Apple tree

[Grouphugs]

I have two coxs apple trees. They are both about 4 years old.

One has always fruited better than the other.

This year though, fruity mcfruitface has only one bough of blossoms, the rest of the tree looks healthy and leafy but no blossoms.

(In the meantime barren mconeapple has been showing off with loads of blossom)

Any idea why? No sign of pests.

Hopeful bump?

Maybe last year the fruitful one overdid itself and is taking this year to recover? Most apples will go into biennial bearing if you let them have too many apples in one year, Mine were OK because 4 cropped one year and the other 4 the next, so I always had plenty of apples, just different varieties - now they have managed to synchronise themselves, so I now either have apples through to March or they run out some time in December.

What are you using to pollinate the Cox?

I have two slightly different varieties of cox which are supposed to pollinate each other, And has always worked fine in previous years.

I think you might be right about the biennial thing. What do you do to prevent this from happening?

You thin out the fruit in heavy years, while it's still only marble sized.

Very difficult to do, psychologically. that's why we all end up with biennially bearing trees

Oh, and I believe you take out the "king fruit" - the one at the tip of a cluster. This should give you more info:
www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=340

Brilliant, thanks.

4 years are baby trees.
agree with pp. they need thinning out.
and a good feed.