Apples.

Hi all, I have 2 young apple trees we planted the year before last. They have both had their flowers now. The flowers all seem to be browning and look very much dead. Is this normal as I can't remember what happened to the flowers last year ? No sign of apples ! Are the trees too young ? Both around 6ft tall now.
gazania

 

Hi Gazzania

Yes sounds norrmal to me , hopfully you should see little apples starting , I hope you have better luck than me I grow Sunset and a late frost had all the blooms not one apple this year I had 50lb last year !!! gutted but thats gardening for you.

Go and check for me :WINK1: hope its not raining

Spruce

 

Thats a bummer Spruce.

While we're on the subject, lets pre empt the questions about the June drop for this year.

Around this time the polinated apples will thin themselves out, the branches can only take so much weight so don't be suprised when you find lots of the tiny apples have fallen off, this is natural and usually there is nothing wrong with your tree

 

Well, each tree has over 50 flowers so I could get a few apples then, hopefully.
Sorry the frost got yours Spruce. Mother nature has certainly shown us who is the head gardener this year, it certainly ain't us !
And I'll now have no reason to worry when my apples start dropping. Thanks for the warning
gazania (oh and yes, we got the wind and rain again !)

 

I've had my entire harvest wiped out by the weather this year. I might get a few dozen apples off 2 dozen trees, some of which normally produce a few hunded pounds of fruit each. It's an absolute disaster.

P.S. One of my trees is a Sunset - the juice pressed from those apples is our favourite for drinking and I've grafted from it last year. Not a single apple on it this year.

 

[quote="
P.S. One of my trees is a Sunset - the juice pressed from those apples is our favourite for drinking and I've grafted from it last year. Not a single apple on it this year.[/quote]


Hi Scrungee

I do the same thing with Sunset as they dont keep long , it was a present when I moved buildings from my old office they normaly have one each every year (not this one!!)

Spruce

 

Hi Scrungee

I do the same thing with Sunset as they dont keep long , it was a present when I moved buildings from my old office they normaly have one each every year (not this one!!)

Spruce[/quote]

Do you mean juice them? (as we find they don't keep well)

 

Yes Juice, very good for the heart a herbalist told me.

Sorry I do ramble

Spruce

 

Hi, I would say that every flower on my 2 trees are not only brown but are now black and shrivelled with no sign of life ?
The fact that my trees had flowers does that mean they have been pollinated and capable of producing apples ? The fact that they don't have any sign of apple growth is down to the weather or disease ?
gazania

 

Flowers come before pollination. Once the insects or wind has pollinated the flowers small embryonic apples will form but these are quite difficult to spot until after the blossom has fallen.
Give it a bit more time before you decide you'll not get a crop this year, you may yet get a nice surprise.

 

As it's now June you aren't going to get any more apples formingt's the worst year I've ever known for apples (and possibly pears, plums, etc.)

 

Thanks, I guess only time will tell, so here's fingers crossed
gazania

 

Scungee

Sorry I lied, found 1 on Saturday hiding behind a leaf

Spruce

 

The 'June Drop' might still get it!

 

Thanks Scungee I live in hope I better use some glue as it aint going no where

Spruce