It happens that despite he althy growth and abundant flowering,fruit trees do not bear fruitor bear fruit very poorly. We carefully selected the appropriate varieties, carefully planted them and carefully nurtured them, and yet they do not want to repay abundant fruiting. Seewhy fruit trees do not bear fruitand what to do to ensure a good harvest in the future.
Why do fruit trees do not bear fruit even though they bloomed profusely?
The turn of April and May is the period ofintensive flowering in orchardsThe flowers growing on apple trees, pear trees, plums, cherries, peaches and apricots make our allotment and home gardens At no other time of the year the orchards look as beautiful as they do in spring.Owners of fruit plots in allotment gardens are pleased with the abundantflowering of fruit treesnot only for aesthetic reasons. It can also bean announcement of abundant fruitingMaybe, but not always …
Why, despite abundant flowering, trees do not bear fruit?There can be many reasons. Some of them, such as appropriate weather conditions, are beyond our control. Flower buds of fruit plants develop in the summer or fall of the previous year. During the winter, they can therefore be damaged by severe frosts. Spring frosts in the orchard can also harm the developing flowers.
However, there are alsofactors responsible for the fruiting of treesthat you can influence. It is the proper care of fruit plants, protection against diseases and pests, and ensuring the vicinity of pollinators. Let us therefore discuss these issues in more detail, starting with the latter, because it is worth thinking about it even before setting up the orchard.
Fruit trees do not bear fruit because pollinators are lacking
Correct selectionvarieties of fruit treesis especially important in the case of alien species. What does pollination mean?
In practice, it is simply that in order for a tree to bear fruit, another tree (of the same species, but of a different variety) must be present nearby that is a pollinator. Pollen from the flowers of the pollinator is transferred to the flower pistils of the pollinated variety by means of wind or insects. Therefore, for the pollinator, you need to choose the appropriate variety that will bloom at the same time as the pollinated variety.
Which fruit plants are affected by this problem?The use of pollinators is primarily required by apple trees, pear trees and cherries.The most popular of this group are, of course, apple trees. And their popularity may be a comfort to you. Even if your garden does not have a pollinating variety for your apple tree, there is a good chance that such a variety grows behind a neighbor's fence.
However, you cannot count on a neighbor in the case of cherries. These trees are much less common on our plots, so the probability that your neighbor has a pollinator for your cherry variety is much lower. It is better to plant a pollinating variety in your own garden.
Apple fruit trees require a pollinator for abundant fruiting
Cherry owners have less worry as most of them are self-pollinating (no pollinator required).Self-pollinating cherriesare e.g. 'Łutówka', 'North Star' and 'Nefris'.
There are also self-pollinating varieties among plums: 'Opal', 'Stanley', 'Early Hungarian', 'Ordinary Hungarian'. The cultivars 'Herman' and 'Oneida' are also partially self-pollinating. The latter two, however, will bear fruit more abundantly in the presence of a pollinator.However, if we have plum trees of varieties such as: 'Amers', 'Peach' or 'Węgierka Dąbrowicka' in the garden, the lack of pollinator may be the answer to the question why plum does not bear fruit.
Among the apricots, 'Somo' is self-fertile. The owners of 'Early Orange', 'Wczesna z Morden' and 'Harcot' varieties should think about pollinators.
I have the best news for peach owners. Virtually all varieties grown here are self-pollinating. This problem can also be forgotten by the owners of shrubs - gooseberries, raspberries, currants, blueberries and strawberries.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that even in the case of growing self-pollinating trees, planting other varieties of the same species may increase the yield. Why? Self-fertile cultivars bear fruit after being pollinated with their own pollen. However, the yield is greater when they are fertilized with pollen from another plant.
Good to knowIf, after reading the above advice, you already know that your plot lacks a pollinator for your fruit tree, all is not lost yet. A walk around the area awaits you to find an orchard where varieties that can pollinate your trees are grown.If the neighbor agrees, cut a few flowering twigs from the pollinators and put them in a bucket of water. Place the bucket next to the tree you want to pollinate. Preferably at the height of flight of bees, which is about 1.5 meters above the ground.
Fruit trees do not bear fruit because we neglected their care and protection
The flowering and the abundance of fruiting are also influenced by care treatments such as proper watering, fertilization and cutting of fruit plants. We have discussed these issues in other texts in our guide, which you can look for in the horticulture section.
Diseases and pests of fruit plants are another issue limiting the crops in the orchard. They can min. damage flowers and cause fruit buds to drop. More information on this subject can be found in the descriptions: diseases of fruit trees and pests of fruit plants.
At this point, I just want to mention one very important issue related toprotection of fruit plants during their flowering period The pollen needed to pollinate the flowers of fruit trees is in most cases carried by insects. Bumblebees, flies and bees can play this useful role, but bees are the most responsible for it (they pollinate 60 to 90% of flowers). Therefore, when carrying out protective treatments against pests of fruit plants, one must be careful not to harm beneficial bees. Spraying must not be performed during the flight of bees, it is necessary to maintain an appropriate period of prevention (the time interval between spraying and the flight of bees) and to select selective agents for protection, not harmful to the bees.
