Steve Harris wrote:
: I have a 4 year old apple tree "Ashmeads Kernal" in an urban garden It
: had a little blossom for the first time this May and apparently set
: fruit which grew to about 1" in diameter before dropping off by
: August :-(

: Is this:

: - Perfectly normal at this age?
: - An indication that pollination failed?
: - Some other problem?

What root stock is it on?
What pruning regime have you used?

I have Ashmeads Kernel on M26 as a bush, and it did take a little time
to start to fruit, probably 6 years before I got a "proper" crop.
It has since gone into cropping every other year! But I am trying things
to tackle that.

cheers
Jim

In article , (J
Jackson) wrote:

What root stock is it on?
MM106
What pruning regime have you used?
The one in Hessayons book

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com
A useful bit of gardening software at http://www.netservs.com/garden/

"J Jackson" wrote in message
...
Steve Harris wrote:
: I have a 4 year old apple tree "Ashmeads Kernal" in an urban garden It
: had a little blossom for the first time this May and apparently set
: fruit which grew to about 1" in diameter before dropping off by
: August :-(

: Is this:

: - Perfectly normal at this age?

It's not unlikely. On the other hand, it seems a bit slow even to flower.
Was it a maiden that's been in place 3 years or a 2-year old that's been in
place 2 years?

: - An indication that pollination failed?

Don't think so, or the applets wouldn't have grown to 1".

: - Some other problem?

If the tree hasn't got the resources to grow the fruit further, it will dump
the fruit. So this suggests that it was short of food or short of water
(or short of roots to get both).

As it's only flowered for the first time this year, adn at least succeeeded
in getting fruit as far as the 1" stage, then your tree is getting into
condition to bear some apples, though it is being a bit slow about it.

I'd suggest that you examine it's growing conditions- is it being competed
with by other plants/ trees/ grass? What sort of soil is it in?

--
Anton
www.btinternet.com/~treesandfruit/

Steve Harris wrote:
: In article , (J
: Jackson) wrote:

: What root stock is it on?
: MM106
: What pruning regime have you used?
: The one in Hessayons book

sorry means nothing to me. You'd have to describe.

I think it's just being a bit slow. Is it in clear ground, or grass?
If grass, then I'd remove the grass to leave an 1-2foot radius circle
round the tree, and then give it a feed - wood ash (high potash), and some
good garden compost. Just in case it is feeling the pinch.
Should be ok next year.

In article ,
(anton) wrote:

2-year old that's been in
place 2 years?
That's it

I'd suggest that you examine it's growing conditions- is it being
competed with by other plants/ trees/ grass? What sort of soil is it
in?

It's in well prepared light, free-draining, sandy slightly alkaline soil
and well weeded and fed.

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com
A useful bit of gardening software at http://www.netservs.com/garden/

In article , (J
Jackson) wrote:

sorry means nothing to me. You'd have to describe.

Basically, cutting back new growth 50% in Winter.

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com
A useful bit of gardening software at http://www.netservs.com/garden/

"Steve Harris" wrote in message
...
In article ,
(anton) wrote:

2-year old that's been in
place 2 years?
That's it

I'd suggest that you examine it's growing conditions- is it being
competed with by other plants/ trees/ grass? What sort of soil is it
in?

It's in well prepared light, free-draining, sandy slightly alkaline soil
and well weeded and fed.


Looxoory! Don't tell my apple trees or they'll put themselves on the
transfer list!

OK then give it a bit more time and it'll do its duty. Possibly don't
overdo the feeds as the roots may spread a bit further if they don't get
their nutrition handed to them on a plate.

Have fun

--
Anton

"J Jackson" wrote in message
...

I have Ashmeads Kernel on M26 as a bush, and it did take a little time
to start to fruit, probably 6 years before I got a "proper" crop.
It has since gone into cropping every other year! But I am trying things
to tackle that.

To stop the biennial cropping, when you have the good crop, remove at
least half the crop, that gets the tree thinking it's now a normal crop
and will revert to annual cropping every year.

But if you allow it to overcrop one year it will revert to the every
other year cropping.

What actually happens is, one year the tree may be affected by frost and
the crop is small, the next year it says to itself, blimey, last year I
didn't do well and this variety may die out, so I've got to do as well as
I can, so you get a huge crop, the next year it says to itself, I'm very
tired for all that effort I put in last year so I'll have a rest, and it
produces a small crop, the next year it says to itself, bloody hell this
variety might die out so I'll have to produce as much as I can, and so on!

--
alan

reply to alan(dot)holmes27(at)virgin(dot)net

wrote:

: "J Jackson" wrote in message
: ...
:
: I have Ashmeads Kernel on M26 as a bush, and it did take a little time
: to start to fruit, probably 6 years before I got a "proper" crop.
: It has since gone into cropping every other year! But I am trying things
: to tackle that.

: To stop the biennial cropping, when you have the good crop, remove at
: least half the crop, that gets the tree thinking it's now a normal crop
: and will revert to annual cropping every year.

Been there done that - doesn't always seem to work. Some varieties
just seem prone to only cropping everyother year. Having said that
I'm trying a rather drastic version - I completely removed the flowers on
a major branch - didn't even let them set. I wait to see whether this
branch sets fruit next year while the rest of the tree (well thinned, but
a good crop) rests.

: But if you allow it to overcrop one year it will revert to the every
: other year cropping.

: What actually happens is, one year the tree may be affected by frost and
: the crop is small, the next year it says to itself, blimey, last year I
: didn't do well and this variety may die out, so I've got to do as well as
: I can, so you get a huge crop, the next year it says to itself, I'm very
: tired for all that effort I put in last year so I'll have a rest, and it
: produces a small crop, the next year it says to itself, bloody hell this
: variety might die out so I'll have to produce as much as I can, and so on!

: --
: alan

: reply to alan(dot)holmes27(at)virgin(dot)net

" wrote in message
...


To stop the biennial cropping, when you have the good crop, remove at
least half the crop, that gets the tree thinking it's now a normal crop
and will revert to annual cropping every year.

But if you allow it to overcrop one year it will revert to the every
other year cropping.

What actually happens is, one year the tree may be affected by frost and
the crop is small, the next year it says to itself, blimey, last year I
didn't do well and this variety may die out, so I've got to do as well as
I can, so you get a huge crop, the next year it says to itself, I'm very
tired for all that effort I put in last year so I'll have a rest, and it
produces a small crop, the next year it says to itself, bloody hell this
variety might die out so I'll have to produce as much as I can, and so on!


Mm. I guess that biennial bearing is a natural way of reducing losses from
the things that feed on the fruit- bearing the same amount each year would
encourage the parasite population to mop up lots of the fruit, whereas
biennial bearing starves the parasites one year & floods them with too much
food the next, allowing more fruit to perform its purpose {I seem to recall
some tree that bears every 17 years, which is taking things to extremes).

--
Anton

On the subject of fruiting etc, it is recommended that the trees shuold not be allowed to fruit in the first year, even to the point of removing blossom?

Is it really necessary to stop them blossoming or is it ok (and not detrimental) to just remove any fruit at a very early stage?