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No flower or buds on apple tree

johncleme65johncleme65 Posts: 93
in Fruit & veg
Hello,
Its the first year this has happened, up until now, no sign of fruit
Can anyone please advise, the tree is now around 15 years old and has always given lots of apples.
Apologies I don’t know how to rotate photo on here

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
     
    There you are 😊 



    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    Did it have flowers?
     If flowers but no fruit, it is either lack of pollination by insects, no nearby pollinator,  or frosts getting the flowers.
     If no flowers it could be the pruning regime.
  • johncleme65johncleme65 Posts: 93
    Dovefromabove said:
     
    There you are 😊 


    Many thanks
  • johncleme65johncleme65 Posts: 93
    fidgetbones said:
    Did it have flowers?
     If flowers but no fruit, it is either lack of pollination by insects, no nearby pollinator,  or frosts getting the flowers.
     If no flowers it could be the pruning regime.
    Hello,
    It has had no flowers at all this year, so unusual
    I also have a pear tree in the garden, that I have always presumed helped pollination.
    I did trim the end of the branches but removed hardly anything 
    Thanks for your reply
    Dovefromabove said:
     
    There you are 😊 


    Many thanks
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Pears cannot pollinate apples and vice versa. They are different species (like cats and dogs).  

    Do you know what variety of apple your tree is?  Some varieties are ‘tip bearers’ and produce their flowers and fruit at the ends of their branches rather than along the length of the branches. If you’ve trimmed the ends of the branches you’ve probably removed that year’s fruiting wood. 

    Your tree looks (from here) to be very congested … more like a lollipop-trained ornamental rather than a fruit tree. I suggest future pruning should concentrate on producing a more open growth. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    This may help … it includes a section on pruning tip bearers, if that should prove to be what your tree is. 


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    Maybe it is having a rest year. Our Fiestas had one last year after fruiting brilliantly for about 5 years. They flowered this year and some fruit is developing but not as well due to lack of rain.
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    As dove says, if it is a tip bearer (such as granny smith), it is down to the pruning.  It certainly looks congested and needs thinning rather than shaping to a lollipop shape.
  • johncleme65johncleme65 Posts: 93
    Many thanks to you all
    I will certainly do what you advise 
    I do not know what tree it is, all I can say is it produces nice apples when it fruits
     
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