Question:
Three of my fruit trees have stopped producing fruit. They were previously productive when we moved in two years ago, but their productivity has since declined. Additionally, they’re planted on a slope, so I dug trenches around the trees for watering. Would fertilizing them in the spring help?Answer:
- Apples, Cherries, Plums, and other deciduous fruit trees fail or stop fruiting for several reasons.
- The main cause of a sudden decline is aggressive winter pruning that removes fruiting spurs and spring blooms. You can correct this by adjusting your pruning.
- If the trees are flowering but not setting fruit, then you have a pollination problem. The chief pollinator of fruit trees is the Honey Bee; unfortunately, the number of active bees has declined. Cold, wet, rainy conditions during flowering decrease their activity.
- Last winter's weather was acceptable but not ideal. This winter, however, is forecasted to be wet, which could potentially lead to a bigger problem.
- Another contributor to the lack of fruit is the overall health of the trees. Struggling trees produce poorly. You can tell this by a lack of new growth and canopy dieback. You might find that sections or branches don't break dormancy or die during the growing season.
- The slope may be contributing to the problem, as winter soil erosion could be burying the trees. Soil will build up on the backside, or the downward slope, at the tree trunk(s). You need to remove all excess soil annually, down to the top of the first root, and then channel the water away from the crown or base of the tree(s). You have effectively solved this point by trenching. You then mulch the area under the canopies to conserve moisture.
- Except for apples and pears, deciduous fruit trees don't need watering more than twice a month.
- The early stages of dormancy begin after Labor Day, so you stop watering altogether at that time.
- Construct a large basin each spring, then remove it in November. They should be six to eight inches tall and extend from the trunk to beyond the canopies. Because of your slope, the front side of the basin will be much higher than the back.
- Wet winters and excessive summer watering lead to root rot that doesn't show up until the following year as dieback.
- Other reasons for fruit trees to fail to bear fruit, but do not apply in your case, are: the trees may be too young. Trees started from a pit or seed are unpredictable and usually disappoint.
- Frost during flowering doesn't happen often, but it can be a problem. Selecting a variety that needs more winter chill than your area gets can affect fruiting. Overfeeding can also be a problem. The trees look lush during the growing season but fail to flower the next spring.
- Deciduous fruit trees are fed no more than three times during the growing season. Apply the first application in March or April, with a follow-up feeding in June/July or in the fall.
- My first thought for solving this problem is to review how you pruned your trees.