Rubbing off blossoms from fruit trees - is it for 2, or for 3, years??

Hi everyone

I have rubbed the blossoms off our new fruit trees (planted as 1 year olds) for the last 2 years. We are now coming into their third summer in the Timecharger garden.

My question is whether I am supposed to rub off the blossoms for three years, or until three years: in other words, will we get any fruit this year, or should I be rubbing off the blossoms again? I'm happy to wait till next year if that's the best thing to do, but just am not quite sure...

Cheers very much,
Alexei

 

Alexei, why take the blossom off? Don`t you want fruit? Leave them alone, for goodness sake. Let THEM decide when they are ready to support fruit.:gnthb:

 

I'd say its best to thin the fruit, once set in about July, rather than thinning the blossom.

Assume we're talking Apples/pears here.

 

Hi folks. I had the same thing, on the instructions. Alexei, as I remember, this year is the year to let them do their thing. Dai is a great believer in letting nature take it's course. I however, think that nature SOMETIMES gets it wrong...at times Oh yeah, post 1000 ! Cheers...freddy.

 

If the trees are growing well and look like they're etablished nicely, then let them fruit.

If they haven't established after 3 years then something is going wrong!

 

Cheers for all your advice. I think I'll thin in July and let the tree bear some fruit this year...

 

Freddy, if a plant can`t support fruit, then it wont flower. Look and learn.:gnthb::D

 

Dai, I'm looking all the time, but I can't know everything, that's why I take advice. The advice given was to remove the flowers. They say the same for strawberries. Gotta have a little faith....don't we ? :D

 

Don`t believe all you read Fred. Have I let you down yet?:gnthb::lollol:

 

Not entirely true David, its a well known fact that if a plant thinks it struggling or about to die it will make a last attempt at fruiting and producing seed, after all thats what the plant wants to do, produce seed, if the apples are small and unfit to eat the plant is not bothered, just as long as the fruit contains viable seed.

We on the other hand want good sized fruit, who cares about if the seed is any good?

So, I dont necessarily go along with thinning the blossom, but I do think thinning the resulting fruit is more sensible, even down to taking all the fruit off in its first season.
Thinning the blossom seems a bit strange to me, and could cause damage to the fruiting spurs.

 

pete, it's what it said on the label !

 

Yes, where's my Peer Gynt ? :D

 

I would never take the blossom off the tree.
Remove the small fruit until ychesou have the disired number of fruit.
The remaining fruit will have the best chance of making a good size.
When a tree attains a good size , or age it can produce a great crop of many hundreds .

 

I agree with JWK wait for the "june drop" then if you want to reduce fruiting further take off immature fruits.