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At last apples blossom!
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Message 1.Â
Posted by Polyantha (U14457195) on Wednesday, 13th April 2011
Posted on here last year about my apple tree not producing any blossom , despite being 7 years old, which was very annoying. It was supposed to be a self pollinating type. Anyway after searching on the internet, someone suggesting in late August to prune two thirds of that years growth, not cutting into the old wood. Apparently this shocks the plant into thinking it is being attacked or eaten and in order to survive needs to produce seed, hence the apples. I did this because I thought I have nothing to lose, upon checking it earlier in the week, it now has 4 clusters of about 4 flowers waiting to open, very exciting, I just hope they dont drop off after flowering, but they look fat and healthy. Fingers crossed, you can do this every year until it starts to produce more apples. Anyone else tried this.
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Message 2
Posted by Kleftiwallah (U13700999) on Wednesday, 13th April 2011
There is a 'thing' called "The June drop" where fruit trees drop a percentage of the embryonic apples so they can concentrate their growing into fewer fruit.
We have an apple tree, an Arthur Turner that has such large amounts of blossom and subsequently apples that they are crammed together and earwigs get between the apple stalks and damage the fruit. After the June drop I'm going to have to thin the apples out even more. Best of luck and wishes with your apples. Cheers ,Tony. -
Message 3
Posted by Polyantha (U14457195) on Thursday, 14th April 2011
I wish I had that problem, I am so jealous!! The blossom that dropped off mine last year was just 2 buds. They were the only ones on the tree, I am hoping for better things this year.
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Message 4
Posted by horththit (U13862695) on Friday, 15th April 2011
Hello
I had no blossom last year either, but this year, WOW. My vic.plum is dripping, my bramley and other young eaters are also full, and a young cherry has blossom all over. Two young pears are also well endowed. This will be the first year to harvest anything. I have my bramley covered with fleece just now as I spotted a bull finch last week, and I thought, 'no mate, u r not ruining my crop this year!'. Yahoo -
Message 5
Posted by Papa Nopsis (U14479902) on Friday, 15th April 2011
I have got a tree which thinks it is a production line of apples.
The outer ones get bigger and bigger; I pick them and then the ones further in get bigger and bigger and so on until i get to the middle, ripening as they reach full size.
It is now a seething mass of flower, which is a way of thanking me for the Wassail. -
Message 6
Posted by bookertoo (U3655866) on Saturday, 16th April 2011
Our crab apple could not have another flower on it as it is so loaded down - and it is a very old tree, which I had thought was well past its best - maybe it liked the cold winter? Of our eaters, James Grieve is flowering well, Katy barely starting but she is always a bit later.
Other fruits romping away, blue berries, gooseberries, black & red currants and so on - but it is still remarkably cold, -
Message 7
Posted by Clare (U14844744) on Sunday, 17th April 2011
This is very reassuring - i sowed some apple pips about 8-10yrs ago, which i planted out about 5 or so yrs ago, but although they've grown well & have lots of leaves each year so far, no blossom! I guess i just have wait a little longer...? or is there something else i should be doing (i pruned them the first few years then stopped last year in case i was pruning off the wrong bits!).
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Message 8
Posted by Papa Nopsis (U14479902) on Monday, 18th April 2011
Our old friends the "Rev Wilkes" and his lover "Beauty of Bath" are doing really well in their new found position in my 1/4 acre plot. They replaced 3, 140 year old Dorset special precious ones.
They are going to be very good trees indeed, thanks to the plantsmanship of Ashridge trees.
One half standard Cherry will also be good, but the semi dwarf cherries are a dead loss to me, for the time being, ordered by mistake, since, if the deer gets in to the garden at all, the first thing he chomps at, is the low blossom of the dwarf tree.
"Lovely!" he says "tastes great! Gardda knows exactly what he's doing planting them for us like that! Brilliant!"
argghh! -
Message 9
Posted by Polyantha (U14457195) on Saturday, 23rd April 2011
Maybe you should prune yours like I did mine, see first thread in this message, it certainly worked for me, my apple tree was very healthy, but just not producing fruit, good luck!!
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Message 10
Posted by Clare (U14844744) on Saturday, 30th April 2011
Thanks Polyantha, i'll try to remember to prune it this year. Being very new to fruit-tree growing, is there an easy way to spot where this year's growth stops & old growth starts? It all looks much the same to me at the moment at least...!
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Message 11
Posted by Papa Nopsis (U14479902) on Monday, 2nd May 2011
This year's increase is soft and supple, and a different colour.
they way trees increase is the subject of scientific discussion. some years they increase very little due to water shortages (they will still blossom and fruit) but other years when rain is plentiful they will increase exponentially.
It obviously depends on how much sap is rising through the tree! -
Message 12
Posted by Papa Nopsis (U14479902) on Monday, 2nd May 2011
And talking about pruning, I had to prune the roots of a low yielding apple tree this year, albeit with a very sweet fruit on it in november, and I hope it would not do too much damage.
Hey presto! I have the best blossom and fruit set on it now than I have ever had before.
There must be a moral to the story, but it might also be due to the closeness of a hidden well to that particular root, which seemed to have a limey deposit around the outside when i dug it out. A root gone to the wrong place, removed. -
Message 13
Posted by Clare (U14844744) on Monday, 2nd May 2011
This year's increase is soft and supple, and a different colour.
they way trees increase is the subject of scientific discussion. some years they increase very little due to water shortages (they will still blossom and fruit) but other years when rain is plentiful they will increase exponentially.
It obviously depends on how much sap is rising through the tree! OK, i'll give it a go in August & hopefully see some blossom next year....! Maybe in future if i want apples i'll just buy a tree rather than growing from a pip, it might be more reliable! -
Message 14
Posted by Polyantha (U14457195) on Tuesday, 3rd May 2011
Sorry for late reply Clare, but yes the new growth is soft and supple and a lighter colour too, the old growth looks much woodier, if that makes sense. My neighbour also pruned her pear tree using the same method last year too, and she has masses of pears on it, for the first time ever. I will certainly be doing mine again this year. It might be to do with the water and the sap rising in the tree I really dont know. Good luck!!
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Message 15
Posted by Clare (U14844744) on Sunday, 8th May 2011
Thanks Polyantha. I've also been told i should be using potash....?
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Message 16
Posted by Papa Nopsis (U14479902) on Monday, 9th May 2011
Yes it would be silly to prune healthy looking boughs, and wise to prune sick looking ones.
Good luck. -
Message 17
Posted by Polyantha (U14457195) on Wednesday, 11th May 2011
Hi Clare, yes I was told to use potash, sprinkled round base of tree every month from April to September, which I did but it did not produce the apples. But I think it does help feed the tree, I just put some well rotted horse manure round mine this year, might give it some potash later, the buds are really fat now, so hopefully they will become apples.
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Message 18
Posted by Playingtimeaddedon (U14150224) on Wednesday, 11th May 2011
I would not have used potash for such a prolonged period. I have found that December and January, when the tree is dormant, is the ideal time.
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Message 19
Posted by Clare (U14844744) on Wednesday, 11th May 2011
Thanks all, i'll try pruning (not all the good bits!) in August & potash in late winter (assuming i remember at the right time of course....!)
Clare
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