The apple tree does not bloom, reasons. Incorrect tree formation

15.05.2012

Apple tree frozen after winter? What is happening to her? After a frosty winter, she “woke up” late, although then, it seems, she recovered. But already for the second year you notice that the leaves on it have become smaller, and in spring they grow later than on other trees. Is your apple tree dying after all? Is it possible to help her and prolong her life?

The consequences of frosty winters can manifest themselves in the next 3-4 years, when part of the apple trees die, which have lasted all this time due to their internal reserves. Make trial cuts of weak branches and determine the degree of their freezing. If there are zones with a dark color on the cut, then this is evidence that these areas have suffered from frost.

Since the apple tree has not died for two years, it means that its tissues are still able to perform their functions. But if the wood is damaged, then the exchange of substances between the crown and roots, as well as the flow of moisture into the crown, is greatly hindered. The tree opens in spring, but looks downtrodden, often with small, whitish leaves. The pale color of the leaves is a consequence of a lack of moisture. Photosynthesis in them is disturbed, and as a result, the whole tree suffers.

TAKE ACTION

If the wood is badly damaged, but the bark and cambium are preserved, then rejuvenating pruning should be carried out. This will lead to a rapid increase new wood and restoration of its functions. Experienced gardeners it is believed that thanks to young shoots, a healthy conducting system of blood vessels is formed, which ensure normal metabolism and rejuvenate the entire tree. In addition, pruning reduces the evaporative surface of the leaves, which will benefit a weakened apple tree.

Pruning is usually done in early spring. But in the case of a diseased tree, you should not wait another season, as this will only aggravate the situation. You can start pruning in late spring or early summer. In the warm season, wounds dry out faster. In the crown, you need to completely cut out the dead branches, and shorten the living ones by 3-4-year-old wood in order to cause a strong increase.

When pruning, avoid causing large wounds at the same level with opposite sides trunk or skeletal branch. This can cause the wood to dry out and part of the tree to die. Cuts must be made on the ring with a well-sharpened tool. After that, with a sharp knife, remove the burrs on the sections of the bark along the contour of the wound. Only in this case, it will quickly drag on with fresh bark. Immediately after pruning, all sections must be covered with garden pitch. Large cuts can be painted over oil paint(ocher or ferruginous minium).

After rejuvenating pruning, a lot of tops usually grow. Their number must be regulated, timely removing the extra during the season. Leave only those shoots that are needed to restore the crown.

Wood, frost-damaged, becomes very fragile, therefore, during the pouring of the ovaries, supports are placed under the branches. branches with sharp corners discharges are attracted to the trunk with a wire with a rubber gasket. If this is not done, then broken large branches can cause premature death of the tree.

SPECIAL DIET

Damaged plants need careful care. It is very important to regularly water frozen trees, as they themselves do not cope well with the extraction of moisture. To keep the soil moist, it is useful to mulch the tree trunks.

Top dressing is given in spring and summer, evenly scattering fertilizers into grooves along the periphery of the crown with mandatory watering. Liquid fertilizers are also used: infusions of manure, chicken manure or solutions of complex fertilizers (1 kg of granules per 6 buckets of water). Such top dressing is carried out at least three times.

Starting from August, only phosphate and potash fertilizers are applied, which increase winter hardiness. Depending on the age of the tree, take 1/2 - 1 cup of simple superphosphate and 1/3-2/3 cup of potassium chloride per 10 liters of water. Solutions evenly water the soil under the crown or pour them into grooves and wells. For an adult fruit-bearing apple tree, 1 bucket of solution per 1 m2 of the near-stem circle is consumed. After all top dressing, the tree is watered abundantly. At good care an apple tree affected by frost can live another 6-10 years. During this time, a young tree will have time to grow. It can also be planted in the summer if you choose a seedling with a closed root system.

In our country it is rare to find garden plot on which apple trees do not grow. These unpretentious and beloved trees are everywhere and everywhere. But sometimes it happens that a few years after planting, the apple tree has not begun to bear fruit. Or the harvest on an adult and quite prosperous tree disappears.

Why the apple tree does not bloom: reasons

In such a situation, the main thing is to correctly deal with the cause of the absence of fruits. In our article, we will try to consider different cases- why the apple tree does not bloom and does not bear fruit, as well as ways to solve the problem.

The absence of signs of fruiting and flowering indicates a certain physiological state of the tree, in which the laying of flower buds, as well as ordinary growth ones, is suppressed. Any gardener knows that without flowering, you will not wait for any fruits. That is why the correct planting of seedlings in the ground is very important, after which the process of laying flower buds will be monitored.

Regulate the process, resorting to timely and correct pruning and formation, protection from diseases, and sometimes by performing certain surgical procedures. Sometimes the right care techniques are enough for the apple tree to bloom.

Let's talk about proper planting and pruning

This is one of the primary conditions, without which full and timely flowering of apple trees is impossible. If the planting is too deep, the flowering process will begin much later. Then you should try to "pull" the trees slightly closer to the surface.

If the pruning was carried out untimely or too much, this can dramatically weaken the flowering process. The laying of flower buds occurs on special formations of the fetus, called spears, annelids, fruits, fruit twigs, fruitlets. Strong anti-aging pruning eliminates most fruit wood. With sharp pruning, active growth of vegetative shoots occurs at the expense of rapid flowering.

Improper nutrition of the tree

It may be redundant or unbalanced. This can be determined by the so-called fattening. In trees, this looks like an active growth of vegetative shoots with simultaneous suppression of the laying of generative buds and fruit wood.

Why does this happen? Similar phenomena can be observed in the case of excessive application of relatively fresh compost (manure) or abuse of fertilizers containing nitrogen. The composition of fertilizers for apple trees should be selected, adhering to a strict dosage. Nitrogen is known for its ability to stimulate vegetative growth, but excess nitrogen can delay flower bud formation.

To stimulate it, nutrition is required with high content phosphorus. In addition, a long delay in flowering can also be caused by a deficiency of certain trace elements, such as iron.

The absence of flowering in various varieties and species can be caused both by common causes for all, and individual for each variety. That is, the answer to the question, for example, why the white filling apple tree does not bloom, may be completely different in relation to another variety. Almost all apple trees can lose their bloom due to improper harvesting, exposure to frost, a certain frequency of fruiting, or simply insufficient age of the tree. Let's now consider what specific reasons for this phenomenon may be inherent in certain varieties.

Why the columnar apple tree does not bloom: reasons

In a tree of this variety, lateral branches growing in large numbers can interfere with flowering. Most of the flower buds in the columnar apple tree are formed on the annulus, the number of which may be limited due to the excessive number of lateral shoots.

Apple tree on a dwarf rootstock

What could be the most likely reason for the long absence of flowering in this variety? Most often this can happen due to too much deepening of the seedling, which was obtained on a clonal rootstock. If planted too deep, the scion will develop roots and character traits trees are lost.

Other reasons include the appearance of infectious diseases, poor compatibility of the scion with the stock, or unbalanced nutrition.

Pyramidal apple tree

We are talking about the shape that is artificially given to the crown, meaning most often a decorative purpose. A small number or complete absence of flowers here may be due to the number and structure of overgrowing branches (this is how fruit formations are called in this variety). Why not and how to deal with it this case? In order for the flowers to be present in sufficient quantities, the forming pruning of such apple trees should be carried out quite thoughtfully, the type of fruiting (along with other varietal features) should be taken into account first of all.

Varieties Simirenko

Why do not apple trees of these varieties bloom (the more correct name is Renet Simerenko)? If the rootstock is vigorous, trees of this variety begin to bear fruit most often in the fifth year from planting. And undersized rootstocks begin to bear fruit earlier - usually in the third year. Therefore, in the case of acquiring a seedling with a vigorous rootstock, you should be patient and do not expect flowers before the age of five. However, single flowers may appear.

At the same time, for pollination of apple trees of this variety, the presence of others is required. We are talking about the varieties Golden Delicious, Idared, Korey, Kuban, Pamyat Sergeev, Spur. If these pollinators are not present in the vicinity of Renet trees, even if good flowering there may be almost no ovaries, that is, the yield will be minimal.

Grushovka

This variety is subdivided into several different types. For example, we can talk about Moscow pear or early pear. Such trees begin to bear fruit most often at the age of 5 years, and why a young apple tree does not bloom, you can not ask for the first four years.

If, in subsequent years, flowering is not observed, possible reasons This is common for any variety (we remind you of improper planting, excess nitrogen with a simultaneous deficiency of phosphorus and trace elements, iron deficiency, the presence of pests and diseases).

Melba

You can expect the first flowers and fruits from this variety already in the third or fourth year. That is, the first three years after planting, the absence of flowering is the norm. But realizing the potential is also possible only with the availability of other varieties for cross-pollination purposes. Without them, the harvest will be purely symbolic. It is better to take the following varieties for pollination - Borovinka, Bellefleur-Kitayka, Quinty.

wild apple trees

The wilds include root shoots or apple trees grown from seeds. It is possible to determine the age of the beginning of their fruiting only approximately and in the case of self-sowing of seeds, as well as when the gardener remembers from which varieties of apples these seeds were taken. In the vast majority of cases, it is impossible to establish even the theoretically required year of flowering for such an apple tree.

If you are interested in getting fruits from a wild, it is recommended to bend the branches for the purpose of their better growth or to carry out certain surgical operations - kerbovka, banding, etc. It is also recommended to feed with superphosphate or You can also graft a stalk or bud from a varietal apple tree onto a wild.

Let's talk about ages

Why not apple trees? What to do? Most fruit trees successively go through periods of growth, growth and fruiting, fruiting with growth, and aging. Non-blooming apple trees are a natural occurrence in young age, that is, during the first period of flowering as such, it should not be. The exception is varieties that bear fruit already in the second year after planting. Why isn't it blooming? mature apple tree?

How long the period of apple tree growth without flowering will be depends on the rootstock and variety. It is possible to expect the appearance of flowers at the age of three only from trees of early-growing varieties (Wellspur, Narodnoye) or if the stock is dwarf. Other varieties (Antonovka, Grushovka Moskva, Welsey), especially in the case of a dwarf or semi-dwarf rootstock, can bloom and begin to bear fruit at the age of 6-7 years.

Varieties such as Sara Sinap or Red Delicious do not show signs of flowering at this age, which is considered completely normal. You can talk about the problem only when early-growing varieties do not bloom. In such a situation, pay attention to the condition of the crown, especially the angles at which the branches grow. And also check the tree for the presence or absence of diseases and pests, follow a balanced diet.

Why do not apple trees bloom, being already definitely "adult"? If we are talking about ten years of age, the lack of flowering in certain varieties (Red Delicious and Sarah Sinap) also fits into the physiological norm. If this does not happen, then (in addition to an excess of organic matter or a deficiency of useful trace elements), most often you can think about improper planting or unsuccessful crown formation.

If the tree does not bloom every year

Why don't apple trees bloom every year? Flowering of a tree after 1-2 years in some cases (for certain varieties) is a natural phenomenon. The reason for this is the so-called periodicity of fruiting. Varieties with the most pronounced period - Early Grushovka, Babushkino, Early Golden Kitayka, Moscow Grushovka. This happens due to the depletion of the tree due to a rich harvest, suppression of the laying of flower buds and an excess of certain growth substances (or phytohormones).

To get a relatively regular flowering as well as fruiting, choose a certain range of varieties. For example - Anisovka, Folk, Long, Pepin Saffron, Northern Sinap, Taiga, etc.

In addition, it is important to choose the right time for feeding and pruning procedures. It is best to feed the trees in the harvest year, and prune before it.

Why do trees bloom weakly and badly?

The reasons for this are most often similar to the case with a complete and prolonged absence of flowering - a disease in the form of a fungus, an imbalance nutrients, unsuccessful pruning and crown formation. As already mentioned, sometimes weak flowering can indicate the manifestation of the frequency of fruiting (in a certain year).

What if the apple tree does not grow well? Perhaps there is a tree oppression. The most common reason for this may be the presence of a close level ground water or a serious defeat by a fungal disease, which include milky sheen, scab, black cancer and others.

What to do to correct the situation with poor flowering? Pay attention to the condition of the crown. If some of the young branches grow at an angle of about 45⁰, try to increase it by bending it to 60-70⁰. You should also look at the condition of the leaves. A number of infectious diseases also prevent flowering.

Other reasons

The tree may be infected with milky sheen (basidial fungus). Affected specimens should be cut down to the root, completely uprooted and burned to avoid infecting other trees. If the apple tree is affected by scab or black cancer, spraying is carried out with the necessary preparation.

Iron deficiency, which also weakens flowering, manifests itself most often in the form of chlorosis. Top dressing of the apple tree is carried out in this case with Uniflor-micro or Ferrovit.

Look also at how the root neck is located. If its location is below the level at which the soil of the site is located, try to raise it if possible.

In the case of periodicity (harvest years alternate with the absence of flowering), some gardeners resort to thinning flowers in case they a large number. This is done to prevent severe depletion of the tree by a bountiful harvest.

To speed up the flowering of a single branch, you can apply a number of certain surgical techniques that regulate the development of shoots from the buds. We can talk about the procedures of kerbovka and ringing. The latter refers to a cut of a bark ring 4-10 mm wide. After 20-30 days after flowering, the wound is tied with a film in order to protect against infections and pests.

As a result, due to a temporary cessation of the outflow of substances of an organic nature, the growth of vegetative shoots is weakened and new fruit formations (spears, annelids) are formed.

Another useful advice- when planting seedlings, avoid placing a large amount of organic matter in the planting pits. This is especially true for fresh (not rotted) compost. This is done in order to avoid fattening trees.

Modern gardeners often resort to planting seedlings on mounds instead of holes. This is especially true for those areas whose soils are quite heavy - clay and loamy.

Summing up

So we briefly reviewed the main questions - why does the apple tree not bloom? What to do? In the most general case, in order to ensure the early start of flowering and its regularity with abundant subsequent fruiting, it is necessary to pay attention to the competent choice of a place for planting, to consider the selection of preferred varieties, to observe the planting technology, to carefully, timely and correctly carry out formative pruning, taking into account the type of fruiting of a particular variety and not forget about feeding apple trees in the harvest season for a better laying of flower buds for next year.

Every gardener dreams of a healthy garden, productive trees. And what if the apple tree has not been bearing fruit since planting for more than seven years? Such problems often happen with an apple tree. Not only do you have to wait a long time for the harvest, but after the allotted time, the tree pleases only with its beautiful foliage and healthy appearance.

Research into the causes of infertility

First of all, when purchasing a seedling, you should ask what year the tree will enter adulthood. There are early-growing varieties that begin to bear fruit in the fourth year, and there are late varieties, bloom on the eighth spring after planting, live up to 60 years. If such a long-liver has fallen, you will have to be patient and wait for the fruits.

In other cases, you should take a closer look at why the apple tree does not bear fruit, and gradually remove the causes of infertility:

• improper tree planting;
• crown formation does not meet the rules;
• care does not meet the requirements of agricultural technology;
• non-zoned variety with all the consequences.

Each of these directions can lead to a sad result.

Proper planting of apple trees

You need to purchase seedlings only in specialized farms. At the same time, the probability of buying a quality seedling of a zoned variety is high.

You need to buy a seedling carefully. It is good to inspect the seedling, it should be with a straight trunk and a developed root system. The site of the scion must be clearly visible. You should ask the seller about the characteristics of the variety or find out the name in order to look at the biology in the catalog. Correct fit apple trees are the key to the future harvest.

The landing pit is prepared in a month. The apple tree loves a lighted space with low groundwater. There should be enough nutrition in the dressing soil. A pit measuring 100x100x70 cm is filled with a third of fertile soil with the addition of several buckets of humus, superphosphate and a glass and half of this dose of potassium sulfide. The lower part is thoroughly mixed.

A tree planted incorrectly will not bear fruit. Therefore, it is important to plant a tree in a hole where the earth has already settled, and the trunk will not sink down, the root collar will not be washed when watering.

A layer of nutrient soil without fertilizer is added to the prepared soil and a hole is poured so that the soil is compacted. On this fertile pillow are placed root system seedlings and sprinkle on top so as not to deepen the neck. Deepening is the reason for the delay in fruiting. At the same time, you need to put a peg and tie a seedling for two years. Trampling and watering the seedling, create its touch with fertile layer soil.

How to shape the crown of an apple tree

Pruning and shaping begin from the fourth year. Techniques for forming the crown of an apple tree can be viewed in the video tutorial on the website. When pruning young apple trees, it is considered correct to restrain the growth of the tree in height, to prevent the growth of branches inside the crown, so as not to thicken the tree. In addition, it is necessary to pay attention to fruit twigs, remove tops, annual shoots that thicken the crown. But when pruning and harvesting, you need to carefully treat the short branches of the fruit, on which flower buds form in spring. When pruning, you need to know that with the hard removal of several skeletal branches, the tree will begin to recover and the yield will be minimal.

If all the branches of the apple tree are pointing up, there will be no pods. It is necessary to make a gradual formation with a horizontal deviation of the branch. A load is attached to a vertical branch to gradually deflect it. Another way would be to bend down the trunk with a rope.

In autumn, when the tree has shed its leaves, a sparrow can fly through the branches in all directions. This means that the apple tree is properly formed.

If the apple tree sheds color, there may not be a single apple tree nearby, the flowers have not been pollinated. Flowers are open for a short period of time, do not have time to pollinate, the variety is not zoned. The flowers are deformed, do not fully open, fall off - the work of the larva of the weevil beetle, flower beetle. The apple tree may lack nutrition and, and it drops the ovaries.

A cardinal technique for starting fruiting can be pruning apple trees in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe root system. At good nutrition Yes, with the predominance of nitrogenous fertilizers, the roots ensure the growth of the tree to the detriment of fruit formation. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce or exclude nitrogen in dressings, and cut the roots at a distance of the crown projection to the ground. Having received stress, the apple tree will remember that it is necessary to take care of the continuation of the family and will throw out fruit twigs, called fruits.

You can feed the apple tree with iron old nails, or buy special drug containing iron salts in an assimilable form. If after all the activities healthy tree does not bear fruit, which means that it will have to be replaced, there are individual specimens of barren trees.

Diseases of apple trees leading to infertility

All the activities that try to awaken the tree to fruiting will not help the sick specimen. If a tree suffers from fungal, bacterial diseases for several years and no treatment is carried out, it weakens. Strength is spent on fighting the disease, and the formation of fruits becomes secondary when everyone is focused on survival. At first, the yield of a diseased tree decreases, and then the apple tree stops even blooming. If you skip and start their treatment late, you can be left without apples.

When purchasing a variety, you should ask if fruiting occurs every year. There are apple trees that give a big harvest in a year. In any case, you should take care of your fruit tree and regulate the number of apples on the branches. With a plentiful harvest, the apple tree exhausts its strength, and the immune system it does not cope in extreme conditions. In this case, the tree is more threatened by winter freezing and spring burns. Only full compliance with all measures aimed at maintaining a healthy garden will give a positive result.

How to make an apple tree bear fruit - video

It is sometimes difficult to say why an apple tree does not bloom a few years after planting. Perhaps the point is the incorrect definition of the variety or other factors affecting the setting of flower stalks. You can always improve its care in order to achieve the long-awaited flowering. To begin with, it is worth learning a little more about the tree itself.

Why is the tree not blooming?

Winter varieties of apple trees themselves can begin to bear fruit only on the 7-8th year of planting a two-year-old seedling. Of course, this is not typical for summer varieties.

The most popular "misses" of novice gardeners:

1. Large penetration into the soil. The root neck of the apple tree should not be buried in the soil at all, they try to leave it just above the soil surface. Otherwise, the tree may refuse to bloom and bear fruit for a very long time. If, upon closer examination, it became clear that the trunk was too deep during landing, you will have to deal with raising a tree or digging a hole around.

2. Vertical arrangement all branches. The apple tree usually bears fruit on horizontal branches, which is why it is so important to help proper formation crowns. One way is to hang a small weight on the edge of a branch, gradually increasing its weight. It is important not to rush, otherwise the branch may break.

3. Lack of iron. Apples are famous for their rich content of iron, so its lack in the soil affects already at the stage of flower formation. Previously, in the villages, two rusty nail or they buried several rusty metal objects under the apple tree, raising the level of iron in such a simple way. Modern gardeners prefer to spray the trees with a solution of iron sulfate (0.1%).

4. Diseases and insects. A careful examination of the branches and leaves will reveal a harmful source, due to which flowers do not bloom. In each case, there is a method of dealing with various pests.

How to care?

Fruit trees can grow with little or no human intervention if enough attention is given to them at the very beginning of their development. How to care for an apple tree:

1) Landing. Apple tree seedlings are planted in a permanent place in mid-spring, although many have purchased them from the nursery since autumn, when they boast a large range of varieties. In winter, seedlings are stored in a dig, and as soon as the snow melts, it completely thaws upper layer soil - planted in planting pits.

The roots are neatly straightened on a mound inside the pit, and earth is sprinkled on top. The boundary between the roots and the crown (root neck) must be strictly at ground level, otherwise the tree will develop slowly. The earth is compacted with a foot, and then the hole is watered at the rate of 2-3 buckets per 1 tree.

2) Watering. Apple trees 2-3 years old need frequent watering, but with a small dose. The irrigation rate is determined taking into account soil moisture to the depth of the root system. Usually young trees with a hole about a meter in diameter calmly absorb 3-4 buckets of water. The next watering is done in 15-20 days. Fruit-bearing apple trees with a crown diameter of 3 m need stronger watering - about 35-42 buckets of water.

One is enough for them good watering per month. The older the tree, the more effective the abundant occasional watering compared to frequent low doses. It is not always visible how the apple tree dries up. But it is better not to focus on appearance tree, but for a long absence of rain, when deciding to water the hole under the apple tree.

3) Tillage. Weeds can harm not only young people, but also adults. fruit trees. Weeds draw a lot of nutrients and moisture from the soil, inhibiting growth cultivated plants. The systematic struggle with them is very important for the successful flowering and fruiting of the apple tree.

It is advisable to remove weeds with roots so that they are less annoying with their appearance. The use of herbicides in orchards highly undesirable, so all advice on their use is best ignored. It is also very important to deeply loosen the soil before each watering.

4) Fertilizer. If the land is poor in humus, then humus, superphosphates and potash fertilizers are placed in the planting pit. Then, every 2-3 years, before bud break in spring or autumn, at the end of growth processes, mineral fertilizers are applied along with humus. They are not only buried in the soil to a depth of 10-12 cm in the region of the trunk circles, but also scattered in the aisles where there are no roots.

5) Regular inspection. Weevils and caterpillars that eat green leaves like to attack young trees. Timely response to their appearance will save the apple tree from death.

Diseases and pests

Diseases and pests of the apple tree:

green apple aphid- an insect with incomplete transformation, capable of significantly damaging and deforming the shape of the leaves. Damage sites are well defined by soot deposits.

Powdery mildew is an off-white powdery coating that covers buds, leaves, inflorescences and shoots. After a while, the plaque turns brown, forming small black dots.

Scab - spots with a greenish-brown bloom on leaves or fruits. The disease develops early in the spring, immediately after the swelling of the kidneys. Leads to drying and further falling off of the leaves. When the apple trees bloom, the scab moves to the formed flowers and waits for the fruits to appear. Affected fruits may grow one-sided, cracks appear.

Fruit rot - large grayish-brown pads, consisting of rot spores. Arranged in concentric circles on the surface of the fruit. Capable of easily detaching with gusts of wind, infecting other fruit-bearing trees with it.

Rust is a fungal disease that affects leaves. It looks like swelling-pads of a red-brown or orange hue, resembling rust on metal.

Sooty fungus is a black coating that envelops the surface of leaves, shoots, annelids and fruits.

apple stalk- a small butterfly with a wingspan of 14-20 mm. Able to eat most of the fruit.

Basic methods of recovery

Apple tree treatment:

Spraying with infusions and pesticides. For each of the diseases, there is a list of drugs that can be used with minimal harm to the apple tree itself. For example, aphids are removed with a solution laundry soap(grate 50 g per bucket of water). You can dip into the liquid or sprinkle it abundantly on the ends of the shoot.

Wood inspection and cleaning. Various caterpillars, egg-laying, sources of infection can be seen already in initial stage development. If you regularly inspect the tree for "unwanted guests", then the measures taken will be more effective than after their active reproduction.

Preventive measures. Autumn digging between rows and trunk circles allows you to destroy the wintering stages of scab, eliminating its appearance in the spring. Burning fallen leaves will kill the main larvae. The creation of trapping belts will allow you to catch the bulk of the pests. The crown of trees should be whitewashed to prevent caterpillars and bugs from crawling from the ground.

Natural control measures. birds and ladybugs can significantly reduce the number of caterpillars, mites, psyllids, apple moths and codling moths.

Spray preparations

How to spray apple trees? To combat the main pests, spraying Bordeaux liquid (3%) on dormant buds is used. In parallel with this, you can make various infusions or decoctions of bitter wormwood, chamomile, yarrow, tomato and potato tops. Plant control measures are not as effective as chemical treatment, but they are safer for humans and ripening fruits.

In modern horticulture, biological preparations are becoming more widespread, after the use of which, after 1-5 days, you can harvest. Compared to chemicals that have a 30-40 day limit, they are worthy alternative"grandmother's brews."

No matter how frightening the numerous tips of gardeners, growing apple trees is actually not such a difficult task. It is better to solve problems as they come, then the long road to the harvest will seem easy and exciting.

How to achieve gorgeous flowering from Kalanchoe -.

Apple orchard promises to reward its owner with fragrant and tasty fruits. However, the fruiting of the apple tree does not always occur on time, and in some cases the trees may not produce a crop at all. Let's find out for what reasons the apple tree does not bear fruit, and what to do to make the apple tree bear fruit.

To understand why the apple tree does not bear fruit, you first need to understand the characteristics of the variety. Varieties can be fast-growing (they bear fruit for 3-4 years), but more often the tree begins to bear fruit for 5-6 years of life. In the second case, apples will have to wait longer, but such trees have a longer lifespan.

If you understand that it is time for your apple tree to give a sweet harvest, but this is not happening, there are several more reasons why the tree does not bear fruit:

1. tree age;
2. landing errors;
3. incorrect formation of the crown of the tree;
4. diseases and pests.

Among the reasons, there are also less common ones:

• wrong choice of variety in terms of climate. This error means that a variety was selected that is unsuitable for weather conditions, common in this region, as a result of which all the forces of the plant are forced to spend on adapting to the local climate;
• there is no comprehensive tree care. This includes everything related to plant farming - from the choice of planting site to the frequency of watering and pollination;
• no cross pollination. As a result of pollination, the formation of fruits begins on the branches, and if pollination has not occurred, there is no need to talk about getting a crop.

Before deciding what to do if the apple tree does not bear fruit, consider the four main factors for the lack of a crop.

Age of apple tree

As mentioned above, all varieties of fruit-bearing trees have their own age of fruiting. Depending on the cultivar, the tree may not have reached fruiting age or may be dormant. The latter means that some varieties do not produce a crop annually, for example, Grushovka or Antonovka. A tree that is too old will also not bear fruit. Some gardeners rejuvenate trees by grafting new shoots, but older apple trees have a branch supply system nutrients weakened, and all the forces of the tree will be spent on maintaining a stable life without the formation of a new crop.

Landing errors

At the planting stage, you can make many mistakes that ultimately prevent the appearance of apples. First, the landing site must be chosen correctly, meeting all the tree's requirements for heat and light. sunburn or heavy shade will prevent the tree from budding evenly. Secondly, the distance between the trees must be respected. Some varieties of apple trees are able to form a crown up to 10 meters in diameter, so the distance between the holes should be at least five meters.

The holes themselves should be meter by meter. Too strong buried seedlings will begin to fertilize much later. The landing site should not be near the occurrence of groundwater, because they wash out everything useful material from the soil. In addition, constantly wet roots will begin to rot. When choosing a landing site, also focus on chemical composition soil, which should be suitable for this variety. But the basic rule for all varieties is soil rich in iron, for the content of which the fruits of apple trees are so valued.

Incorrect tree formation

The second important factor is the incorrect formation of the tree crown. The main rule for decorating an apple tree is to create a horizontal crown. This means that fruits do not form on vertical branches, therefore, with the help of pruning, a rounded sloping crown is created. In order to achieve the desired shape of the tree, the upper branches are pinched. This is done in the fourth year of the life of the apple tree. In addition, small branches are cut, which thicken the crown and grow inward.

However, it should be remembered that not all small twigs are dangerous for productivity - some of them are just young fruit twigs, for example, annelids, fruit twigs and spears with a kidney. These branches should not be removed. It is also important to make the correct cut and treat the cut points with garden pitch. The cut should not be perpendicular to the branch, but run at an angle of approximately 45 degrees.

Apple diseases

Naturally, in the presence of diseases and pests, the trees will not begin to bear fruit, and those who have already started can discard the unripe crop ahead of time. Before flowering, did you notice that the buds are too dry and do not tend to bloom at all? Perhaps there was an infection with weevil larvae, which eat the petals of still immature buds.

The appearance of black spots on the leaves and large cracks resembling wounds on the bark of a tree may indicate that the apple tree is infected with black cancer. Rusty rotting leaves are likely to be scab infested and leaves covered in white growth and cobwebs may be attacked spider mite, powdery mildew or aphids. I also want to remind you about mice, which can also damage a tree.

Solution and Prevention

Based on all the above factors, it is easy to decide what to do if the apple tree does not bear fruit. When the cause of the problem is found, it remains only to fix it. If the matter is in the wrong formation of the crown, then pruning should be postponed for a couple of years, and only after 2 years, pinching the shoots again. If the branches are still strongly pulled upwards, they can be tilted to a horizontal position with the help of ropes.

Timely noticed pests and diseases can be eliminated in different ways.

For them better fit the most careful care necessary quantity fertilizers and watering - such measures compensate for the unfortunate position of the tree. If the trees are planted too close together and the variety allows, a columnar apple tree can be formed. You can get rid of groundwater by diverting it from the site.

Video "How to make an apple tree bear fruit?"

From this video you will learn how to make an apple tree bear fruit.