No blossoms AGAIN on my apple trees! Help
I have four apples trees. A honeycrisp, gala, braeburn and jonathon. All have been in my yard for 4 seasons and were about 4-5 feet tall when I bought them at the nursery. The braeburn has never produced and the honeycrisp & gala have given a few. Last year, we had a hot then cold spring which I thought kept them from producing blossoms. This year my jonathon has tons of blossoms, but the others have NONE. I am so frustrated and don't know what I am doing wrong. Can anyone help me?
I have an old (60? 70?) apple tree in my yard and last year it burst into so many blossoms that I couldn't even see the leaves. This year? I could probably count the blossoms on one hand. The difference? We didn't prune it this past fall at all. The fall before we did. From what I've heard, apples really like being pruned. And this one has held true. So this fall we'll really prune it.
Where do you live? Chill hours make a difference; soil makes a difference; precipitation, whether directly from rain or indirectly from snowmelt, makes a difference.
What exposure to the sun do the trees have? All day? North, south, east, west?
Some fruits are borne on new growth; that's why pruning is essential. Some fruits grow on second-year wood; that's why knowing what and how much to prune is essential.
How long have you lived in this house with these trees?
Etc. Please put your location (e.g., northeastern Wyoming, central Tennessee) in your profile. It will help everyone help you.
Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9
What exposure to the sun do the trees have? All day? North, south, east, west?
Some fruits are borne on new growth; that's why pruning is essential. Some fruits grow on second-year wood; that's why knowing what and how much to prune is essential.
How long have you lived in this house with these trees?
Etc. Please put your location (e.g., northeastern Wyoming, central Tennessee) in your profile. It will help everyone help you.
Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9
Thanks everyone for your replies. WE live in southeast wisconsin and have lived in this house for almost 6 years. we planted the trees about 4 years ago in the spring and this is the fourth summer, maybe the 5th. Hard to remember! All of the trees have been pruned in the spring and late fall to get rid of the ones that grow straight up and for sun exposure in the center. They are in a mostly full sun position and probably get 6-8 hours each day when the other trees leaves are in full bloom. Equal attention/pruning/spraying has been given to all four trees, but only the jonathon has blooms. Hope the additional info helps! Thanks so much!
Some trees will set too much fruit one year and then not have enough energy to fruit the following year. This can sometimes be caused by heavy pruning or after a year where all blossoms were lost due to frost. To avoid this you could thin the fruit once it sets and you'll probably have fruit the next year instead of every other year.RogueRose wrote:I have an old (60? 70?) apple tree in my yard and last year it burst into so many blossoms that I couldn't even see the leaves. This year? I could probably count the blossoms on one hand. The difference? We didn't prune it this past fall at all. The fall before we did. From what I've heard, apples really like being pruned. And this one has held true. So this fall we'll really prune it.