Tweet
Greetings - I haven't posted for ages, but will try to do so more often.
Anyway, a question, for apple experts, as per the thread title. It may not be officially called "seondary biennial bearing", but what I mean is an apple tree which does not itself have a biennial tendency, but which does so because its only pollen-partner is a biennial bearer, so it only gets adequately pollenated in the other tree's "on" years.
I ask because my old, mature tree which I think is 'James Grieve' though it hasn't been formally identified has always biennially-borne, being "on" in even years, until about five years ago, since when it has borne well every year. I thought at first that I had cured it by pruning it in the winter of 2009-10, but it also coincides with the period since my new apple trees, planted in 2008, have been producing blossom, and since none of them are biennial-bearers, they may have cured it, if indeed secondary b.b. was the problem, if indeed there is such a thing. The old apple tree matches the description of 'James Grieve' in 'The New Book of Apples' in every way, and all the photos of J.G. I've seen, except that J.G. is not supposed to be prone to biennial-bearing,
Anyway, a question, for apple experts, as per the thread title. It may not be officially called "seondary biennial bearing", but what I mean is an apple tree which does not itself have a biennial tendency, but which does so because its only pollen-partner is a biennial bearer, so it only gets adequately pollenated in the other tree's "on" years.
I ask because my old, mature tree which I think is 'James Grieve' though it hasn't been formally identified has always biennially-borne, being "on" in even years, until about five years ago, since when it has borne well every year. I thought at first that I had cured it by pruning it in the winter of 2009-10, but it also coincides with the period since my new apple trees, planted in 2008, have been producing blossom, and since none of them are biennial-bearers, they may have cured it, if indeed secondary b.b. was the problem, if indeed there is such a thing. The old apple tree matches the description of 'James Grieve' in 'The New Book of Apples' in every way, and all the photos of J.G. I've seen, except that J.G. is not supposed to be prone to biennial-bearing,
Comment