What to Do if an Apple Tree Doesn't Bloom or Bear Fruit
Knowledge snippet: This article discusses the reasons and solutions for an apple tree not blooming or bearing fruit, as well as related knowledge about green plants and flowers. Keep reading for more information!
Apple trees usually start bearing fruit after three years of cultivation. However, if the conditions of light, climate, and soil nutrients are not suitable, apple trees can easily fail to bloom or bear fruit. It is necessary to improve and strengthen the care and management. Here are the reasons and measures for an apple tree not blooming or bearing fruit.
One, Reasons for an Apple Tree Not Blooming or Bearing Fruit
Usually caused by unsuitable environmental conditions such as temperature and precipitation, or improper management such as fertilization, pruning, and pest control.
Two, Unsuitable Temperature and Precipitation
Due to the differences in phenology in different regions of China, the further north you go, the lower the temperature, and the later the apple trees bloom. Apple trees usually bloom from April to May. If the spring temperature is low or the soil is dry, blooming will be delayed. If there is excessive rainfall in the summer, the late cessation of growth of the autumn shoots can also affect the development of flower buds.
The suitable temperature for the differentiation of flower buds in apple trees is between 20 and 25°C, and the soil moisture should reach 60%. Therefore, it is important to strengthen water irrigation in the spring when it is dry.
Three, Improper or Inadequate Fertilization
1. Improper Fertilization
The blooming of apple trees is related to the tree's vigor. If excessive nitrogen fertilizer is used during regular maintenance, or compound fertilizer is applied from July to August, it will only promote the tree's vegetative growth, delay the cessation of growth of the autumn shoots, and consume a lot of nutrients in the new growth, which hinders the differentiation of flower buds. The improvement measure is to apply nitrogen fertilizer appropriately and not to apply compound fertilizer in the summer, instead changing to water-soluble fertilizers.
2. Insufficient Fertilization
An apple tree may not bloom due to a lack of certain nutrients, such as potassium, zinc, magnesium, or phosphorus. In this case, the solution is to apply more phosphorus fertilizer and avoid potassium fertilizer, and apply more phosphorus fertilizer during the flower bud differentiation period to promote blooming.
Four, Pruning to Promote Flowering and Fruit Setting
The flower bud differentiation period of apple trees is after the cessation of growth of the spring shoots and after the cessation of growth of the autumn shoots. Therefore, flower buds usually differentiate in the terminal buds of short and medium shoots in late May, and in the axillary buds and terminal buds of the lateral shoots in September.
Excessive density of branches and leaves can hinder the development of flower buds and fruits. For trees with few or no flowers, and for trees that have not bloomed for several years, pruning is necessary to promote flowering. The main shoot should be flattened, the vigorous branches should be cut back, and strong branches, weak branches, diseased branches, vertical branches, and inward branches should be pruned promptly. By the end of May, a ring can be removed from the trunk to promote flowering.
Five, Pests and Diseases
Pests and diseases should be controlled promptly in the summer and autumn. If leaves cannot effectively synthesize nutrients due to pests and diseases, the tree will lack nutrition, which is not conducive to flower bud differentiation. Therefore, pest and disease control must be done before the frost in the autumn.
Six, Alternate High and Low Yield Years
If the fruit yield of the previous year is too high, it can also affect the blooming and fruiting of the current year. Because the fruit expansion period from May to June and September is usually the period of flower bud differentiation, the nutrients are concentratedly supplied to the fruits during the expansion period, and if the fruit load on the branches is too large, it can lead to a lack of nutrients for flower bud formation, resulting in no flowering or reduced flower production in the following year, and therefore no fruit or very little fruit. The solution is to increase water and fertilizer during the high yield year and thin the flowers and fruits.
Seven, Tree Age
Whether an apple tree blooms is related to its age. Usually, only trees three years and older can differentiate flower buds. It is a normal phenomenon for young trees not to bloom.
The above content shares how to deal with an apple tree not blooming or bearing fruit, understanding the causes, and related solutions. I hope it is helpful to you!