Notching could also be an option. I've seen it described for apples, but am not sure if it would work for other types of trees. Here are a few URLS which talk about it. This one compares notching vs heading vs nothing and promalin (chemical application) vs nothing: http://www.hrt.msu.edu/glfw/GLFW_2009_Abstracts/2009_28.pdf See the bottom of page 9 for a description of notching, which includes a diagram: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/pdf/ag-581.pdf

Fruitnut, Being in Vista, California (N. San Diego county 6 miles from the ocean) makes it nearly impossible to grow cherries until two new cultivars were introduced for us here in coastal S. California - Minne Royal and Royal Lee, developed by Zaiger. They have very low chill hours and don't require the heat to sweeten, especially Royal Lee. They are pollinators for each other. I just purchased one of each, and will see how they do for me. I have spoken to several folks, all in CRFG and these two varieties are performing very well to outstanding, even for folks right at the beach. Minnie Royal ripens first, then Royal Lee. So, maybe these two cultivars will work for you? I would contact DWN and see. They can tell you for sure if this might be worth purchasing. Patty S. Here is a link that might be useful: Blog About Royal Lee And Minnie Royal Cherries in S. Calif Coast

HU-686847512 None of the apples on your list are on my list of precocious apples, except that Golden Delicious is sometimes mentioned, but from my experience is slow to produce fruit. I have a Honeycrisp on semi-dwarf rootstock. That apple is considered hard to grow. Mine is in it's fifth year and has one apple on it, which may fall off. Last year there were very few blossoms on that tree, only one apple developed and it fell off in a week or two. Which brings up the question: what rootstocks are your apples on, by that I mean what size. As far as the pears there's a saying: You plant pears for your heirs. My 5 year old semi-dwarf Bartlett hasn't blossomed either. It's my opinion that the most important thing in getting apple trees to bloom is the variety. It's said that the most important thing is the rootstock which is not accurate. The saying is that apples grown from seed or on full size rootstocks take up to 10 years to produce fruit. The truth is that in large studies over many years show that apples grown from seed will produce fruit in 2-4 years if the parents are both precocious apples. The apples used were Wagener, Rome, Esopus, Ben Davis, and Jonathan. I would guess that you just need to be patient. Odds are you'll get fruit on your trees at an appropriate age for that variety. When you're picking varieties to grow there are many things to consider other than what variety you want to share with the family. Some varieties are slow growing, some are biennial bearing ( produce fruit every other year ) and as we see some take longer to produce fruit. I heard a story that when Baldwin apples were popular in New England they planted Wagener's in between Baldwins so the orchard produced something in the many years it took the Baldwins to fruit.

Seaweed is supposed to have low levels of both auxins and cytokinin. They are also unstable and exposed to elements they break down quickly. I have not done what I suggested myself since I did not face a situation like yours. There are artificial cytokinins but they are tricky to use properly. The dilution has to be very precisely controlled. Nurseries and commercial growers use them in all sorts of fancy ways to increase fruit production. May is a bit late to ship bare-root but it is still OK. General rule for pruning deciduous/evergreen tree when they are growing is to prune just above at least one or two leaves or a branch with a few leaves. Otherwise it may end up in branch death. When they are dormant, you can be more aggressive with established deciduous plants as long as they are strong and healthy. I do that frequently. Scratch the bark off in a little spot in the top inch of the scion and see if you notice any green. If it is green the scion is still alive. If not then try a little lower. Use a knife to scrape the bark. I bet the bark is pretty thin and should scrape off. Since your scion is not showing any sign of growth, I would let one branch grow from the rootstock and keep that pruned to 5-6 leaves. Keep the height of the rootstock branch below the first bud on the scion. That will keep the juices flowing and feed the roots. If the scion is still alive it may push growth. I will be inclined to provide all day shade for that plant.