Why is the apple tree not blooming? Without seeing a specific tree, without knowing its varietal characteristics, it is impossible to give an unambiguous answer, because there are many possible reasons. Most likely, you are too impatient, and the deadline has not come. Or maybe the apple tree does not bloom due to lack of care or, conversely, its excess.
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How and when the apple tree blooms
This happened to you: you bought an apple tree, planted it in the best place, waited for years, but did not know how it blooms. To avoid premature disappointments, remember the name of the variety. Ask sellers at what age fruiting occurs. It is even better to read about the characteristics of the acquired variety on a proven, reliable site, for example, on the portal of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "State Sort Commission". Compare if the description matches the seedling, make sure you are not handed a fake.
All apple trees have flowers collected in several pieces in umbrellas or shields. The corolla consists of five, rarely six, petals. But the color of the buds depends on the variety: snow-white, pale pink, bright crimson - all shades of mixing white and red. There are no corollas with blue and yellow coloration.
Photo gallery: apple blossom
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- Snow-white Antonovka is one of the most popular varieties in Russia
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- Melba has pink buds and white flowers
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- Varieties that produce red fruits have pink flowers.
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- The rich color of petals from bright pink to purple-crimson are decorative varieties that are grown not for the sake of harvest, but for aesthetic enjoyment
The flowering period also depends on the variety, but to a greater extent the weather and the growing region affect the appearance of buds. So, if the spring is warm, then the apple trees will bloom early, the main thing is that a favorable temperature is established in the range from +12 to +18 ° C. As for the regions, in the South of the Russian Federation and Ukraine, the first flowers open in early May, in central Russia and Belarus - in mid-May. If the warmth does not come for a long time in the spring, the period may shift until the beginning of June. Flowering lasts 10-14 days and coincides in time with the singing of the nightingale.
Video: the charm of the May garden
Flowering problems and solutions
Apple trees may not bloom at all or delight with flowers and fruits not every year. In either case, there are reasons that you need to try to eliminate.
The apple tree never bloomed
The fruiting age varies. Some varieties delight with the first apples already in the second year after planting, others - in the eighth or even ninth. Record the cultivar, fruiting age and planting year. Hang a tag with this information on a tree or put up a sign. Just wait for the due date. But then he came, and the flowers did not appear? There may be two reasons:
- improper fit;
- the plant is fattening.
The apple tree will not bloom if you buried it. The tree has a conditional border - the root collar. This is where the trunk meets the roots. Everything above this border should be above the ground, below it - underground.
Root collar - a place 2-4 cm higher than the first lateral roots, differs in color from the bark of the tree
Checking for proper seating is easy: scrape off the dirt around the trunk. Lateral roots extend from it at the soil surface - the planting is correct, if you need to dig to the roots - the neck is buried.
The first roots extend from the trunk at a depth of more than 4 cm, the root collar is in the ground, we see the initial signs of its drying out
The problem is solved in two ways:
- Fold the ground from the entire trunk circle to the desired level, and reinforce the edges of the hole formed with boards. If water accumulates in a depression near the trunk, the root collar will rot. To drain excess moisture from the pit, a groove must be drawn to a lower place.
- Transplant or lift the tree. The method is labor intensive. You will need to use a crowbar, jack and other devices and mechanisms. It is necessary to properly shed the earth around the apple tree, then the roots will not break when pulled. However, the result can be deplorable: the tree will be damaged and will not take root after a difficult operation. But if the apple tree does not bloom, then there is nothing to lose, it is worth taking a chance in the hope of a good result.
To raise the tree, use a solid pole or board 5-6 m long, one end of which is tied to the trunk, and a load is placed on the other (a box of sand, a large stone, a weight)
Plant your trees correctly to avoid these procedures. Pay special attention to the preparation of the pit, it is dug out in advance, filled with nutritious soil, which should sink. Even if you place the apple tree with its root collar at the level of the soil, but in a loose, non-sifted soil, the tree will sink deeper over time. In addition, the mulch is laid, departing from the trunk 15–20 cm, so as not to fill up the root collar - it must be ventilated and breathed.
Another reason why a young apple tree does not bloom seems incredible - too good care, fertile soil, enough water and heat. The tree is fattening, it is already wonderful without flowers and fruits. In the plant kingdom, there is a rule: to reproduce in a stressful situation, when death threatens, for example, drought or lack of nutrition. Arrange an uncomfortable life for your apple tree:
- Padding. Do this procedure in May with two or three skeletal branches. Pull each of them tightly with a wire, stepping back from the trunk 3–5 cm. In order not to damage the bark, place a burlap. The outflow of water and nutrients will become difficult, flower buds will begin to form on the branches, next year the apple tree will delight you with flowers. Remove the constrictions two months after application, otherwise the wire will grow into the wood, the food will stop and the shoot will die. The method is applicable for apple trees over three years old and branches under five years old.
Step 3–5 cm away from the trunk, pull the skeletal branch tightly with a wire and pliers
- Ringing. Select only one skeletal branch for this operation, otherwise the whole tree may dry out under unfavorable conditions. In late May - early June, stepping back 3–5 cm from the trunk, remove the bark from the branch with a ring 2 cm wide (no more!). Flip this ring so that the cut that is closer to the trunk is farther from it. Tape with electrical tape or a strip of plastic. After two months, when the bark grows, remove the mount. The apple tree will bloom in 2-3 years.
Cut off the bark with a ring, turn it over and place it on the bare area
Remember the axiom of gardening: branches directed closer to the vertical are responsible for plant growth, closer to the horizontal - for reproduction. It happens that the skeletal branches go up at an acute angle, then you need to bend them - move them to a position at an angle of at least 60 degrees. The horizontally oriented branches begin to bear fruit earlier, and the apples ripen on them larger and more juicy.
You can change the orientation using a spacer placed between the trunk and branch.Another option is to tie one end of the rope to a branch, pull gently to straighten it to the desired direction, and secure the other end to a peg or trunk.
The branch can be bent with a spacer (left) or pulled with a rope (right)
Force must be applied to the middle of the shoot. If you make a bend at the top, you will get an arc, the branch will be oriented below the horizontal and will stall in growth. In addition, powerful vertical shoots - tops will appear on it.
If the bending is done at the top, then an arc will turn out, the branch will stop growing, powerful vertical shoots will appear on it - tops
Video: how to make a young apple tree bear fruit
There is a more humane and proven way, but it seems mystical. Plants understand the mood of their owner. Many gardeners managed to achieve flowering of an apple tree by elementary blackmail, for example, knocking on the trunk with the butt of an ax and confidently declaring: "You will not bloom, I will use it for firewood!"
A real story from the life of the author: it grew in the garden for many years and did not produce plum fruits. In the fall, standing by a tree, my husband and I decided out loud: "It won't bloom - we will uproot it." The next spring the plum was all snow-white and then bore fruit abundantly.
The apple tree does not bloom every year
There are even more reasons for this problem:
- Frequency characteristic of many varieties. The apple tree generously endowed you with fruits last year, and it does not have enough strength to lay flower buds on this one.
- The summer was dry, and the following spring the tree did not have enough food.
- A lot of nitrogen fertilizers were introduced (manure, humus, ammonium nitrate, urea). The plant fattens, builds up the green mass.
- It was a harsh winter, the flower buds were frozen.
- Thickened crown. The juices are used to ripen a mass of unnecessary shoots, and not fruit buds.
If the apple tree does not bloom in some years, this is already much better than not blooming. They struggle with periodicity by rationing: they pluck out the ovaries, leaving 1–2 per inflorescence. It will become easier for the tree, it will find the strength to take care of the fruits of the next year.
Video: apple harvest rationing
There is nothing you can do about frosty winters, but we can support the apple tree in dry summers. In general, the tree needs to be provided with a complex of agricultural practices in the required volume:
- In the absence of rain, water during budding, flowering and ovary growth. The norm is 2-3 buckets per 1 m² of the trunk circle. A young tree that is not yet blooming should be watered if it is hot and there has been no rain for more than a week.
- Feed in spring with nitrogen fertilizers, in summer and autumn with potash and phosphorus fertilizers. Do not exceed the dose indicated in the instructions. It is better to underfeed than overfeed.
- Thin the crown, remove branches that cross, rubbing and shading each other. One-year green growths should be shortened to 2-3 leaves.
Video: how to care for fruit trees
The apple tree blooms, but does not bear fruit
And in this case, there can be many reasons:
- The tree is self-fertile, that is, a different pollinator variety is needed. Apple trees and even pears blooming in a short time will do. Moreover, they can grow both on your site and on neighboring ones. The maximum distance is up to 50 meters.
- There are no pollinating insects. To attract them, spray the flowers with a solution of honey - 1 teaspoon per liter of water.
- Cloudy and cold weather, pollinating insects do not fly at this time.
- Freezing. The flowers remain, but the delicate stigmas of the pistils inside the corolla die. Namely, ovaries are formed from them. Protect trees with spray or smoke.
- Lack of an important trace element - boron. Dilute 3-5 g of boric acid in 10 l of water and spray the crown.
- Drought, not enough water for fruit ripening, petals and ovaries crumble. Be sure to water the trees in dry weather.
The critical temperature for apple branches is -35 ⁰C, flower buds -35 ⁰C, roots -10 ⁰C, buds -4 ⁰C, flowers -2.3 ⁰C, ovaries -1.8 ⁰C.
In order not to wait in vain for many years, buy seedlings only from trusted sellers.Observe all agricultural practices during planting and growing. Consider weather conditions, protect plants from frost and drought. Do not forget about pollinating insects, do not spoil your apple trees with fertilizers. If you carefully observe the development of a tree and the conditions for its growth, then you can easily identify the reason for the lack of flowering and eliminate it.
