I kept track of and recorded in my log the blossom progress of each of my bearing apple trees the last two blooms, and took photos of the bee swarms at the trees. Last year, the trees came through a gruelingly cold winter. This year, they came through a mild one. Across the board, they are blooming just two days earlier this year than last. The biggest difference I see actually is in the composition of the pollinating bee swarms. There are way, way, way more honey bees and bumblebees here this year. The mason bee swarm density is about the same as last year, as is the hummingbird visitation regularity.
Apple Tree winter Hardiness
- Thread starter sandbur
- Start date
The full bloom of the flowering group 2 trees is overlapping with that of the flowering group 5 trees here. Same thing last year. I also noted some honey bees borrowing into flower buds of post-group 5 crabs at full pink and get to the nectar before they opened. I'm not sure that flowering group classifications actually make much of a difference for a non-commercial orchard grower.
4wanderingeyes
5 year old buck +
Lots of bumble bees by me this year. So far somewhat disappointed in the bloom of my trees, those that have bloomed, have about half bloom, and several trees that haven’t bloomed. But it has been rather dry.
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Blooms are formed in sept prior to the next springs , blossom , lots of factors go into winter hardiness, it involves weather fall winter and spring , example if tree goes into winter without hardening off and we get sudden colds snap as early as dec can cause damage , warm spring wake up to early in march , sever cold snap can cause damage
