medlar flower buds dropping

[chrisdb]

I have a young medlar tree and this is the first year it formed any flower buds. I was waiting eagerly for it to flower... but most of the buds are now dropping off without even opening. I can tell which ones are going ti0o go because they've turned paler with a flush of pink, whereas the buds which are starting to open are greener and darker.

Does anyone else have the same problem? And is it just the youth of the tree, a nutrient deficiency, disease, or something else?

[chrisdb]

I should add that the tree has been attacked a bit by aphids, but other than that seems healthy and is growing strongly. In fact I've been surprised how much more vigorous it is than the pears, also on quince A, that are next to it.

[chrisdb]

One of the few flower buds that didn't drop off has now opened:



The hope of getting at least one fruit lives on for a little longer.

[orangepippin]

I am not sure what this is, but the leaves do not look very healthy. They seem a bit small and curled.

[chrisdb]

The only pest I've been actively fighting is aphids. The size of the leaves is the same as last year, and they do look smaller than pictures in books I guess. The variety is Iranian from Keepers nursery.

The problem is that if you google medlar diseases or look them up in books, most books insist they're more or less disease free.

[fishpond]

Ken Muirs website lists a few problems for Medlars and Quince.

[chrisdb]

An update on this. The Iranian medlar I planted 5 or 6 years ago now finally fruited well last year, after years of most of the flower buds turning yellow and pink and falling off before even opening. A Royal medlar that I planted a couple of years ago (in case it did better) also fruited last year. But this year... they're both losing their flower buds again. The pattern is identical, although the Royal has more healthy buds. Cutting open the buds dropping off, they're black and dead on the inside, although I can't see any signs of entry for pests that might have attacked the unopened buds.

I'm seriously considering the possibility that frost might be the issue, but it's hard to believe. On the one hand, the damage inside the buds *looks* like frost damage. Additionally, the one year the medlars fruited a lot, last year, was also the only year I got kiwis. Why? Because the Beast from the East delayed growth until later in spring, then after the Beast there were no more frosts. This year, everything seemed to go wrong with the medlars about the time that we had a late April frost after a warm spell.

But on the other hand, every single seller of medlars will say something like "flowers late, so unlikely to be affected by frosts", although this is only really true of the flowering time. The buds of medlars develop quite early in my experience, and sit unopened on the end of new growth for a number of weeks before opening. But even so, if frosts were a common problem with medlars, you'd expect more people to mention it. People do mention that they are easily damaged by winds, but our garden is relatively sheltered.

Also... I can successfully grow apples, pears, cherries and plums in our garden, all of which flower earlier. For medlars to be hit by frost, the unopened buds would have to be more sensitive than the open flowers of all these other species.

So I'm not sure really where this leaves me. I love medlars, the texture and the flavour, but if they don't get more fruitful, one of them will probably get the chop. But the Iranian one is an attractive tree and very visible from our house, so I'll probably end up keeping it to avoid marital strife and then look out the window in regret for the next thirty years.

[veggiechicken]

I have a Westeveldt medlar bought from Suttons for £5, IIRC a couple of years ago. A number of us bought one and some other cheap fruit trees on a special offer.
Anyway, mine flowered last year but no fruits. To date, I don't think the buds have opened yet. Odd really, as reading the bumf about it, it says its a good pollination partner for pears - My pears are covered in baby fruits.

Found my last year's post - it flowered 23rd May so still a while to go https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...ml#post1598557

[nickdub]

Could just be that this is a young tree and is having a bit of hiccough getting started - I'd give it 4 or 5 years and then see how things look - quite likely it will right itself.

[Guest]

I have a Westeveldt medlar bought from Suttons for £5, IIRC a couple of years ago. A number of us bought one and some other cheap fruit trees on a special offer.
Anyway, mine flowered last year but no fruits. To date, I don't think the buds have opened yet. Odd really, as reading the bumf about it, it says its a good pollination partner for pears - My pears are covered in baby fruits.

Found my last year's post - it flowered 23rd May so still a while to go https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...ml#post1598557

Mine gave one fruit last year and it looks like a dozen have set this year. The few medlars I have come across have been in quite sheltered spots so there may be good reason.

[chrisdb]

Could just be that this is a young tree and is having a bit of hiccough getting started - I'd give it 4 or 5 years and then see how things look - quite likely it will right itself.

The older one had six years, flowered for five of them, and fruited exactly once. On top of that it's now a medium sized tree and grows quite happily apart from losing its flower buds every year.

Establishment jitters was my logic, and why I've waited so long... but the fact that the younger one is showing exactly the same pattern casts big doubt for me on the theory that it's just getting established and suggests environmental factors. Basically, after six years and almost no medlars I'm a bit tired of waiting.

[veggiechicken]

To date, I don't think the buds have opened yet. Odd really, as reading the bumf about it, it says its a good pollination partner for pears - My pears are covered in baby fruits.

Found my last year's post - it flowered 23rd May so still a while to go https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...ml#post1598557

I lied about the flowers - most of them are open today. Still a few in bud. About 2 weeks earlier than last year.

[nickdub]

The older one had six years, flowered for five of them, and fruited exactly once. On top of that it's now a medium sized tree and grows quite happily apart from losing its flower buds every year.

Establishment jitters was my logic, and why I've waited so long... but the fact that the younger one is showing exactly the same pattern casts big doubt for me on the theory that it's just getting established and suggests environmental factors. Basically, after six years and almost no medlars I'm a bit tired of waiting.

Hard to be sure of course from a distance - anyway my best advice for now is to make a few more posts and then add a few photos to this thread, and we will all put our heads together to try to figure what of anything is wrong.

[chrisdb]

Here are some pictures. The six year old tree:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/16Q9...9OvlLS4ym/view

Flower buds being lost:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rIM...w?usp=drivesdk

Flower bud cut open:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/15f3...w?usp=drivesdk

Things I've tried at different points in time over the years:

1. Increased feeding with organic fertilisers (in case of nutrient deficiency)
2. Increased watering (in case summer or autumn drought was affecting growth in the spring)
3. Surface addition of organic matter / compost
3. Waiting (patience now exhausted)

I haven't tried to adjust ph or drainage, but I don't think either should be a problem. Our soil is more or less neutral, and as for drainage, the tree has lavender and rosemary growing next to it which suggests it's not being drowned since those would have been goners a long time ago if so. As for shelter... well, it is blown around a bit during storms, but I'd say our garden is quite sheltered overall. The eastern boundary has a 3+ metre hedge, there are trees and houses to the north, trees to the west, and the house to the south.

[veggiechicken]

Is it a pollination problem?