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  • From: list@ginda.us
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] When will my apple tree bloom?
  • Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2004 22:49:42 -0400

Thanks. It doesn't look very vigorous to me, but I don't know what "normal" is. It's grown about a foot each year, I'd guess, and the trunk is about 3/4" caliper at 1' up. Truth be told, I've been disappointed with its vegetative growth, too, as it is still entirely within reach of the deer. (I guess they'd have to reach up to get the leader this spring, but only because I staked it.) It had no net growth the first year, due to almost no roots when I planted it (the vendor apologized for the quality of the remaining stock, and I agreed to buy anyhow) and some deer-pruning over the winter. In addition to the 1' terminal growth at the top and along a few branches, I also get a few dozen spurs that grow less than an inch.

I suspect the problem is competition from a nearby oak, for both sunlight and soil, which is why I've decided to cut down on other competition, but who knows. I also have a half dozen grafts on a nearby crab that don't bloom. They are 4 and 5 years old, and show no interest in blooming. The crab blooms profusely - it is in tight cluster, now, and it's really obvious which branches are grafted - they are the ones with no pink. Some of the grafts grow weakly, but others are quite vigorous - the ashmead's kernel branch puts on more than a foot each year, and now has about 8 terminal points. The crab doesn't get full sun, either, but I thought since it was healthy and bloomed, it should be a good enough location. But perhaps crabs are just more floriforous than larger apples.

But hey, if sudden oak death makes it up the coast, i will have far too much sun. :( Being a pessimist, I've started researching alternative shade trees. . .Blight resistant chestnuts may be only a few years away.

Ginda

On Apr 27, 2004, at 9:17 PM, David Baldwin wrote:

Hi Ginda,

MM.111 is one of the least dwarfing rootstocks, and usually precocity and dwarfing are quite related, so it
would be normal to be slower to come into bearing.

Things that will make the tree grow more vigorously, such as pruning or fertility will be more of a hindrance to
flowering. How long is the new terminal growth each year? Always kinda hard to make suggestions without seeing I
guess...

Anyway, my point was that if the tree is quite vigorous, then I wouldn't kill the grass around the tree or mulch
it. That's more likely to encourage vegetative growth, when you want flower bud formation.

db

- in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley - where our maritime climate is holding the buds back quite nicely so far -
with the dreaded combination of green tip, scab ascospores and lots of tractor seat just around the corner...

I planted a Jonathan on M111 four years ago. For the last three years,
it has had two distinct types of buds. Every year, I hope that the fat
buds at the ends of spurs will flower, but they never do. The little
buds that lie flat to the branches grow new branches, and the fat buds
produce a ring of leaves.

So, does this mean that the tree is "mature" enough, but isn't getting
enough sun/nutrients/water/??? Or do I just need to wait? The tree is
not in an ideal spot (I don't have any ideal spots), but it gets sun
most of the day, and this year I plan to kill back the grass around it
more aggressively.


<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Did you eat an APPLE today?
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

David Baldwin
Courtney Hill Farm
Woodville Nova Scotia






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