Hi.
After a very long wait, I eventually got an allotment....even though it is a 30 mile round trip to visit it.
I have started growing fruit this year to start with because I thought that that was my topic of expertise, having already grown fruit in my garden....how wrong I was.
I was hoping to get some help and advice for some of the problems I`ve suffered this year.
I have 2 established apple trees in my garden and this year has to be the worst yet for cropping. one is a fan trained, the other is just a bush, the fan trained had plenty of flowers,but has not got a single fruit on it at all, the bush had 12 apples but dropped 7 so is left with 5. I have fed and watered both during the dry spell, so cant understand why the lack of fruit. They both flowered at the same time, and in previous years I have had good crops from them, plus the both look healthy enough.
My second problem is with a Blueberry bush. I bought 4 plants of varying sizes from 4 different places and planted them into peat enriched soil on my allotment. The smallest of the bushes...if you can call it that, was like a twig, untill someone snapped it just above soil level. I left it alone thinking it would die, but it sprouted new growth and is now 3-4 times the size it was. My question really is what is the best to do with this plant now. Shall I leave well alone to let nature take its course, or shall I prune it hard to encourage more vigourous growth...which hopefully means more delicious berries next year.
My 3rd problem is... In March I planted 2 apricot trees...1 bare rooted, 1 pot grown the later is on a more dwarfing rootstock than the other. I pruned both of them back a little at the begining of June to encourage growth lower down the branches for next years fruit, but it has had the opposite effect. All the branches have sprouted growth at the end of them and they dont have any leaves further down the trees....Have I done something wrong. The larger of the 2 trees was the only one that had flowers.....well, one flower.
Ok, lastly...I bought a Cherry tree. It is planted against a sheltered west facing wall and has been fed and watered as with the other new trees. I lightly pruned it earlier on in the year and it has only sprouted new growth from the leading branch near the top only. I also hasnt flowered at all. I dont think I have pruned it correctly...or could it be something else ??
Thanks in advance for help or advice