Should my cherry tree have blossom on it now?

[selfraising]

Bit worried as a newby to fruit trees as peeps have been mentioning blossom on their cherry trees. My cherry tree has lots of leaf growth but no blossom, is this okay or should I be concerned?

[Nicos]

How old is it???That may make a difference- oh- and what variety??
(Yup- I'd have thought it is giving it a miss this year)

[Glutton4...]

Round here all the Cherries are in full flower. Well, when I say all, I mean all the spring-flowering ones!

[selfraising]

I got it this year along with some apple trees. I am guessing it must be a year or two old??? It is Cherry Sunburst and is on a colt rootstock which I think must be semi dwarfing or dwarfing cos I think the fruits are supposed to grow up the main stem. The apple trees I planted at the same time are in full blossom.

[Nicos]

Sounds like it wants to rest for this year

I had wondered if it was in a pot and that you'd fed it something which would encourage leaf growyh at he expense of flowers- but I imagine you've treated them all the same?

Ah well- maybe next year eh??

[northepaul]

If its any help my ornamental cherry, which is a similar age, only had 2-3 blossoms but lots of leaf growth. My damsons didnt have much blossom either, and they are around a year old, so it could be cos they are young? (Sensible really, they need to put energy into root growth etc)

[selfraising]

Sounds like it wants to rest for this year

I had wondered if it was in a pot and that you'd fed it something which would encourage leaf growyh at he expense of flowers- but I imagine you've treated them all the same?

Ah well- maybe next year eh??

Yeah looks like it. It's in a large container filled with compost and manure. Perhaps I overdid the manure Oh well as long as I haven't killed it!!

[selfraising]

If its any help my ornamental cherry, which is a similar age, only had 2-3 blossoms but lots of leaf growth. My damsons didnt have much blossom either, and they are around a year old, so it could be cos they are young? (Sensible really, they need to put energy into root growth etc)

Good point northepaul, the pear tree i have is the same. Here's hoping next spring will be blossomy!

[Glutton4...]

Just 'Googled' and found this;

Cherry Tree 'Sunburst'

Prunus avium 'Sunburst'

A late season eating cherry producing large sweet fruit which is almost black when ripe.

Originated from Canada.

Self fertile.

Grown on Colt root stock for an ultimate (un-pruned) height of 8-12 feet but can easily be kept at a height of 6-8 feet.

Supplied as a bare root tree pruned to approximately 4-5 feet tall (including roots).

So looks like it may flower later?

[selfraising]

Aaah thanks Glutton, that may explain it! Have just done a search myself and it says flowering time April to May so maybe I can still expect some flowers??

[FB.]

Flowers should appear before the leaves - no point in hiding flowers in among masses of foliage or the bees might not find them.

Chances are that the tree is too young to want to fruit.
Some varieties can be very reluctant to fruit (especially when young) and some varieties will fruit only every second year - several of my apples trees are having a year off, while several others that didn't flower last year are heavy with blossom this year.

I wouldn't worry. The more effort the tree puts into blossom in the early years, the less it will grow and the longer it will take to give you the really worthwhile crops.

As I've said before; young trees often produce fruit of poor flavour because the fruit has to compete for water and nutrients with the growing parts of the tree. Bitter pit in apples is an example of fruits suffering severely as a result of the leaves out-competing the fruits for the nutrients.

Besides; a small tree with few fruits will lose most of them to pests. Only when the tree gets larger will there be enough fruits left for you, once the pests have taken their share.

[littleexperience]

my sunburst cherry tree as from today is starting to flower trees are later here at flowering due to my location 2-3 weeks later than england and walesb but you should get flowers before leaf grow or at the same time it looks like no flowers no fruit im afraid

[selfraising]

Flowers should appear before the leaves - no point in hiding flowers in among masses of foliage or the bees might not find them.

Chances are that the tree is too young to want to fruit.
Some varieties can be very reluctant to fruit (especially when young) and some varieties will fruit only every second year - several of my apples trees are having a year off, while several others that didn't flower last year are heavy with blossom this year.

I wouldn't worry. The more effort the tree puts into blossom in the early years, the less it will grow and the longer it will take to give you the really worthwhile crops.

As I've said before; young trees often produce fruit of poor flavour because the fruit has to compete for water and nutrients with the growing parts of the tree. Bitter pit in apples is an example of fruits suffering severely as a result of the leaves out-competing the fruits for the nutrients.

Besides; a small tree with few fruits will lose most of them to pests. Only when the tree gets larger will there be enough fruits left for you, once the pests have taken their share.

Thanks FB, hopefully that means I should get a good crop in the future