Should I let my apple trees go to blossum next spring?

[BJE80]

I have 10 5-7'ers I put in last spring. I nipped the blossums off. They looked great last year. The nursery says it is just fine to let them go this spring. What are your guys opinion?

I have Dolgo, Harrelson and crab apple hybrids. Most are semi drarf.

 

[bat man]

When I pruned mine back to get it them to flower, I should have pinched some flowers from the leaders and a few other branches. They were not ready for the weight of the fruit and 'Houston, we have some problems'

 

[BJE80]

How do you know a tree will be over fruiting? How can I tell that in spring?

 

[sandbur]

I have 10 5-7'ers I put in last spring. I nipped the blossums off. They looked great last year. The nursery says it is just fine to let them go this spring. What are your guys opinion?

I have Dolgo, Harrelson and crab apple hybrids. Most are semi drarf.

What did you plant for crab apple hybrids?

 

[BJE80]

What did you plant for crab apple hybrids?

All last spring.

 

[sandbur]

All last spring.

What varieties? I'm not sure what crab apple hybrids really are.

 

[BJE80]

They are the deer candy trees from Wolfraths nursery.

http://www.wolfraths.com/garden-center/item/10-fruit-trees-seedlings-transplants

If I remember I have October High, Dolgo Crab and Hunters Jewell.

 

[BJE80]

Sorry I read "What" as "When" before. Sorry. LOL

 

[deepsleep]

Were they potted or bareroot? My personal opinion is I would let them go another year before letting them fruit. It is very exciting to see (and harvest) your first fruit, however, I'm assuming these are for deer. Fruiting will slow down the wood growing process significantly, especially in young trees. You also risk trees "runting out" if you let them carry fruit too early. This is not the best photo but the only one I could find. The 2 trees on the far left are Querina on M7, starting 4th leaf. I let the one on the left keep 8-10 apples on it in 3rd leaf, whereas the one next to it had none. Notice the difference in size. If I let them both fruit going forward, it will take a long time for the early fruiter to catch up. Just some food for thought

 

[Maya]

bje80, I wouldn't worry to much you can always knock them off after they set fruit. Normally I don't worry about the crabs but the Harreleson you don't want to fruit much for a couple years. 0 would even be better. Once they are good fruiting age you don't want apples in clumps and no more than one every 5-7" or so on branches to keep from over cropping as has been mentioned. Look at that second year wood and see what is there for possible fruit buds. Where these whips or feathered when you planted them?

Also when I am pruning I will rub the bottom sides of branches to knock off buds if there appears to be to many like in this pic.

 

[Maya]

One bud can really spit out some apples!

 

[BJE80]

Maya. That last picture is what I had last year when I nipped the buds. Lots cluster buds if I recall correctly.

The trees were bare root.


I don't know what you mean when you say whipped or feathered.




Does this help? These are the threads I had last year with pictures.

http://www.habitat-talk.com/index.php?threads/happy-with-how-the-apple-trees-are-looking.612/

http://www.habitat-talk.com/index.php?threads/apple-trees-are-in.376/

 

[BJE80]

Whip means a tree with no side branches, feathered means a tree with side branches

Gotcha. They all had side branches.