My Fruit tree isnt doing anything!

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My Fruit tree isnt doing anything!
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Will they start to grow?

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Boris

Joined: 28 Jan 2010
Posts: 69

Posted: Tue Jun 01, 10 11:16 pm Post subject: My Fruit tree isnt doing anything!

My daughter gave me an apricot tree for Mothers day. It doesnt seem dead but its showing no sign of life at all! It just seems to be in suspended animation! The tiny buds are there but have not grown at all. I keep watering it! The branches are still bendy, so it looks as though its got some sap in it. Is this normal? I have just planted a cherry tree and thats not showing any signs of life either! Thats only been in two or three weeks. I keep looking optimistically at them trying to convince myself the buds are getting bigger, but in truth they are not!

Pam

maryf

Joined: 25 Oct 2009
Posts: 341
Location: suffolk

Posted: Wed Jun 02, 10 7:11 am Post subject:
Just keep going with the tlc, you might not get much this year, fruit trees do sometimes take a season or two to establish.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 44714
Location: Essex

Posted: Wed Jun 02, 10 7:27 am Post subject:
Hmm, both should be ding something by now, where are you?

Boris

Joined: 28 Jan 2010
Posts: 69

Posted: Wed Jun 02, 10 7:59 am Post subject:
I live in Surrey.

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Wed Jun 02, 10 8:32 am Post subject:
Sounds to me that it was probably pot grown & the roots are bound. Keep watering & feeding this year & if there's no improvement lift it when it's dormant & tease out the roots & replant in some well prepared soil (compost, bone meal additions) next winter.

JB

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 7757
Location: 91° N

Posted: Wed Jun 02, 10 8:36 am Post subject:

Mothers day was about seven weeks ago so I would have expected to see something by now. Is there any colour in the buds or are they just brown and dull? The fact that you said the cherry tree is also showing no signs of life is a but suspicious as well.

- Did they come from the same supplier? could be a dud supplier.
- It's very late to be planting fruit trees so I'm not sure how well you'd expect them to do in the first year. Even planted in the autumn / winter I wouldn't expect much.
- Could be spending a lot of effort in root growth rather than top growth?
- Are these planted in the ground or dwarf varieties in pots?

Given the late planting unless they're obviously dead I'd be tempted to give them a chance, even right through to next spring if need be, before writing them off.

Boris

Joined: 28 Jan 2010
Posts: 69

Posted: Wed Jun 02, 10 8:43 am Post subject:

Hi, they were both from different suppliers, one through the post, with just a bag round the roots. I suspect you may be right about the main effort going into the roots, I didnt tease the roots out before I planted it. The apricot was pot grown. I put some growmore in the soil.Any suggestions as to what else I could feed them with? I wondered if the weather hasnt helped. The buds are just brown and dull, but they are still attached if you know what I mean. When things have died in the past the buds have just fallen off

Midland Spinner

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 2931
Location: Under a green roof

Posted: Wed Jun 02, 10 9:04 am Post subject:
Oh dear, sounds very like the plum tree I planted last year. I tried the watching, watering & waiting and ended up with a dead tree.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 44714
Location: Essex

Posted: Wed Jun 02, 10 9:10 am Post subject:

Boris wrote:

The buds are just brown and dull, but they are still attached if you know what I mean. When things have died in the past the buds have just fallen off

Cherries and apricots are both good at hanging on to dead buds, try scraping the bark on one of the branches to see if there's any sign of green under there

Boris

Joined: 28 Jan 2010
Posts: 69

Posted: Wed Jun 02, 10 10:08 am Post subject:
Scraped both, both got green in the bark!

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 44714
Location: Essex

Posted: Wed Jun 02, 10 10:09 am Post subject:
Then fret not, sit tight and wait. The original buds might be dead but new ones should open soon.

Boris

Joined: 28 Jan 2010
Posts: 69

Posted: Wed Jun 02, 10 10:19 am Post subject:
Thank you

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18395

Posted: Wed Jun 02, 10 10:39 am Post subject:
FRuit trees take their time. I've waited 10 years for one apple tree to blossom - this is the first year - I'm so glad I waited and didn't lose patience.

joanne

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 7100
Location: Morecambe, Lancashire

Posted: Wed Jun 02, 10 10:57 am Post subject:

gil wrote:

FRuit trees take their time. I've waited 10 years for one apple tree to blossom - this is the first year - I'm so glad I waited and didn't lose patience.

That's good to know - My bullace is now huge and still no sign of any flowers and the same for the apple & pear - One day I'll have a bumper crop!

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Wed Jun 02, 10 11:14 am Post subject:

jocorless wrote:

gil wrote:

FRuit trees take their time. I've waited 10 years for one apple tree to blossom - this is the first year - I'm so glad I waited and didn't lose patience.

That's good to know

Agreed. My Blue Tit plum seems to have no interest in flowering whatsoever, despite appearing to be growing quite happily.

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