COMMON QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Q? Why are my fruit trees not bearing fruit?
A. Are they flowering in the spring? If not (a) they may be too young. Dwarf apple trees usually flower by year 3 although some varieties such as Northern Spy are slow to begin flowering. Pears on standard ( seedling ) rootstocks have been known to take up to 10 years to begin to flower. Most fruits begin to flower somewhere in between.
( b ) their flower buds may be getting killed overwinter. The flower buds are the least winter hardy part of the tree. In some cases the trees are in an area that is too cold for the flower buds to survive but not so cold that the tree is killed outright.
( c ) the flower buds may be getting in the winter by grouse ( partridge ) .
If your trees are flowering in the spring and not bearing fruit they :
( a ) may be having the flowers killed by late spring frosts.
( b ) may not be getting pollinated. Apples, Pears, Sweet Cherries ,Plums need a compatible pollinator nearby. Some varieties of the above mentioned fruits may be self fruitful.