Mirabelle stone fruit blossoms

Hi all, I didn’t know if this should go into the ‘strange weather’ category or not so here is a new thread. After enjoying Mamuangs mirabelles last year I was so looking forward to my massive crop this year. All three of my mirabelles are 8 years old. My steadiest of producing fruit is a Mirabelle de Nancy#1. This year not one blossom. My mirabelle de Nancy #2 has at least 20 blossoms. The Mirabelle de Metz is loaded!!! I am so tired of second guessing Euro plums until I move there, then hopefully it will make sense. PS. A Tomcot apricot a nd Harglow have never had so many blossoms!

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Mrs.G,
I’m wondering myself about possible biennialing of E plum? Last year was the first time my 3 trees blooms, Coe’s, Castleton and Mirabelle Parfume de Septembre. They bloomed and set fruit abundantly esp. Parfume. I thin some but not as aggressively as I did peaches, pears or apples.

This year, the Parfume tree has very few blooms. Castleton and Coe’s have a moderate amout of blooms. The only thing I could think of is my Parfume mirabelle is taking this year off.

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These are my own observations. If a tree is stressed it produces few blossoms. How does last year’s growth look? A lot? Normal? Not much? If not much it may have been stressed by not enough food, too heavy a fruit load, a disease, too dry, too wet (is it near lawn sprinklers?)moved or transplanted, bad weather, etc. Some form of stress anyway. The flower buds were set last year, so that was interrupted somehow? Since your other trees did better, it may be easier to pinpoint the problem, what was done different?

For what it’s worth, my Parfume de Septembre does not appear biennial. My Coe’s typically blooms and sets poorly compared to Parfume de Septembre.

Vohd,
I have nothing to compare Parfume by. Last year was the year it bloomed and set fruit, very abundantly. So did Castleton and Coes ( not as prolific as Parfume).

No other variables have changed. They are next to one another in sunny spots and have got the same treatments. We do have single digit temp around the New Year. I would not think it would be that wimpy/less cold hardy. Temp like that is not uncommon where I live.

Nothing different. :cry:

I really don’t know what happened. My Italian plum has plenty of blossoms as does my Bavay! It is just the two Mirabelle de Nancy that are being stubborn.

Does PdS bloom with your other Euro. plums in your location? I was wondering if, perhaps, there were not good conditions for pollinating when your PdS was in bloom?

Their branches touch Castleton and Coe’s. Also, all three trees set plenty lasy year. If it was a pollination issue, it probably would have set so many last year.

This year, Parfume is not totally wiped out. It has very few blooms. Castleton and Coe’s have plenty.

Mrs.G,- were your Nancy set well last year?

Only one of them.

Yes, still interesting how these trees tend to have personality. Maybe talk softly and praise it, Speak in French :slight_smile:

But I do!!! Lol

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I have seen a similar thing on my Mirabelles in past years. Two years ago my Reine des Mirabelles (a hybrid) was loaded, last year nearly nothing. This year it looks loaded again. My Euros have varied year to year but the Mirabelles do seem even more variable than the others. This year there seems to be a huge load on all my plums, the only exception is AU Roadside.

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