WSU Extension Q&A: Not too late to prune backyard apple trees

Q. Is it too late to prune my apple trees?

A. Most of the pruning occurs when the trees are dormant in the winter. You can prune anytime from December to February. Usually in March, the trees start to respond to increased day length and prepare for spring. But it is not too late to prune, even if there is bud break (a few leaves). The plant would have used some stored resources on these new leaves, but if it is done quickly, it should have minimal impact on your tree. Of course, a commercial orchard will not do this, but we can be a little more relaxed with a backyard tree fruit.

Q. How can teens learn to become Teens as Teachers?

A. Washington State University’s Youth Advocates for Health is recruiting teens ages 14 to 18 to become Teens as Teachers. The teenagers will become a member of a youth-adult partnership, and will be teaching aspects of healthy eating and modeling active living activities to their younger peers. For more information, call 509-545-3511.

Q. How important is it to get foods immediately into the refrigerator? It seems like some people get a overzealous about keeping foods cold.

A. For food safety, temperature control matters. The maximum time for any cooked foods or cut fruit is two hours, and that is two hours total. So, all of the time the food is out of refrigeration counts; from the grocery store to home, putting groceries away, preparing the food, eating or putting it away after the meal. All of this time counts toward the two-hour maximum of leaving food out. When food sits at room temperature, it’s in the danger zone of 40 to 140 degrees. In this range, bacteria that cause illness grow and multiply rapidly. If it’s a hot day, then food should only be left out for one hour. When freezing food at a temperature of zero, bacteria become inactive. At refrigerator temperatures of 40 degrees, most bacteria that cause illness do not grow. Keeping perishable foods is one of the most important steps to keep food safe from illness-causing bacteria.

This story was originally published March 8, 2017 at 1:25 PM with the headline "WSU Extension Q&A: Not too late to prune backyard apple trees."