sandy clay loam with a pH of about 6.5.

How to Grow Apples

Choosing cultivars

You probably wonder why you need two trees to grow apples. Apple trees are self-incompatible. Simply put, this means that even the most industrious bee (bees are the chief pollinators of apple trees) can't persuade two trees of the same variety to bear fruit. So, to grow apples you usually need two trees of different varieties. Some nurseries offer apple trees that have two or more compatible cultivars grafted on the same tree; but to be on the safe side (and to get enough apples for a family of four) you still need two trees. A flowering crab will also pollinate your fruit-bearing apple tree and is useful in pest deterrence, as you'll see later in this article.

Although apples trees grow from seed, it takes several years and a significant amount of nurturing to produce an apple harvest from seed. The easiest way to begin growing apples is to purchase either bare root or container grown trees from your favorite garden nursery.

In addition to fruit size, taste, and color, your nursery professional can recommend trees that are cold hardy for your area, bloom at approximately the same time, are pollination compatible, and are disease resistant. You'll find that purchasing disease resistant cultivars makes a generous cut in your apple tree maintenance time!

When selecting trees from a catalog or Internet site, you need to make these comparisons between cultivars. Look for catalogs and sites that list compatible cultivars for you.

How high your tree grows also depends on the type of tree you plant. Dwarf varieties reach 8 to 10-feet in height, semi-dwarf trees grow 10 to 15-feet tall, and standard trees may reach heights of 20-feet or more.

Although their yield is less, dwarf and semi-dwarf rootstock typically bears the same size fruit as standard size trees and is overall easier to manage.

How to Grow Apples

Linda is an author of Gardening Tips Tricks and Howto's. The next part of this article is available at our site http://www.gardening-guides.com, where you can also download the whole series as a free full color e-book. Just follow the links.

Constipation Remedy Using Apples and Other Juices

Here are two constipation remedies that you can use for a mild case of constipation and for a chronic case of constipation.

Apple and Pear Juice

Apples

If you have a mild case of constipation, you can use this remedy to get results.

Constipation Remedy Using Apples and Other Juices

Prepare equal amounts of fresh apple and pear juice. Drink this combination when you first wake up and one hour before bedtime.

Juice the pears that are slightly hard. If the pear is ripe, it is best to blend it whole with apple juice to create a thick drink. Using the whole pear will give you additional fiber. Just remove the seeds but do not peel the organic type.

Pears have minerals, vitamins, and chemicals that help to clean out your colon, kidney and to regenerate your blood cells.

Apple Juice and Prune Juice

Here's a constipation remedy that you can use if you have chronic constipation. In addition to just drinking apple juice, you can accelerate your peristaltic action with prune juice.

Here's how to do it.

If you have a juicer you can make fresh apple juice and drink 3-4 glasses a day. You can also drink store-bought apple juice but try to get fresh squeezed and not the type that has been flash pasteurized or pasteurized. If you can find fresh apple juice then use flash pasteurized.

Buy your juice in glass containers if possible.

Plastic containers are processed using solvents that stay in the container walls and gradually outgas into the apple juice. This out gassing is more severe when plastic containers are stored in hot places.

To speed up the laxative effects of apple juice, take the following combination first thing in the morning before you have breakfast,

Drink 2-3 cups of prune juice.
After ½ hour, drink one cup of apple juice
Then, 1-hour later drink another cup of apple juice.

I usually buy my prune juice in a bottle and fresh squeeze my apple juice.

Be prepared to head for the bathroom after you drink your prune juice and your first glass of apple juice. You may need to head to the bathroom soon after you drink prune juice, everyone is different. I have used this combination and have recommended it to my clients and have had good results.

Prune juice by itself is good for constipation. It is a safe, gentle and an effective laxative. Drink a cup in the morning and a cup in the evening. Prune juice contain the substance dihydrophenylisatin, which is responsible for the laxative action. Prunes are also high in iron and are a great supplement if you are anemic or low on iron.

If you add prune juice to your diet, do not drink as much of it as you would when you have constipation. Drink ½ glass in the morning and perhaps ½ glass in the evening.

Constipation Remedy Using Apples and Other Juices

Rudy Silva gives you more free constipation information. Go get his free "Constipation Secrets 10 Week Course" to discover how to get rid of Constipation: Other Juices Go here for more free tips: Constipation Remedies