I had seen a video of a person using the cloth/footie type bag on their apples. They had some without the bags and the color difference was exactly what you encountered. So it sort of a trade off. Nice looking apples both years.
Thank you for posting this comparison for us.
1 Like
I am curious as to how long the bag might last. I use Surround soaked footies that last about 2 years - using one that is stronger and a little larger . I like to remove the footie for a couple of weeks to get some color. Was this your first season using them?
I have been reusing some of these bags for three years now. I throw a whole bunch of them into the washing machine at the end of the season. Drawstrings get tattered, but the bags themselves are pretty durable and can be reused over several years.
1 Like
Ok. I’m in. Once summer hits here in the PNW, it is fairly warm and dry ( I hesitate to say this should I jinx it). Worst case scenario, I could start off with SS footies. Thanks Stan for trialing these and giving us results.
I saw one case where red apples ended up olive green after a season with footies on. It wasn’t from lack of pigment, it was from severe sooty blotch. 
Interestingly, the apples still had their red pigment color underneath, so not all apples need direct sunlight on the fruit to turn red.
Should anti-fungal sprays be used with cloth bags in areas prone to excessive rain and humidity?
I’m in California, spray nothing on my apples and hence in no position to answer that question. I believe, @mamuang uses various types of bags and knows well what sprays are needed in Northeast.
What you basically did, was that you re-discovered a method used in Japan for bagging each apple for achieving an extraordinary colour.
Bagged apples are sold at a higher price there.
As I understand, the bag does not let ultra-violet and other rays through, that could effect the pigmentation of the skin. Although I can not explain how a bagged Mutsu apple is red in colour.
Do you still have any photos of how you bagged them on a tree?
2 Likes