An orchardist may experience disappointments if an apple tree produces blossoms but does not produce fruit. An apple tree may produce blossoms but fail to producing fruit because an apple tree require pollination to create fruit. Pollination is a process where pollen must move from one tree to another tree so that the blossoms can turn into fruit.
Many fruit trees are not capable of self fertilization, so many fruit trees requires a second tree of a different variety to ensure that fruit production occurs. Some fruit trees are self-fertile, and self-fertile fruit trees can produce fruit without assistance of a different tree variety. Peaches and apricots is examples of self-fertile fruit trees, and self-fertile fruit trees are good choices for people who have small garden with limited space.
Why Apple Trees Have Blossoms But No Fruit
However, most apple trees and most pear trees are not self-fertile, so most apple trees and most pear trees requires cross-pollination. Cross-pollination occur when pollen from a different variety of tree is carried to the blossoms of the first tree. If you plant only one Fuji apple tree, you will likely not harvest fruit because a single Fuji apple tree cannot pollinate itself.
Timing and proximity are important factors in the pollination process. For pollination to occur, two different tree varieties must bloom at the same time, because if the tree varieties does not bloom at the same time, the pollen cannot move between the trees. For example, if one apple tree blooms in April and a second apple tree blooms in May, the apple trees will not pollinate each other because the blooming periods do not overlap.
Additionally, you must consider the distance that pollinators travel, because pollinators like bees is responsible for moving the pollen between the trees. Honeybees may travel long distance to find trees, but smaller pollinators like mason bees stay much closer to they’re original location, so mason bees may not reach a tree if the second tree is too far away. You can avoid the problem of no fruit production by planning your orchard carefuly.
When you select trees, you should choose varieties that belong to the same pollination group, because varieties in the same pollination group is compatible with one another. You should not plant two trees of the exact same variety, because two trees of the exact same variety do not provide the genetic difference that is necessary to trigger fruit production. You may also provide a bee hotel to increase the number of pollinators in your orchard, because more pollinators can increase the chances of successful pollination.
If you plan for pollination by choosing compatible varieties and providing habitat for pollinators, your trees will be more likely to produce a harvest.