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Fruit & Orchards

apple and blueberry blossoms

15 years ago

The 3 foot tall 3+year container grown blueberry bushes that I planted this spring are covered with blossums. Are the flowers best removed?

Also, several of the bare root feathered apple trees I planted this spring will shortly blossom. Should the blossoms be removed?

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Comments (3)

mudflapper
15 years ago
Since the Blueberry was just planted, yes. I would remove the flowers, even if it was purchased in a large pot with most of the root system intact... if it did have a good root system intact you could leave just a few flowers ( ten or less )just for a sneak taste preview; but if it was bare root... in no way leave any flowers on it, let it put it's energy into growth! with the apples if it sets fruit and did not self abort you should abort the fruit; but the flowers I would leave since the fruit should abort itself anyway.
jellyman
15 years ago
Pluto:

I would be more forgiving of your blueberry bush than mudflapper. 3 feet tall is a considerable blueberry bush, and if it is "covered" with blossoms it really wants to bear and can be allowed to do so. Without knowing just how many blooms you have, I would suggest removing about half of them. You may have done a pretty seamless transplant from the container to the ground, and growth of the plant was not checked by transplant shock. A handful of ammonium sulfate or other fertilizer for acid loving plants around the base will help to ensure good vegetative growth.

On the other hand, I would remove the blossom buds from your young apple trees even before they open. Removal in the bud stage can often encourage return bloom the following season, and there is no reason to allow small trees to set fruit if you are going to remove them anyway. Next season, depending on the growth and vigor of your trees, you might be able to leave a half-dozen or so apples to ripen out, always thinning to the one best fruit per blossom cluster.

Pinch off the buds, and be careful not to damage the fruiting spurs when doing so.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA
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mudflapper
15 years ago
Don,
Your sage advice on the apple tree flowers will now become part of the way I do things; WOW, REALLY good info; although I still stand behind the advice I gave about the BB because I have no idea of weather it Was bare root or container grown and sided with caution, but do agree that if it had a good root ball one could get by only taking off halve of the flowers but IMHO I would rather get the most growth the first year and sacrifice the amount of fruit.

Don, I consider you among the few I consider to be fruit gods here and bow to your wisdom!

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