Anyone who plants an apple tree looks forward to the autumn harvest in spring. However, this fails if the tree does not want to bloom. There are various reasons for this phenomenon, which we will briefly present to you here, together with countermeasures.
The columnar apple blossoms most luxuriantly in a sunny location
causes
In addition to the causes of the lack of flowers presented here, there are others, such as waterlogging and the resulting root rot, as well as other diseases and severe pest infestation. Another reason that should not be neglected can also be the age of the columnar apple: many of these trees do not flower immediately after planting, but require one or more years to acclimate, to grow in the new location and to mature at all.
alternation
Many columnar apple tree varieties tend to alternate, which is why they do not bloom every year, but only every two or even three years. This behavior is completely normal and protects the tree from being overwhelmed. Typically, therefore, the flowering simply fails in the following year after a particularly rich harvest.
Wrong location
A location that is too dark often means that flowering does not occur: plant the columnar apple in a location with as much sun as possible and in loose and humus-rich soil.
Frost damage / pruning
Like all apple trees, the columnar apple is already budding from the previous year's blossoms while the previous year's fruit is being formed. For this reason, you should always thin out when there is a heavy fruit load so as not to endanger the formation of flowers - otherwise the little tree simply might not have the capacity to do so. The correct pruning, which is not too extensive, also stimulates flowering or prevents it because too much has simply been cut away. In spring you should protect the sapling from late frosts - for example with a garden fleece - otherwise the buds will freeze.
Inadequate supply of water/nutrients
Apple trees are extremely heavy consumers: In addition to humus-rich, permeable soil, they need a regular supply of fertilizers - preferably organic material such as compost - and a lot of water, especially during fruit formation. But be careful: An oversupply, especially with nitrogen, also leads to the loss of flowers. This nutrient encourages growth rather than flowering.
countermeasures
So that you can now successfully enjoy the apple blossom and harvest fruit every year, you should take these preventive measures:
- Choice of a non-alternating or only little alternating variety
- Choosing a suitable location: sunny and in loose, humus-rich soil
- cut little, especially thin out
- fertilize regularly
- water when dry
tips
If the columnar apple tree produces flowers but no fruit, there is probably a lack of a suitable pollinator. As a rule, columnar apples are not self-pollinating and therefore require a second apple tree of a suitable variety.