Apple Blossom

[redser]

Good points, pity

[Noosner]

My new Howgate Wonder is blossoming like crazy - amazing because we only planted it in March. It was a bare root tree from Buckingham Nurseries and is out-blooming my other trees, including those that have been in for three years.

The question is: if it fruits, what should I do? Should I remove them?

[StephenH]

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Its the poor old tree with ivy on the trunk and branches at a right angle

I've got Brownlees' Russet, partly because it's local to me - raised in Hemel Hempstead in the 1840s. My tree is still very young - this is only its second full year in the ground. The buds are deep carmine in bud, and open to pale pink, like your photo. Mine is now past its full flowering, and dropping its petals, but its youth and (as yet) small size probably make it atypical.

[orangepippin]

My new Howgate Wonder is blossoming like crazy - amazing because we only planted it in March. It was a bare root tree from Buckingham Nurseries and is out-blooming my other trees, including those that have been in for three years.

The question is: if it fruits, what should I do? Should I remove them?

This is possibly the result of the transplant shock, particularly if you planted it in March. It should settle down next year. However there is no doubt that the late spring this year, perhaps coupled with the poor summer last year, has really brought on the blossom. If it is a dwarf tree you should probably remove any fruitlets, the supplier may be able to advise further.

[FB.]

The question is: if it fruits, what should I do? Should I remove them?

A fruit tree has only so much energy and it is split between root growth, shoot growth and fruit production. Many studies have shown that young trees which are allowed to fruit will often cannibalise their own root system to meet the needs of the above-ground part; however, cannibalising its own roots can only go on for a short period of time before the tree health is at risk.
Fruit now will be at the expense of tree growth, which will mean a smaller, lighter-cropping tree in subsequent years - the tree will also be slower to establish and more easily troubled by pests, diseases, nutrient deficiencies or drought stress.
In young trees, branches or even the trunk will often bend or snap because the tree isn't strong enough.

Generally, early cropping is not recommended, but sturdy trees on vigorous rootstocks usually have enough structural strength and root strength to support cropping.

[Noosner]

FB and Orangepippin, many thanks for your advice, which I will heed. If it does fruit, I might try leaving one or two fruits on, just to see, and taking the rest off. That seems a good compromise.

[Noosner]

If it is a dwarf tree you should probably remove any fruitlets, the supplier may be able to advise further.

Emailed Buckingham Nurseries as you suggested Orange Pippin, and they agreed it would be a good idea to remove any fruit, though leaving a few on the tree to check that it was true to type. Which I shall do. Thanks again.