no apples!

Hi guys, u were so helpfull last time ive got another query for u. i have an old apple tree i inherited 4 years ago, we have had bumper crops every year. we had blossom this year but have no apples! it needs pruning but dont think this is the problem. do you think its having a rest? look forward to your views, jo

It's more likely that the odd weather has affected it - there seem to be a few people reporting the same problem.

The other possibility is, have you, or a neighbour, cut down its pollinator?

We have the same problem, every year we get a hugh crop of lovely cooking apples but so far this year we can't see one apple coming.  Why?

KIMB wrote (see)

We have the same problem, every year we get a hugh crop of lovely cooking apples but so far this year we can't see one apple coming.  Why?

We had some unusually late frosts in May this year- mostly the Midlands northward -just around apple blossom time-here in the South we escaped and have apples -so it is probably down to frost damage.

Where are you situated?

Norfolk, approx 8 miles inland from Cromer.

Then it was probably the frost- hopefully will be ok next year -it could be just one of those years I'm afraid-nothing can be done

I'm in the south east and our apple tree is fruitless too, I guess the long spell of cold and wet plus a lack of pollinators just after blossoming is to blame.

My parents apple tree is also fruitless this year after a bumper crop last year, and their neighbour's also. They are wondering if it was a lack of bees.

We are Kent by the way. No late frosts for us

In Lancs, my apple trees "swim" pretty well. No late frost affected my garden but lots of rain. I see also that bees don't seem to be bothered by the rain. After a first "fear" (thanks for your support and advice to all!), I am happy to report that Nature is great and has an amazing selfhealing power: in addition to the rain, we had gusty winds last week that lasted a few days and still all the fruitlets are proudly on their branches, and the branches retook their original shape after visible distorsion (wind60mph). Funny enough, it is the first year that my Cox (after 4 fruitless years) is bearing lots of fruit, same for my 3 years old Braeburn, Russet and Spurs. I cross fingers for these healthy dispositions to last until fruits are ripe!

Almost certainly lack of bees when they were in blossom is my opinion.  I hand-pollinated the last few flowers on my family apple trees when I realised I hadn't seen a single bee and guess what?  Yes, they are the only spurs which set fruit!  I'm now looking at getting less than ten apples in total this year.  And exactly five plums from my early variety 'Lizzie', which produced hundreds last year!

Just found this

http://www.freshplaza.com/news_detail.asp?id=97539

so it is a bit of everything

seems quite common, I also have same problem. We had very heavy rain combined with strong winds just as blossom was at it's best so only got a few apples where tree was sheltered by an ash and a wild damson which we had been wondering about trimming back to let in more light - glad we didn't at least there are a few apples!!

Me too! I am right down on South Coast, but this is the first year my Egremont Russett has had nothing on it But I do have 5 pears!! 

we are south east so no heavy late frosts but yep i think i agree with all of you, mother nature has intervened, and we wont have fruit this year  thanks again for all your replys, jo

Last year we had so many apples I didn't know what to do with them and ended up giving them away by the sackful.  So far this year - nothing.  The weather is definitely odd this year and I'm thinking that's why there's so few currently showing on the trees.

Just been to look at my apple tree-there are the usual,small ones dropping off in the June drop-will then thin them out in a few weeks.

So in a few months if you can form an orderly queue at my place...........

We had the most wonderfulm erfumed and incredible show of apple blossom this year, then it was bitter cold and there was not a pollinator insight!! Had I been a bee I would have stayed indoors too - lack of pollinators in poor weather is the cause of reduced fruit set this year. 

It was reported in the paper the other day that commercial orchards were suffering, too, and that it was expected that the harvest will be pretty poor this year.  My apple tree, usually reliably pollinated by next door's tree, is barren this year. 

Our two best-cropping apples trees, which are fairly early ones, are doing well, but those that blossomed a bit later have very little fruit. I think this is probalby because in March there was that lovely warm weather (remember it? Hot sun, trips to the beach...) and the bees were very active. But a few weeks later it was too cold and windy for the bees to get out much, and I think the later apples probably just didn't get pollinated.

I'm in Shropshire, I have two apples and one pear.......however, I have more strawberries than I can eat !