Every year I have the same problem....Tree blossoms lots of little apples
form and then most fall off I usually end up with 2 or 3 apples. The ends of
each branch are usually misformed and looks like shrivalled or eaten.The
tree is about 10 years old about 3 mtres high.

I want to trim back...whats the guidelines?
How to treat for next year so I get a crop.

help appreciated

"Juco" wrote in message
k...
Every year I have the same problem....Tree blossoms lots of little apples
form and then most fall off I usually end up with 2 or 3 apples. The ends
of
each branch are usually misformed and looks like shrivalled or eaten.The
tree is about 10 years old about 3 mtres high.

I want to trim back...whats the guidelines?
How to treat for next year so I get a crop.

help appreciated

Feed the poor thing.
It is obviously suffering from lack of nutrients and water.
Make sure that there is a large clear area of freshly turned earth around
the base of the trunk, and mix in loads of manure and fertiliser into this
area, then water it in.
Water regularly especially in a dry spell.
In fact, treat it like any other plant which you expect to give a crop of
fruit.

HTH
Dave R

"Juco" wrote in message
k...
Every year I have the same problem....Tree blossoms lots of little apples
form and then most fall off I usually end up with 2 or 3 apples. The ends
of
each branch are usually misformed and looks like shrivalled or eaten.The
tree is about 10 years old about 3 mtres high.

I want to trim back...whats the guidelines?
How to treat for next year so I get a crop.

help appreciated

Feed the poor thing.
It is obviously suffering from lack of nutrients and water.
Make sure that there is a large clear area of freshly turned earth around
the base of the trunk, and mix in loads of manure and fertiliser into this
area, then water it in.
Water regularly especially in a dry spell.
In fact, treat it like any other plant which you expect to give a crop of
fruit.

HTH
Dave R

"Juco" wrote in message . uk...
Every year I have the same problem....Tree blossoms lots of little apples
form and then most fall off I usually end up with 2 or 3 apples. The ends of
each branch are usually misformed and looks like shrivalled or eaten.The
tree is about 10 years old about 3 mtres high.

I want to trim back...whats the guidelines?
How to treat for next year so I get a crop.

help appreciated

Does it get plenty of light? I once had one which started behaving
like that as a hedge immediately to the south was allowed to get
taller.

Mike.

"Juco" wrote in message . uk...
Every year I have the same problem....Tree blossoms lots of little apples
form and then most fall off I usually end up with 2 or 3 apples. The ends of
each branch are usually misformed and looks like shrivalled or eaten.The
tree is about 10 years old about 3 mtres high.

I want to trim back...whats the guidelines?
How to treat for next year so I get a crop.

help appreciated

Does it get plenty of light? I once had one which started behaving
like that as a hedge immediately to the south was allowed to get
taller.

Mike.

In article , David W.E. Roberts
writes

Make sure that there is a large clear area of freshly turned earth around
the base of the trunk, and mix in loads of manure and fertiliser into this
area, then water it in.
Water regularly especially in a dry spell.
In fact, treat it like any other plant which you expect to give a crop of
fruit.

I thought when I read that 'I don't do anything special for any of my
fruit plants. I just leave them be and get loads of fruit'. That's why I
grow them - free food for no effort.

But then I thought - well I do spread my own compost liberally around
(well, I have to - I get so much of the stuff - it has to go somewhere
to make space for me to add next years weeds, lawn cuttings, veg waste
and cardboard boxes). And Yorkshire weather takes care of the watering!

Certainly the fruit drop can be caused by lack of water. The tree only
brings to maturity those fruits it thinks it can cope with and jettisons
the rest. Even high cropping trees get rid of a lot of apples during the
'June drop' - it seems alarming at the time, but there's still an
abundance in autumn.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

In article , David W.E. Roberts
writes

Make sure that there is a large clear area of freshly turned earth around
the base of the trunk, and mix in loads of manure and fertiliser into this
area, then water it in.
Water regularly especially in a dry spell.
In fact, treat it like any other plant which you expect to give a crop of
fruit.

I thought when I read that 'I don't do anything special for any of my
fruit plants. I just leave them be and get loads of fruit'. That's why I
grow them - free food for no effort.

But then I thought - well I do spread my own compost liberally around
(well, I have to - I get so much of the stuff - it has to go somewhere
to make space for me to add next years weeds, lawn cuttings, veg waste
and cardboard boxes). And Yorkshire weather takes care of the watering!

Certainly the fruit drop can be caused by lack of water. The tree only
brings to maturity those fruits it thinks it can cope with and jettisons
the rest. Even high cropping trees get rid of a lot of apples during the
'June drop' - it seems alarming at the time, but there's still an
abundance in autumn.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

Thanks guys for all the replies.
The answer is obvious now.....
Have never fed it!
Don`t ever water it!
Not in best position!

I will be kinder to this tree next year.

thanks

"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
om...
"Juco" wrote in message
. uk...
Every year I have the same problem....Tree blossoms lots of little
apples
form and then most fall off I usually end up with 2 or 3 apples. The
ends of
each branch are usually misformed and looks like shrivalled or eaten.The
tree is about 10 years old about 3 mtres high.

I want to trim back...whats the guidelines?
How to treat for next year so I get a crop.

help appreciated

Does it get plenty of light? I once had one which started behaving
like that as a hedge immediately to the south was allowed to get
taller.

Mike.

Thanks guys for all the replies.
The answer is obvious now.....
Have never fed it!
Don`t ever water it!
Not in best position!

I will be kinder to this tree next year.

thanks

"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
om...
"Juco" wrote in message
. uk...
Every year I have the same problem....Tree blossoms lots of little
apples
form and then most fall off I usually end up with 2 or 3 apples. The
ends of
each branch are usually misformed and looks like shrivalled or eaten.The
tree is about 10 years old about 3 mtres high.

I want to trim back...whats the guidelines?
How to treat for next year so I get a crop.

help appreciated

Does it get plenty of light? I once had one which started behaving
like that as a hedge immediately to the south was allowed to get
taller.

Mike.

"Juco" wrote in message
k...
Every year I have the same problem....Tree blossoms lots of little apples
form and then most fall off I usually end up with 2 or 3 apples. The ends
of
each branch are usually misformed and looks like shrivalled or eaten.The
tree is about 10 years old about 3 mtres high.

To pick up on what Kay posted:

the thing that made me think of poor nutrition was the shrivelling of the
branch ends.

We have a Queen Cox which has never done particularly well, and this year it
didn't even blossom.
Each year it started off fine, but then the leaves started to go discoloured
with brownish patches, not the healthy green you expect, and the new shoots
at the ends of the branches tended to shrivel.
The shrivelling was mainly due to attack by aphids, but the other fruit
trees are strong enough to resist this.

This year (finally) I cleared a much larger area around the tree, dug it
over and added chicken manure, Growmore, spent mushroom compost. I then
watered everything well over the next weeks.

The tree is now looking much happier and is putting out new healthy robust
shoots.
The older leaves are greening up, although still showing the results of the
earlier damage.

Sunlight is not a problem, but the area surrounding the tree is old
established lawn, which doesn't seem to have much organic stuff in the soil
(pale colour) and is generally dry and hard as rock.

So the digging over and feeding seem to have made quite a difference.
The wetter June/July may also have helped.

Trees in general are very hardy and spread their roots around to get food.

However if there isn't much of anything available they will still struggle.

Feeding them usually helps, as does keeping a clear area around them to
reduce the competition with lawns etc. for the available food and water.

Cheers
Dave R

"Juco" wrote in message
k...
Every year I have the same problem....Tree blossoms lots of little apples
form and then most fall off I usually end up with 2 or 3 apples. The ends
of
each branch are usually misformed and looks like shrivalled or eaten.The
tree is about 10 years old about 3 mtres high.

To pick up on what Kay posted:

the thing that made me think of poor nutrition was the shrivelling of the
branch ends.

We have a Queen Cox which has never done particularly well, and this year it
didn't even blossom.
Each year it started off fine, but then the leaves started to go discoloured
with brownish patches, not the healthy green you expect, and the new shoots
at the ends of the branches tended to shrivel.
The shrivelling was mainly due to attack by aphids, but the other fruit
trees are strong enough to resist this.

This year (finally) I cleared a much larger area around the tree, dug it
over and added chicken manure, Growmore, spent mushroom compost. I then
watered everything well over the next weeks.

The tree is now looking much happier and is putting out new healthy robust
shoots.
The older leaves are greening up, although still showing the results of the
earlier damage.

Sunlight is not a problem, but the area surrounding the tree is old
established lawn, which doesn't seem to have much organic stuff in the soil
(pale colour) and is generally dry and hard as rock.

So the digging over and feeding seem to have made quite a difference.
The wetter June/July may also have helped.

Trees in general are very hardy and spread their roots around to get food.

However if there isn't much of anything available they will still struggle.

Feeding them usually helps, as does keeping a clear area around them to
reduce the competition with lawns etc. for the available food and water.

Cheers
Dave R