I was talking with a worker at a hardware store the other day when I went to pick up some tree spray materials for the upcoming season. She stated she planted what was supposed to be a McIntosh apple tree about 20 years ago. Every year she gets the small apples on it but at the June drop period ALL the apples fall of the tree. She has never tasted one apple off that tree since she planted it. She has a crab apple tree near it for pollination purposes. I gave her a few suggestions but she said she has tried everything to get some apples to actually get big enough to taste.
I know this is a wide open subject but since she said she has tried “everything” I was hoping to perhaps get some ideas, suggestions, or remedies that others have tried and had success with.
I am not so sure I would have kept this tree that long if it has not produced any apples. I would have pulled that tree out and planted another apple tree from another nursery. I am sure it is probably too big to just dig out by herself. I did not get a chance to ask her a lot more questions I had for her since it was the weekend and they were pretty busy.
Any help with this issue would be appreciated.
I believe my late drops have been due to frost/low temps, or lack of cross pollination. I’m sure there are many other reasons also. It does seem odd that the tree goes this many years without any fruit. You have very little control over the weather so I would graft several other varieties to the existing tree or plant more trees.
I agree with you. I would have planted more apple trees but , at this point, I am not sure how big her yard is. I would have not been as patient with this tree. I think I would have pulled that tree out a long time ago. I know the nursery she bought it from was not very good at giving you the correct nursery variety all the time. I had bought a lot of nursery stock from them when I moved in to my other house 30+ ago. They were not that close by but they advertised a LOT and always sent out multiple catalogs with enticing descriptions of their nursery stock. After all the things I bought for me and a few other family members I started noting the nursery stock was not producing the fruit I thought I bought. It was all labeled at what it should have been but not what was actually growing. I stopped buying from them. I think this is what may have happened to her. However, saying that it still does not make sense that for the last 20+ years her tree drops every piece of pre-ripened fruit. I suggested a soil test, already done that she said. Then she mentioned she had tried everything anyone suggested to her. I was trying to perhaps figure out some suggestions here and give her the list so she can do a “check list” to go down. Shame that she wanted that particular apple, her favorite she said, and not get any fruit off of your own tree.
I realize there may be many, many, many items that may cause this by themselves alone or in combination with one another. Where we live that apple tree does very well. Unless she lives over a toxic waste dump or “supersite” that the ground is polluted or contaminated it makes no sense, to me.
There are very few reasons for an apple tree that’s pollinated to drop all it’s fruit. In fact if anyone can name one good reason I’d be surprised. Somethings not adding up for me. I think she should start over with another tree. If it’s happened that long I don’t see it changing.
Lack of pollination is the only reason I can see for that many yrs of 100% fruit drop.
They told her she needed a pollinator so that was why she bought a crabapple to plant nearby. She said the crabapple always blooms at the about the same time and she gets lots of crabapples just no apples to eat. I agree with you, out with the old tree and in with a new on from a reputable nursery that labels their stock correctly.
She can cut the dropped fruits and check. If the fruits have a few to no seeds in them it is a pollination issue. If there are damaged fruits with bugs it is the insect or disease damage.
I am with @Fruitnut, it is hard to believe a 20 years old tree dropped all fruit every year. Even if they were infected by bugs, not ALL dropped.
In my neighborhood, there is an apple tree on a rental property. No one cares for or about it. It sets fruit every year, some heavy, some light. Many dropped but some always hang on. No other apple trees near by but that’s OK. Crab apples are at every corner of the street.
Good point and good idea. I will mention that to her to try this year.
Could she be spraying carbaryl?
Another thing to consider is that she does not actually have a McIntosh.
ETA do triploids get small apples and then drop?
If the trees have not bloomed yet I would consider adding another pollinator to the mix. Possibly a potted blooming one, or a few blooming branches. It would not be a permanent fix, but it could eliminate pollination as a possible cause.
Lot of Macs grown commercially out here in Montana, and they’re grown in NY, so I’d be surprised if they didn’t like Ohio.
One thought that crossed my mind is that it’s actually a crab that is bred to drop the fruit when it’s small, but I don’t know if that’s even been done.
Does she treat her lawn with fertilizer? the lawn might be full of nutrient salts none which the tree needs. So I would offer the obligatory get a soil test performed.
Is there such a thing as a triploid crab apple tree? I say use the “macintosh” as a graft taker. Sent her to this site for a graft tutorial.
All great ideas. It sure stumps me with just the little info she provided me at that one visit. I will go back and chat with her but I want to get all of your ideas and print the pages out to give her. I know if I had a fruit tree that did not do it’s job and produce fruit I’d get rid of it and replace it with one that could give her some fruit. I’m thinking about buying her a dwarf or potted apple one to add to her yard so it could at least try and give her some fruit or see if it would pollinate the other one.
I have been looking at those potted apple tree varieties to suggest to her or even buy her one as a gift to try out. I am placing an order with one company that has them available. The shipping is the same so I am only out the cost of the tree for her. I feel sorry for her since she has been waiting to get her own fruit for so long. Such a disappointment for her all these years. I need to talk with her again here this next week.
I just take some small branches covered with flowers just starting to open and stick them in a plastic bottle filled part way with water and tape it to the tree I’m trying to pollinate. Works every time.
Excellent idea. I forgot about that method.
She is older so all these suggestions are things she can do without a huge fuss. She has been working at this local hardware store for many, many years. I think she is a widow so these type things can give her some little projects to do outdoors.
Well, I have an Anoka from what once upon a time was Bear Creek. In 27 years, it’s had one crop so heavy they got no size, and since then, there’s been no set, or all but 3 or 4 have dropped all the other years. Planted in a row with numerous apples from Granny Smith to Fuji to Niedzwetzkyana…I’ve not figured it out. On standard antonovka root but the cultivar is a modest grower and more nearly compares to Braeburn on M7 from 27 years ago. I’ve debated on cutting it down…but instead think I will graft onto Bud-9 and see if I get anything.
Probably have to wait until summer to bud graft, as sap has been up for some time now even though not much green showing.
Unanswered mysteries could be an entire topic on this forum. Every year at least one experience pops up in my world of growing fruit that defies explanation. If you want clear explanations, work on cars for a hobby. Biological processes have too many moving parts to follow clearly.