Why do my apricots & plums abort??????????

15 years ago

My 2 apricots & 3 plum trees abort all their fruit, they are all 7 yrs & older? They are fulll size trees, the plums may retain some every few yrs??

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Comments (4)

fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
15 years ago
docux:

If the fruit drops from abortion, not frost, then it is likely a pollination issue. Either a lack of bees or lack of a suitable pollen source. But more fruit is lost to spring frost/freeze than anything else. The fact that your plums set some fruit some years, indicates that they are not totally lacking in pollination.

The Fruitnut
docux
Original Author
15 years ago
The plums abort all the way from pencil eraser size up thru mature size, same is true with apricots, this yr.we didn't have ANy late frosts & both completely aborted, what do you think Fruitnut or anybody???
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fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
15 years ago
That sounds like a pollination issue. If you check inside the seed, I think you will find that the seed has not formed or has aborted and is discolored.

The Fruitnut
girlfromthegarden
15 years ago
docux,

Let me offer another possibility, based on my own experience here in central Indiana with apricot and plum trees. Most of my trees are still too young to flower heavily, but this year I did have decent pollination for my Burbank and Stanley plums to where there was an abundance of baby plums on both, along with a scattered number of fruit set on the Santa Rosa, Green Gage and Golden Nectar plums. However, plum curculio beetles evidentally **ravaged** the young plums on the Burbank, Stanley and Green Gage, to where all plums aborted on the Stanley and Green Gage, and every Burbank was affected though at least a few got close enough to ripeness that I was able to taste two of what had been probably at least a hundred-plus original "babies". Because we had terribly rainy weather at around the time I would have been spraying for plum curculio beetle, all the tiny fruit got hit, except for the hidden fruit of the Santa Rosa and Golden Nectar trees (which barely had any blossoms because of being younger). Only one apricot set and it, also, dropped, presumably from insect or other causes.

If you were able to notice small crescent shaped scars on the immature fruit, that would be the primary indicator of curculio damage. I lost most of my plums this year because of the same. Next year I'll try to protect them better, if we have another decent spring like this year. I'm just glad that I got at least a few spared plums to total ripeness this year, after many years of waiting! Definitely worth it.
I hope you'll see success and a genuine harvest next season with all of your trees, docux.

Sherry

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Why do my apricots & plums abort??????????

Comments (4)

fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX

docux
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Why do my apricots & plums abort??????????

Comments (4)

fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX

docuxOriginal Author

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fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX

girlfromthegarden

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docux
Original Author