Bloom-free fruit trees

Fruit trees may not bear flowers for a number of reasons:

1. The trees may not yet be of flower-bearing age. Trees purchased from your local nursery or garden centre may require another two or three years to mature. Flowering earlier than this time could slow the plant’s ability to establish a good root system.

2. Certain cultivars within a particular type of fruit tree, for example, yellow transparent apple, bear at an earlier age than, say, Gravenstein. Cherry trees take longer than pear. And the growing conditions can make a difference (e.g., excessive growth due to overfeeding).

3. Proper pruning and training will encourage fruit trees to bear at an early age. Encourage side branches (laterals) to become more horizontal, thus allowing “fruiting spurs” to develop.