Thanks All. Harvestman, I checked back on my notes and last month's weather (from the Weather Channel- I don't keep notes on temps :) ). The tree opened first blooms on 5/2, and was likely at full bloom when we had 4 days of rain starting on 5/7. The first 3 days were mostly in the 50's, while the 4th day heated up to almost 80. I'm hoping for this to explain it, but it is also possible that the cold/wet conditions encouraged FB. I should also note that the Hudson's Golden Gem tree less than 10 feet away bloomed within 1 day of the Red Boskoop (they were two of the first trees both this year and last) and HGG is covered with apples (I've had to thin quite a bit). Sharppa, I haven't seen any other signs of FB, so I am crossing my fingers. I did a quick check for cankers and didn't see any earlier today. I'll keep an eye out for it though. Scott, how do you normally deal with blossom blight? Does it normally spread into the trees? I'm not sure how much I need to prune off, given it seems to be pretty dry and not spreading further (that I can see).

Strectomycin and other anti-bacterials are being removed from the market: http://www.goodfruit.com/fire-blight-control-without-antibiotics/ In reading how the bacteria spreads it almost sounds as if it's being introduced by pollinators. If it is being introduced by pollinators then perhaps it's bee keepers introducing and spreading this disease. Kept bees are also suffering from a colony collapse disease which is probably related to the artificial stress of treating an bee ailment with something that kills all the beneficial organisms in the bee's environment so that it can then can be invaded by organisms that aren't symbiotic with the bee's evolved environment and so this stress over time creates colony collapse syndrome. A bit like they now recommend than you eat yogurt and kefir while and after antibiotics treatments to dry and get a balanced microbial intestine 'ecosystem'. Sorry if I sound like Euell Gibbons but remembering his commercial as a kid makes me smile.

The the dropped green fruits are fine inside; not worm-riddled at all for either type of tree. Only after the plums get damaged do they usually ripen before dropping. The plum trees are not too old. Some are 5 years old and some are 15 years old and range between those ages. They've dropped their fruit like this every year. The apple tree is at least 20 years old. But, for the past 17 years it has dropped it's fruit in this manner. Every year it is completely loaded with apples. The deer end up getting every one. I have many apple trees and many types of apple trees. Pollination shouldn't be a problem for those. The plum trees shouldn't have a problem either. As far as heat and drought go, it rarely ever reaches above 100F in the summer. It's been a cool rainy summer here this year and the trees are still dropping their fruit.

I will agree that equal parts of love and neglect seem to work... all the years that my large Minerva bloomed, I pretty much ignored her... I would go about life, and every once in a while say, "oh shoot! I need to water that bulb before it dies!"... and it gave lovely blossoms every February! Now that I fuss over all my bulbs, she doesn't seem willing to put out flowers... I can't really say that, though, because I did just disturb her with a re-potting last fall... and that's what I attribute her bloomlessness to, if there is such a word! I do allow her to dry out completely before watering... but I feed her better than I ever have. I don't know... maybe she's jealous of all the new bulbs! LOL! I believe the buds set after vegetative growth, when the temperatures drop, right before they rest. I read about it over winter, but without the book in front of me, I can't recall what it said, exactly... I've hit my head really hard one too many times! Sir Hans would best be able to answer that one! What I recall of western mountain winters is waiting out storms in Butte, Montanta to get the truck over the pass... without having to struggle with chains or cables! I also recall being in tractor-trailer driving school in Sioux Falls, South Dakota during winter... and finding out that they don't plow streets unless the snow is really deep! They just sprinkle a bit of sand, and everyone goes on their merry way! I'm so used to Illinois winters, where the plows are out at the slightest hint of snow, salting the heck out of everything... and gouging up all the new pavement with plow blades that they don't how to operate properly! At my age, I don't think I could take a mountain winter! I think you get out of your bulbs what you put into them... that, added to the stronger sun you get up in a higher elevation... it all equals optimum bloom, apparently! How mature are your bulbs? I will concur with the fact that as soon as the sun began changing in early spring, making the days longer, my bulbs began growing new leaves more often... bigger leaves, too, it seems! All I can say right now is... I'm pleased with how every bulb I have is growing! I moved a few to the southern window in the stairwell... now that it's warmer, that window is safe to use. The stairwell isn't heated very good over winter. Those bulbs are growing new leaves like nobody's business! Soon, that window will have a lot of shade from the Sycamore trees outside... they grow their leaves very slowly in spring, but they are very shady trees with leaves the size of large dinner plates! Whatever you're doing, keep doing it, Ryan! It seems to be working for you! That Apple Blossom is gorgeous!