Why don't our dwarf fruit tree fruit?

[shambayango]

Hiya,

We've had our dwarf fruit trees for 3 years now and haven't had any fruit from them. They are an apple, pear and apricot. Are we supposed to be giving them lashings of fertilizer? I have spread Grow More around them and have even cut up comfrey leaves and mulched this around each tree, as shown on Gardener's World but still nothing.

What are we doing wrong?

[rustylady]

You could be over-feeding. This will cause leaf growth at the expense of fruit. Are they planted in pots or in open ground?

[FB.]

Are they planted in open ground or in pots?

Are they growing, or are they just sat there sulking?

Are they producing blossom?

Which varieties and which rootstocks do you have?

What kind of pruning (if any) are you doing - and when?

.....oh and where is "Flitwick"? I've never heard of it. Climate or soil might have an effect.

All are important questions which could help pinpoint the problem and work out a solution.

[northepaul]

Were they very small when you got them? Are they in the ground or pots?
Have you noticed any blossom?

(Or Just read FB's questions, ^ mine are similar but his are more in depth! )

[zazen999]

Flitwick is in Beds, like Wayne. Very near Wayne, as it happens.

[Potstubsdustbins]

I had a dwarf apple in a very large pot for 3 years. I got blossom and small fruit but nothing to eat.

When I decided to throw it out my son asked if he could have it. Two years ago the first year he had it he got 3/4 apples, last year it was over 10, this year he bought me some in a bag he had that many.

Cheeky bugger.

Colin

[shambayango]

Dwarf Fruit Trees

Are they planted in open ground or in pots?

Are they growing, or are they just sat there sulking?

Are they producing blossom?

Which varieties and which rootstocks do you have?

What kind of pruning (if any) are you doing - and when?

.....oh and where is "Flitwick"? I've never heard of it. Climate or soil might have an effect.

All are important questions which could help pinpoint the problem and work out a solution.

They are planted in very large pots and I followed the instructions I got with them regarding what type of soil. I have a Conference Pear but I can't remember what the apple and apricot are. They came as bare rootstock, which I had to plant straightaway.

The apple and pear have flowered and the apple has produced small apples which have then fallen off, but the apricot has never flowered.

Flitwick is in Bedfordshire.

[FB.]

They are planted in very large pots and I followed the instructions I got with them regarding what type of soil. I have a Conference Pear but I can't remember what the apple and apricot are. They came as bare rootstock, which I had to plant straightaway.

The apple and pear have flowered and the apple has produced small apples which have then fallen off, but the apricot has never flowered.

Flitwick is in Bedfordshire.

Are they being watered enough in summer? Potted plants often need watering well every two days and I find that compost which has been allowed to dry completely often becomes water-resistant (the water runs off or runs through the air spaces left by the shrunken compost) and takes a lot of water to persuade it to become damp again. Regular small amounts are better, to allow time for it to soak-in rather than a heavy wateirng which just runs out the bottom.

Are the trees/bushes growing, or are they just sat there, neither growing nor fruiting?

What kind of pruning (if any) are you doing - and when?

[FB.]

Answering as best I can without the answers to the above questions......

My guess is that they are too young and the roots - being slow-growing - just don't have the power yet to gather all the nutrients needed to allow the fruit to develop; so the tree drops them.
Dwarf trees are sold with the suggestion that they'll fruit in their second year, but this is very unlikely unless grown in perfect commercial-orchard-like conditions.

If the trees are not growing, that would support the lack of power in the roots theory.

If the trees are growing strongly, it is not unusual for strong growers to neglect their fruit - this could be corrected by proper pruning, depending.

Over the years, I've gradually come to believe that "dwarf" (e.g. M27, M9) rootstocks are too weak for most purposes and that "semi-dwarf" roots (e.g. M26, MM106) are best for pots because they've got a bit more "life force" in them and a desire to live, rather than the dwarfs which seem to have a desire to gradually die unless kept on life support.
For free-standing trees, the usual recommendation is "semi-vigorous" (e.g. MM106), but, again, I believe that home growers will often be disappointed and would be better served with "vigorous" rootstocks (e.g. MM111 or M25).
The more vigorous rootstocks establish very quickly and, if appropriate varieties and pruning are used, they can start to crop earlier and better than dwarfs because the dwarfs roots take a few years to establish, while the vigorous roots establish within a few months.
The waffle in books which says that vigorous rootstocks are slow to fruit is utter rubbish and is written by armchair fruit growers and not real-world fruit growers. M25 (very vigorous) rootstock, if properly managed, will produce a crop just as early - and much heavier - than most other rootstocks in the typical "no-spray", backyard orchard. The trick is to keep up to date with pruning to make sure that it isn't allowed to start to get out of control. In any case, lack of pruning (or incorrect pruning) on any fruit tree will result in reduced fruiting and more disease.
I'm confident that with the correct pruning, I could grow a vigorous variety (such as Howgate Wonder) on a vigorous rootstock (such as M25) as a cordon. I could grow the same variety in a pot if it was on MM111 roots.

[shambayango]

Why don't our dwarf fruit trees fruit

Sorry, I've been working for the past 3 weeks and haven't checked for replies.

Yes, we check and water every day or every other day and every Spring each tree Summer but bring them in under the covered veranda with bubble wrap around them to shelter them from the cold.

Shamba

[FB.]

Are the trees/bushes growing, or are they just sat there, neither growing nor fruiting?

What kind of pruning (if any) are you doing - and when?