Question From:
Edward Irish in Katsube-cho, Moriyama-shi INT
Nature of problem:
my apricot tree is about 7 years old and gets covered in flowers but doesn’t fruit
Type of Plant (if known):
apricot
Symptoms of Plant Illness (please try NOT to diagnose your problems yourself):
tree seems healthy enough but doesn’t develop fruit
Soil Type (e.g. sandy, clay or loam) OR Potting Mix Type:
loam
How often do you water the plant:
only if the weather is very dry
How many hours of sunlight does the plant get each day:
about six
What type of plant is it:
apricot fruit tree
How long since you planted it:
six or seven years
Have you fertilised? If so, with what and when:
chicken or cow manure each spring
Is the plant indoors or outdoors:
outdoors
Is the plant in a pot or in the ground:
in the ground
What other treatments have you given the plant:
generic spray against aphids and furry caterpillars after the blossoms have fallen
Upload photo if available:
sakoudo apricot.jpg
Other Comments:
two years ago the tree produced about one kg of fruit – its first fruiting. Last year, not one apricot in spite of all the blossoms in the photo
Answer: Hi Edward, First of all, your apriciot tree looks very healthy. I have never lived in Japan, so I don’t know much about gardening there. When I visited Japan, apart from the language differences, I was amazed to find no-one like me there – IE no trained horticulturists. Their horticulture is very backward, especially for such a modern country! This really destroyed my ability to learn much about the modern science of growing plants there. Anyway, let’s look at a few things. Japan is a fairly moist place (hence the use of moss everywhere) whereas apricots come from very dry semi-desert areas. So excess moisture may be causing the fruit drop. Equally your fertilising regime could cause fruit drop too (too high in nitogen and the NPK is seriously unbalanced) – change to a fruit tree fertiliser and/or just stop fertilising for a couple of years. Your compulsory spraying could be stopping the insects fertilising the flowers too. This is not a good practice. Overall, just back off a bit this year and eventually things should improve. If you must spray, use Baking Powder mixed in water (4g per litre of water) sprayed on the flowers and young fruit to fight against possible fungal diseases. Good luck. Don.
