How to make an apple tree bear fruit - simple and effective ways
Many gardeners and summer residents are faced with poor or irregular fruiting of apple trees in their backyard. There are several simple and effective ways to make an apple tree bear fruit and produce a generous harvest of tasty and healthy fruits every year.
Why do apple trees bear fruit in a year
Most young apple trees begin to bear fruit only 5-6 years after planting. Some varieties bloom and bear fruit only after 6-8 years. Therefore, when choosing seedlings, it is imperative to clarify the beginning of fruiting.
Many gardeners have come across the fact that apple trees yield irregularly. The reason why the apple tree bears fruit in a year is very simple - the tree does not have enough strength to lay fruit buds in sufficient quantity next year. A tree spends 10-15 times more nutrients for flowering and fruit formation than for a one-year growth of shoots and building up green mass.
It is for this reason that the problem of how to make an apple tree bear fruit every year most often arises when planting varieties characterized by abundant flowering, most often on ringlets.
Varieties with cyclic fruiting include:
- Lungwort;
- Cinnamon;
- Grushovka;
- Antonovka.
At the same time, varieties are distinguished with less flowering, but bearing fruit annually. These include:
- Summer gold;
- Anis the Sweet;
- Dream;
- July Chernenko;
- Autumn Joy;
- Orlovskoe Striped;
- Mleevskaya Beauty;
- Diana;
- New.
Why the apple tree does not bear fruit - the main reasons
Before you force the apple trees to bear fruit, it is necessary to establish the reason for the lack of timely flowering and fruiting of the tree.
The most common reasons include:
- Apple tree age - too young trees will not bear fruit. Depending on the variety, they give their first harvest 5-8 years after planting.
- Varietal features - some varieties (Anis, Solnyshko, Aly, Suislepskoe) differ in late fruiting and can please with a harvest only 8-10 years after planting. Apple trees grafted on strong rootstocks do not bear fruit for a long time.
- The use of non-regionalized varieties - that is, not intended for cultivation in a specific region. In this case, all the forces of the apple tree are directed to adaptation to the climate and soil, which negatively affects flowering and fruiting.
- Lack of pollinators - most often this problem arises if the garden is located in a windy zone, as well as when growing southern varieties in northern regions.
- Excessive number of ovaries - their excess inhibits the formation of fruits and full ripening, reduces the yield. That is why the load on the apple tree must be controlled.
Also common reasons for the lack of flowering and fruiting of an apple tree include mistakes during its landing (too deep or superficial deepening of the root collar), a large number of damaged branches, for the restoration of which the tree spends strength.
Among other factors that can lead to the lack of fruiting of the apple tree are diseases and pests, insufficient crown pruning, deficiency or excess of mineral dressings.
How to make an apple tree bear fruit
What to do if the apple tree does not bear fruit - first of all, it is necessary to determine the reason for the lack of fruiting. Analyze whether the variety has been correctly selected and whether it is zoned, whether mistakes were made during planting, what agrotechnical care measures are taken.
It is necessary to carefully examine the apple tree for signs of illness or damage by pests. After that, measures should be taken to eliminate factors that interfere with flowering and fruiting of the apple tree.
Changing the feeding scheme
One of the easiest ways to get apple trees to bear fruit is to change their usual feeding pattern. It should be borne in mind that nitrogen-containing fertilizing is needed only for young seedlings, since they contribute to the active growth of apple shoots.
Nitrogen-containing supplements in the form of ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, chicken droppings or rotted manure can be applied under fruit trees only in spring. When a young apple tree enters the phase of active fruiting, fertilizers with nitrogen must be abandoned, otherwise it will begin to fatten to the detriment of flowering.
Mature trees can be fed only with potassium-phosphorus fertilizers, applying them in July or the first half of August.
Crown change
The annual growth of an apple tree from 10-15 cm requires braking. What to do if the apple tree does not bear fruit well - its branches need to be shortened in the first half of March, without affecting the fruit shoots.
Apple branches most often grow upright. If the tree does not want to bloom and bear fruit, it is necessary to change its crown and give the lower branches a horizontal position. For small trees, it is enough to change the direction of 4 shoots, for large trees - 5-6 branches.
In September or October, some kind of load should be tied to the selected shoots - these can be bricks or weights. Instead of a load, you can drive several pegs into the ground near a tree, bend the branches and tie them firmly to the support.
The apple tree has flexible and resilient branches that will not break under the weight of the load. Within a year they will take the required position and will grow horizontally, which will positively affect the fruiting of the tree.
Timely treatment against diseases and pests
Insect pests and various diseases cause serious harm to apple trees and can cause a lack of flowering and fruiting. Therefore, it is very important to process the trees in a timely manner.
To protect the apple tree from insects, you can use both special insecticidal preparations, and trapping belts and traps. Chemicals can only be used during the bud opening phase and after the end of the flowering period.
To prevent fungal diseases, apple trees should be treated with fungicides. But these preparations cannot be used during the flowering of the tree.
Cropping and rationing of the crop
One of the options for rejuvenating and normalizing the number of ovaries on an apple tree is correct pruning. During the procedure, you need to remove all old, dried and damaged shoots, crossed and improperly growing branches. It is also necessary to remove to the very base the weakened branches growing from the main shoots.
What to do if the apple tree has stopped bearing fruit - mechanical removal of excess inflorescences gives excellent results. To achieve annual fruiting, it is advisable to leave only the central flower, and remove all lateral ones. Most often they are weak, the ovaries formed from them usually fall off. At the same time, the apple tree spends a lot of energy and nutrients on their formation.
Removing flowers manually is a very time-consuming and time-consuming procedure. Therefore, instead of it, you can thin out already formed ovaries.This procedure must be carried out during the first 15-20 days from the beginning of flowering. In the event that ringlets occupy the largest part of all fruit shoots, their thinning should be carried out even faster - 10-15 days from the moment of flowering.
Banding
Ringing speeds up the process of laying fruit buds and increases their number. To do this, in the second half of May or early June, you need to remove the bark in the form of a ring up to 1.5-2 cm wide at the base of the skeletal branch.
After that, it should be turned upside down and applied to the cut, wrapping it with plastic wrap. After 2-3 months, the film can be removed. This time is quite enough for the bark to grow to the tree.
Such a procedure disrupts the outflow of nutrients, directing the forces of the apple tree to the formation of flower buds. Banding can only be used on mature trees over 3-4 years old. You cannot ring all the skeletal branches at the same time - this will cause severe starvation of the apple tree.
Padding
Padding is no less effective procedure than banding. With its help, you can get a bountiful harvest of berries the next year. Banning is best done in May.
To do this, 2-4 skeletal branches must be tightly pulled at the very base with wire. Pre-wrap the tightening place with several layers of burlap. This will protect the tree bark from damage. The wire must be removed after 1.5-2 months.
The flowering and fruiting of an apple tree is influenced by many reasons. From varietal characteristics and correct planting of a seedling to compliance with agricultural techniques for its cultivation. Eliminating unfavorable factors and simple, effective ways will help to get annual, bountiful apple harvests.