Why apricot does not bear fruit: causes of the problem and what to do about it, tips

Apricot is an unpretentious tree, but it requires competent and timely care. If the preventive measures taken to improve the growth and quality of the crop are violated, the tree may cease to bear juicy fruits or completely empty. Why does an apricot not bear fruit, and what to do if the fruits do not ripen? Let's analyze the main causes and ways to eliminate them.

Main reasons

It all starts with the flowering of the apricot tree - no flowers, no fruit. If the flowers are showered with a barren flower or do not appear at all, then there is a problem that needs to be solved.The first factor that causes an unpleasant phenomenon is a genetic failure. This is a rare phenomenon inherent in any element of wildlife.

Some trees are not able to bear fruit, therefore, when buying seedlings in specialized stores or breeding a new variety by cuttings, this important point must be taken into account. However, there are other factors that prevent the tree from fulfilling its biological program. We will talk about them further.

Wrong place

The apricot tree is not famous for its high survival rate, so choosing a place for its growth is an important point. You need to pay attention to the climate and soil composition suitable for the variety grown, but there are still general recommendations for any type of apricot tree.

Weather conditions

The place for the seedling should be sunny and warm, but protected from sharp currents of cold wind.Experienced gardeners recommend surrounding the trunk of an apricot with a small fence or painting it white so that the plant reflects direct sunlight, but receives more heat. Apricot tolerates low temperatures well, so cold winters do not cause poor yields.

Soil analysis

Full fruiting is highly dependent on the soil. The soil must be well drained to ensure an uninterrupted supply of oxygen to the root system. Ideal soils for apricots are loamy, peat-flavored and neutral in acidity. If the tree is planted in heavy clay soil, regular measures are taken to improve it - loosening, digging, manure and sand application.

Incorrect cropping

Pruning overdried or diseased branches is needed to form a crown and improve yields. There are situations when the gardener neglects this manipulation or does it incorrectly. If flowering is lost, trimming occurs in two stages:

1. At the end of May, after the germination of new shoots, "green" pruning is performed. Growths are shortened by half, which improves the ventilation of the crown and allows the tree to receive more sunlight.
2. If there is a possibility that the apricot does not bear fruit due to old age, a rejuvenating pruning is performed. It consists in removing old bare branches and wood, as well as shortening the overgrown branches on the top of the crown. Practice shows that next year the tree continues to bloom and bear fruit profusely.

Diseases and pests

Preventive measures in spring and autumn will protect the apricot from the invasion of pests and the appearance of fungal diseases, which are also the cause of irregular harvest. To protect trees of any age you need:

1. Cleaning fallen leaves. Rotting in the area attracts harmful insects.
2. Loosening tree trunks in late autumn. During this period, many insects burrow into the ground for wintering. Loosening will pull them to the surface, and the coming frosts will not leave a chance for survival.
3. Prophylactic drug treatment. For spraying, a solution of 3% copper sulphate or Bordeaux mixture is used; during the year, apricot branches are irrigated with biofungicides. During the laying period, diazonin preparations can be used.

If pests were noticed on the tree, stopping flowering is a logical outcome. Then, in addition to preventive measures, the trees are sprayed with insecticides. Among all existing gardeners distinguish Marshal. It has a prolonged effect and copes well with pests.

However, the composition is highly toxic, and is used only when folk and biological methods of struggle are powerless.

When spraying, it is important to be careful not to get pesticides on the skin, eyes and respiratory tract.

Feeding and watering rules violated

Often the cause of poor yields is a violation of the basic rules of care - feeding and watering. Apricot trees are unpretentious, but still require special attention. Watering is done at least four times a year:

1. In April, before flowers appear.
2. In May, when shoots are growing.
3. One week before full fruit ripening.
4. Deep autumn, before wintering.

In hot, sultry summers or in dry regions, water a little more often. If the year turned out to be rainy, additional moisture is not required for the tree. It is important to follow the rule of the golden mean and remember that the apricot does not tolerate both dryness and excessive moisture.

If all the watering rules are followed, and for some reason the tree does not bear fruit, then most likely the apricot needs to be fed. For normal development and fruiting, a tree needs nitrogen, which is found in large quantities in manure. Root top dressing in the near-stem circles is applied before the formation of flowers.

For adult plants, complex fertilizers are suitable, which include superphosphate, s altpeter and potassium chloride. Timely top dressing will help the apricot stock up on the necessary elements that give strength for further flowering after an energy-intensive winter.

Apricot blossoms but does not bear fruit

In early spring, the apricot tree is covered with pinkish-white flowers and is preparing for the appearance of the first fruits. However, this is not always the case. Sometimes flowering disappears, and the fruit is not formed.Why does this happen, and what to do if the apricot blooms but does not bear fruit? There are three reasons: early warming, poor pollination and age.

What to do?

Consider options:

1. Early warming. Early warming is dangerous because it provokes premature flowering, as a result of which the rudiments of fruits die from night frosts, without having formed on the tree. Some gardeners fight frost by fumigating the garden with smoke bombs or a mixture of straw, tobacco and manure. But a greater effect can be achieved by pushing the flowering back for a while. To do this, they resort to spraying the garden with auxin or a solution of copper sulfate.
2. Poor pollination. Pollination is the process of transferring pollen from the flowers of one tree to another. Some types of apricot are self-pollinating. However, there are those who need help in this difficult matter. Pollination can be natural or artificial:

• natural. Pollen is carried by insects (butterflies and bees) or the force of the wind. To ensure the operation of the process, apricot is planted near pollinating trees (poplar, birch, fruit crops), and flower beds of marigolds are placed nearby, which have a specific smell and repel pests along the way. To attract the attention of bees to the apricot, even in cloudy weather, its branches are sprayed with sweet water;
• artificial. The process involves manually transferring the pollen with a brush or toothbrush. The tool is brought close to the pollinating flower for 10 seconds, after which the pollen is alternately transferred to all apricot inflorescences. Statistics report that the procedure helps increase yields by 50%. In order for the process to bring maximum efficiency, it is carried out at the beginning and middle of flowering. After artificial pollination using several pollinators, the harvest will be different from the previous one - the fruits may have an unusual shape or flavor.

3. Age. Often the reason why an apricot does not bear fruit lies on the surface. If the plant has been producing crops for many years and stops abruptly, the reason may be its aging. Apricot rejuvenation pruning prolongs the average fruiting period by 2-3 years, but no more.

How long does it take for an apricot to bear fruit after planting?

A newly planted plant does not immediately produce its first harvest. The year the apricot begins to bear fruit after planting directly depends on the following factors:

1. Method of reproduction. Purchased seedlings bear fruit for 3-4 years. To avoid an increase in the term, the seedling is dug into the ground so that the top sticks out at least 5 centimeters. If the gardener ventured to grow a tree from the seed of a local fruit, the first crop will appear 5-6 years after planting the apricot.The tree needs pruning all the time. This will significantly speed up the timing and quality of the first harvest. Plants grafted and propagated by cuttings bear fruit in 2 years. This breeding method is the most time-consuming, but rather fast.
2. Varieties. When purchasing a seedling, it is important to pay attention to the quality indicators of the plant, suitable for a particular region. Quick survival rate contributes to early fruiting. The answer to the question of when the hybrid apricot will begin to bear fruit is rhetorical. Varieties bred by cuttings or grafting often differ from the standard ones, and their fruiting period can only be known from personal practice.

Why aren't fruits pouring?

It happens that an apricot tree successfully goes through all stages of development, and at the final stage of ripening it encounters a problem - the fruits do not pour. Unripe, green apricots begin to rot, shrivel, or fall off the tree.

What to do?

Consider:

1. Sunburn. After a long period of hibernation, spring inevitably comes. During this period, apricot trees are vulnerable and their trunks and branches are exposed to a lot of sunlight. Not having time to adapt to new weather conditions, the apricot runs the risk of getting a sunburn. A damaged tree is not capable of producing a quality crop, so anti-burn measures should be taken in advance. Sunburn damage is reduced by bleaching with chalk or lime. An even more successful way is to cover the barrel with synthetic paint (BC-511, Protection).
2. Feature of the variety. The fruits of some varieties are biologically incapable of ripening (for example, the Manchurian apricot). When choosing seedlings, you need to carefully study the properties of a particular species and their survival in the local region.
3. Diseases.Fungal infection is a common occurrence in regions with a cool climate. It affects the root system and spreads to the aerial parts of the plant, causing rotting of the fruit. Experienced gardeners call it monoliosis or fruit rot. To detect a fungus, it is enough to carefully examine the condition of the apricot tree. Dry leaves, cracked bark and green, rotting fruits indicate a high probability of having this disease. The main reason for the appearance is a violation of the preventive treatment schedule. To help the tree cope with this scourge, it is necessary to periodically spray it with antifungal drugs, burn foliage rotting in the area, regularly prune dry branches, destroy weeds and loosen the ground. The fruits are treated with copper sulphate or special preparations - Topsin or Hom. Monoliosis is a rapidly spreading fungus, so preventive treatment should be carried out for all plants in the garden.

Given the above information, you need to think about a quality apricot harvest in advance. If this year the fruits could not ripen, do not despair.

Green apricots have beneficial properties and are rich in fiber, iron, vitamin C. It is undesirable to use them in their pure form, but processing them into jam, jam or compote is another matter.

Recommended