Great April weather has produced a harvest of blossom on my apple trees. With no danger of frost and plenty of insects there should be no problem with pollination. Even the later flowering apples trees have open blossom and this means the essential cross pollination by more than one species will be taking place.

Pollination & Propagation

• Apples are self-infertile and will pollinate themselves. Some varieties need more than one variety near by and flowering at the same time to get good pollination.

• Apple trees are broken into 4 key pollination groups. One cultivar can be pollinated by a compatible cultivar from the same group or an ajacent group eg. A with A, or A with B, but not A with C or D. Bramleys need 2 pollinators.

• Apple pips will not necessarily come true to the parent plant. Most new apple trees are propagated by grafting.

• The type of root stock then dictates the ultimate size of the apple tree. Small roots will grow small trees.

Getting Good Fruit – Dropping & Thinning

• The sheer volume of blossom can’t be converted into fruit by any apple tree. The resources of food and water would be more than they can cope with. This is why there is a ‘June Drop’ when baby applets are dropped from the tree as part of the natural selection process.

• To get good sized, even fruit you need to accept that fruit needs space to grow. Thinning the apples so that two or three grow from one spur will boost the size of fruit.

• Pinch out the king apple, the one with a larger thicker stalk generally growing in the centre and demanding most of the resources.

Apple blossom trails spring up around the country, Kent is popular but around the cotswolds and Evesham is best blossom spotting terratory. ‘For the few short weeks between mid March and mid May, the road sides are ablaze with colour – the soft pink tones of cherry and apple blossom contrast with the white of the pear and plum’ around Evesham pdf.

Blossom Problems

• Apple trees may be attacked by Apple Blossom weevil Anthonomus pomorum which remain on the tree at petal fall. Other insects can attach apple trees and it is usual to spray an insecticide before the buds burst and again after blossom has fallen. Spraying programme
• Frost can kill blossom before it has chance to be fertilized.
• High winds can keep pollinating bees away at the crucial time.
• Read about other apple problems on GsT and Organic controls also on GsT

 

Apple Blossom on other Plants

Escallonia, Azalea, Penstemon and Clematis have hybrids named Apple Blossom.

Crab apple trees have similar blossom and there are several ornamental blossoms amongst the circa 7000 apple cultivars.

See Tips for Pinching Out