Your climate is different, and if your growing season is longer there is likely a longer blossoming period and less overlap between apple varieties. That is, early flowering varieties are done producing pollen by the time the late varieties open their blossoms. Until I started talking to growers in other parts of the country I didn’t even consider the possibility of this difference based on climate.
My experience with my HC is exactly what you described. I even took the leaves form my HC to the extension agency to get their take on what was wrong with my HC tree. " It is just probably that variety of apple tree" is the answer I got.
It looks fine just not a fruit producing apple tree. I am going to over graft it starting next year. It is a waste of a fruit growing space if it does not do its job and produce any fruit.
I had a beautiful HC on m26 when I lived in NE Seattle @ 10 years ago that I bought from Burnt Ridge. It was very happy although some bitter pit developed. I did a yearly application of lime, may of helped a bit. Last year it was very productive of beautiful, tasty apples. I was sad to leave it behind. I have a young HC here that hasn’t produced yet. It was the red/blotchy variety.
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I plan to overgraft as soon as scions arrive, leaving only the top leader as HC. Turns out it can pollinate most of my new varieties. Will give the top another year as my nurse limb. I hope to then find Cox’s Orange scions
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Keep us informed as to how well your grafts take. I will probably do mine next year. Time to re-do it or take it out. My wife says get rid of it. It has such a nice shape and size I hate to just dig it out. She may be right about this though. Scrap it and start anew tree there. I’ve probably wasted enough time on it as it is, at least three wasted years- saying " it will be better next season". Yet, nope it isn’t.
I have both Ashmeads Kernel and Cox Orange Pippin. Remind me and I can harvest bud wood for you in late July or scion next winter. The Ashmeads was deer pruned last fall so it may have to wait till winter, will see what growth it puts on.
Our county Soil and Water Conservation handles tree and bush sales from the state nursery in Saratoga Springs, order in the winter for spring pick up. For many years they included Honeycrisp in the 2-3 variety pack of apples they offered and they incorrectly noted its parents. It drove me nuts, the dna testing had established the parents long ago, and this cultivar probably discouraged home orchardists for decades, it is inappropriate for inexperienced growers. They finally stopped including it in 2020.
Thanks Andy,
Let’s wait til winter dormancy! I do better grafting in springtime with apples. Appreciate your offer. I can probably find something to trade depending on your interest
Dennis
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I had the same with my Golden Delicious apple. Not a single bloom this year!
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I have several apples going biennial when I don’t thin them well. Frostbite, Fuji, Hoople’s Antique Gold, Pomme Gris, Rubinette, Rubaiyat, etc., to name a few.
Not many that produces every year. My reliable croppers are Calville Blanc, Golden Russet, Orin, Pink Lady.
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I have three Golden Delicious apple trees in three different locations in orchards. Two of the three no blooms at all. One has a few blooms. Odd. I had planted them to be pollinators. If they do not bloom they are not doing their job. This is the first year they had no blooms. Maybe just an odd year or the three freeze warning nights we had during the blooming time. I had a lot of my other trees that normally bloom have zero blooms this year as well.