Why is my Apple Tree
not Producing Fruit?
By: Ashley Henke
Head Horticulturalist
Bloch’s Farm, Green Lake, WI
There are several reasons why apples don’t produce fruit, including: weather, age, cross-pollination, pruning, and over all health of the tree. When growing any type of plant, the weather has a major impact on the success of the plant. Weather has a critical role while apple trees are in bloom as poor weather conditions during bloom can have a bad effect on apple production. Cold, wet, windy weather while the apple trees are in bloom reduce the activity of pollinating insects. Even if your trees were in full bloom, those flowers may not have been pollinated. Without pollination, there will be no fruit. New plantings will take some time before they will set fruit. Trees need to become established before they start flowering. Newly planted apple trees start to bear fruit anywhere from 2 to 5 years of age. Dwarf apple trees bear around 1 to 3 years of age. Apples need cross-pollination. If an apple tree flowers every spring but never seems to produce much if any fruit, it could be there is no pollinating source. Most apple varieties require another apple variety or a crabapple for cross-pollination. If only one tree exists or a group of the same variety, poor pollination means little or no fruit production. Plant at least two varieties of apple trees near one another. Information on particular pollination requirements can usually be found on the tree tag. Pruning on a regular basis is needed to keep trees productive. Trees not pruned, will decline in fruit production. For good fruit production, apple trees need branches that are horizontal. Early spring is a good time for pruning apples. Keep in mind, however, that apples do produce fruit on old "spurs" so older wood is necessary for fruit production, but the trees need to be kept opened up and healthy with proper pruning. Overall tree health is also important. Watering trees during dry periods is critical. Avoid wounding the trunk or root system; this encourages diseases and insects to attack the tree. Pest management helps keep trees healthy so they set fruit and also helps protect fruit once it has set. Please refer to our website www.blochsfarm.com for pest control information and spray times. In conclusion, your older trees can still produce fruit, but you may have to prune them to get them producing again. For the new trees, make sure they are old enough and that you have pollinators nearby to pollinate the trees to help set the fruit. For further questions on apple trees, stop by Bloch’s Farm and talk to a retail sales associate or myself.
Have a topic that you want to know more about?
Email ashley@blochsfarm.com
Wisconsin Natives for Shade
by Dawn Rae Jones, Retail Manager, Bloch’s Farm, Green Lake
One of the hardest planting situations to deal with for many gardeners is deep shade, especially if you want to utilize plants that are native to Wisconsin in your garden. I’d like to share with you my favorite native plant picks for shade to help you along in your gardening endeavors.
A great native plant to use in dense shade is the red baneberry, actaea rubra. The plant itself has serrated leaves and a bushy appearance. When its white flowers open, the petals fall off, leaving the white stamens. Following that, shiny red berries are produced. The berries, however, can cause illness if eaten by humans. There is also a white baneberry, actaea pachopoda.. The two plants are very similar except the white baneberry has white berries with a single black dot on each berry, thus giving it its common name of Doll’s Eyes. Both plants thrive equally well in a moist, shady area.
The large-leaved aster, aster macrophyllus, is a great native for dry shade areas. It has very large heart-shaped leaves that can block out other vegetation. When it flowers, it creates delicate, pale blue to white flowers above the foliage that are about one inch wide. It will flower from mid-summer into early fall. The large-leaved aster looks right at home under groupings of established deciduous trees.
A couple of beautiful blue bloomers for the wet shade area are the tall bellflower, campanula americana, and Virginia bluebells, mertensia virginica. Both natives are common in the southern half of Wisconsin. The bellflower likes moist soil, deciduous wooded areas and forest edges. It can reach anywhere from three to six feet tall. When in bloom the stem is covered with clear blue, five-petal flowers with a white ring in the center of each flower. Virginia bluebells averages ten to twenty-four inches tall and has clusters of one inch long tubular flowers that bud out pinkish and then turn a striking blue.
Lastly, no shade area would seem complete without columbine, aquilegia canadensis. Typically in bloom from April until June, the columbine can reach up to two feet tall. It has reddish upside-down tubular flowers shaped like bells that have yellow tips. Columbine thrives in a dry, rocky terrain, open deciduous areas, and shade. This plant is fun for children who will enjoy nibbling on the spurs of the flowers to taste its honey-flavored nectar. Columbine is a favorite for hummingbirds as well, another added bonus.
Using these flowering natives in combination with ferns like the maidenhair, lady, ostrich, cinnamon, interrupted, or the Christmas variety, will give you a very natural look and bring back some of the shade-dwellers that belong in your backyard . So plant shade natives, sit back, watch, listen, and enjoy the shady setting the way Wisconsin intended it to be.
Beautiful Fall Grasses
(Grower Talk)
By: Ashley Borzick
Did you know that the grass family – Poaceae – is found worldwide and contains about 9,000 species. Grasses are used all over the world for a variety of different reasons. Most people use grass as turf for landscape while others use it as a playground for their children. But when you ask an avid gardener about grasses, the first thing that comes to their mind in ornamental grasses.
There are annual ornamental grasses that are not hardy in our zone which is zone 4, while there are also perennial ornamental grasses that are hardy and will come back year after year. I’m going to focus on the perennial grasses. These are the grasses that you see right now in full bloom.
Panicum virgatum ‘Heavy Metal’ is strictly upright grass that is blue toned. The stems are very strong and do not tend to lean or flop even during heavy rains. This grass reaches five feet tall in bloom. The inflorescences have pink tones that are very beautiful during the fall.
Panicum virgatum ‘Shenandoah’ is one of the most popular grasses on the market today. The common name is red switch grass. This is a unique grass because of its burgundy fall color. The grass is green in early summer, taking on dark red tones in early July and fully turning by September. This grass stands 4 feet tall.
Miscanthus sinensis ‘Graziella’ leaves are narrow and green. The silver blooms are peak in August through Early September. These inflorescences are very fluffy in appearance and reach seven feet tall. Graziella is an upright grass with fall foliage a rich copper red and orange. This is a beautiful grass that is refined and is often mistaken for pampas grass which is not hardy to our zone.
The above grasses are just a few of my favorites. Remember there are over 9.000 species of grasses around the world. Bloch’s Farm has a wide variety of these fall blooming beauties. They are available in one gallon containers as well as three gallon. Right now is the perfect time to add some seasonal interest to your landscape. For further information on grasses, stop by Bloch’s Farm and talk with one of our retail staff members.
It’s time to Plant for a Stunning Spring Show
Nothing is more satisfying than planting dormant brown bulbs in fall and seeing them emerge in late winter or early spring with fresh green shoots and A beautiful rainbow of colors of flowers red, blue, & yellow flowers. There are many different varieties of spring and summer flowering bulbs that need to be planted during the fall. This will give you color from January through June depending on the variety of bulbs you plant. Bulbs have different bloom times, therefore you could have them blooming as early as January through the middle of summer.
Spring bulbs should be planted before the ground freezes and while bulbs are still firm and dormant. Planting in September through November is best. In general, bulbs should be planted in sunny areas. There are some bulbs that will take partial shade. ONE TRICK WE HAVE LEARNED OVER THE YEARS IS TO LOOK UP! LOOK UP IN THE AREA THAT YOU ARE PLANTING YOUR BULBS IN. IF THERE IS A FEAVY GREEN TREE ABOVE YOU PROVIDING SUMMER AND FALL SHADE, KEEP IN MIND THAT IN SPRING THE LEAVES WILL NOT BE FULLY DEVELOPED YET AND THIS COULD BE A SUNNY SPOT SAFE TO PLANT YOUR BULBS IN! Bulbs grow best in most soil as long as it has good drainage.
When planting Bulbs it is very important to plant them at the appropriate depts. The rule of thumb is you should dig the hole the same size and height of the bulb. Refer to the package or tear-off tag for variety specific information.
There are many different types of bulbs to plant. Bloch’s Farm has a wide selection of bulbs for your home gardening needs. We carry Daffodil, Tulip, Hyacinth, Allium, Muscari, & Ranunculus. There are also some special blends that are prepackaged. For further information on bulbs, stop by Bloch’s Farm and talk with our knowledgeable sales staff.
Have questions about your plants? Gardens? Insects? Landscape? Email ashley@blochsfarm.com and your questions will be answered.
Can your Plants Handle
the DOG DAYS OF SUMMER?
Everyone loves the summer, including plant materials. When it comes to the hottest days of the year, we’re ready to see those falling leaves! Thee plants love the summer for the ideal growing conditions, but they sometimes can’t handle the summer heat. There are many ways to help your plants through the summer heat. One way is to have water readily available. Use a hand watering wand to ensure the roots of the plants are getting adequate water, this is crucial on a 90 degree day. Another way to water efficiently is with soaker hoses or with drip irrigation. Don’t assume that if your plant is wilting that it needs water, just like humans, plants can get heat stress. One sign of heat stress is wilting. Always check the soil moisture before watering especially during the hot weather.
Water wisely and water early in the morning before the heat of the day to minimize evaporation. Allow nature to do her share; you do not need to water your garden after a heavy rain. Water deeply and less frequently as opposed to shallow and frequent watering. Deep watering means deeper, more efficient root systems on your plants. Do not water your plants unless they need it. Mulch is a great way to help the plant retain water. 2-3 inches of mulch, such as double shredded bark or peat moss around the plant will help keep the soil moist. Make sure your gardens and landscapes are weed free. You don’t want your plants competing for the water and nutrients. Do not fertilize water stressed plants. The fertilizer will burn the plant and make it more susceptible to diseases.
One other solution is to plant drought resistant plants. There are many different varieties of plants out there that are beautiful and will handle the summer heat with out watering everyday. A few examples of drought resistant perennials are; Sedums, Yarrows, most day lilies, and many varieties of ground-covers. There are many trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals that come in a variety of sizes and forms. For a list of drought resistant plants, log on to www.blochsfarm.com or visit Bloch’s Farm Garden Center in Green Lake for a huge selection of drought resistant plants.
What do you want to learn about?
Email ashley@blochsfarm.com and she may pick your topic for the next article.