Cause
There are many possible causes of poor crops of fruit, from environmental conditions and pests or disease to more controllable causes, including overpruning or underfeeding
If no buds are present after winter, birds such as bullfinches may be to blame. As winter food becomes scarce, birds will eat buds of cherries, plums and pears
If flowers are borne, but little fruit develops:
- Pollination may have been poor. Most apples need one or more pollination partners to produce fruit. Other fruits can be incompatible with each other
- Frost and low temperatures can affect all fruits, but especially the early flowering plums, nectarines and peaches, by damaging the fruit buds. Spring frosts are the commonest cause of poor fruit crops
- Bees are also less active early in the year, especially in unfavourable weather
- A lack of water at fruit-set and swelling. Both young and mature fruit trees need good supplies of water throughout spring and summer
- Sunshine, shelter and adequate fertiliser are all needed for healthy growth and fruit
- When trees (apple, pear and plum) produce fruit in alternate years, it is known as biennial bearing and has several possible causes, including lack of moisture and food
- Apples often go through a natural thinning process known as June drop. However, similar symptoms on cherries can lead to complete fruit failure
- Pests such as apple sawfly, codling moth, pear midge and winter moth can all lead to crop failure
If there are no flowers or flower buds present at all:
- Over-pruning or poor pruning may be to blame. Vigorous shoot growth at the expense of fruit is often caused by taking too much wood out of a tree in one year. The tree’s energy is put into compensating for the lost foliage at the expense of fruit. Poor pruning may also result in a large crop of very small apples
- If the tree has become overgrown, rejuvenation is possible over several years
- A fruit tree declining in yield may not have established properly after planting
- Another reason for poor fruit cropping can be immaturity of the tree. It can take a number of years until cropping starts. If trees are bought at one or two years old, it is likely to be another two or three years before you can expect a reasonable harvest. Those on dwarf rootstocks are least likely to suffer a delay in coming into bearing
For growing techniques for specific fruits, please see our individual profiles;
Apples
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