has anyone ever had an apple tree that never has blossom? I've got a tree that's 16plus years old and has never had a blossom? I trim it back hard this year hoping that would do something, but no luck

We have 14 apple trees and a couple of them have never blossomed... We always figured that they were the "male" trees because the males don't produce apples

I have one that is probably 25 feet tall and just blossomed for the first time this year.

you might need to wake them up........go out there with a baseball bat or something and wail on them a few times....true story

keets I have heard this,

I have heard that before too. I think the logic is to stress the tree so it tries to reproduce. I don't know Jack about raising apple trees but I have a pile of them and sure do enjoy it. I don't consider an apple tree dead until it has gone 3 years without leaves.

If you want apples the worst thing to do is hard prune. You will get tons of new water sprouts that don't produce any fruit until they develop fruit spurs. Some apples take a long time to develop fruiting spurs. Especially if they're on seedling or standard root stocks. Sometimes you can pull an upright limb to a horizontal angle to hurry up the development of fruiting spurs.

I have never heard of dioecious apples (male and female separate trees). But if you don't get bloom after 16 years something is not right.

correct guys, by slightly damaging the cambium layer you stimulate the tree into growth and fruiting...it works, as far as a good time to do it? I think very early Spring, when you would prune, would be best

So wouldn't pruning be damage enough?

No.

In fact, I've seen pruning jobs where the tree owner had no idea of what he was doing and every year diligently pruned off all the fruiting spurs! That would be one reason a tree never flowers. Another may be some nutrient deficiency. The idea of shocking a tree into fruiting comes from disruption of the cambium layer of inner bark near the base of limbs or trunk. Cane girdling is a common practice in some grapes but I haven't heard of its use much with apples. If an apple hasn't fruited in 16 years something is amiss. I would either graft on new varieties or start over with a dwarfing variety that will be fast to fruit.

I have heard of taking a pocket knife and ringing the trunk. I believe this is similar to what was mentioned earlier about disrupting the cambium layer.

as far as pruning I have been doing it for 40 plus year and no what I'm doing , but thanks for the information

No accusations on my part. I believe ya.

Have 2 pear trees that stared at me for 30 years without a blossom finally hacked off the bottom branchs as high as i could reach started to blossom. First pears were the size of my thumb but after that they improved every year

This tree just the opposite - makes so many granny smith apples the limbs are breaking. Fox checking out the apples

I had an apple tree that my father planted on my place. I decided to cut it down as it hadn't flowered nor produced fruit in over ten years. I dug the base of the tree out so I could cut it off under ground level. I got called away, and never got it cut. The next year, it had a handful of blossoms on it. Two years later it was in full bloom, and had some of the best eating apples ever. I think the tree was buried too deep, and when I removed the soil from around the base it could breath.

From what I know each apple tree flower has a male and female part, but they for the most part do not self pollinate. They cross pollinate and do so better with different varieties. Orchards are planted so that bees and other pollinators can easily go from one tree to another different tree. That may be old school, modern genetics may now be quite different.

Bryce

Yes Bryce, but the man says the tree never blooms. Different problem.

Plenty of blooms my friend, but no apples. Any thoughts?

Out of all my trees trees I have 2 of them that get lots of blossoms and bear no fruit or only a couple apples.
I know the problem is lack of sun. They are both too shaded by other tree most of the day. Apple trees need enough sun or this happens