Apple tree in pot

[Allfurcoatandnoknickers]

I bought a patio type of apple tree two years ago. Last year it had loads of blossom and apples, this year it didn’t have much blossom on it and just all leaves. Not sure what it should be doing at the moment??
Any advice gratefully received!!

Well last year it was sunny from March onwards. This year we didn’t get sun till last week. So….

Ahh ok I’ll hold out some hope for a bit longer!

I have one that had hardly any flowers last year but loads this year. Having said that, I think if yours was going to flower it would have done so by now. There's several I can see from my window and they have all finished flowering 2-3 weeks ago (home counties). Unless you are a long way north then that's probably it for this year. Keep it well fed and watered, and keep your fingers crossed for 2021.

We've always found they go in cycles. Had a bumper year, then a poor one, an average and a bumper year again.

Some apple varieties are prone to biennial fruiting (one year on, one year off). I believe it's more likely to happen if you allow it to have a bumper crop, and you can discourage the tendency by thinning the fruit fairly aggressively when it sets lots so you get a more modest crop, but you get one each year.

Thanks all that’s really helpful. I was thinking it was something I’d done wrong but as you say it might be just a poor crop and we were spoilt last year!

@Allfurcoatandnoknickers

Thanks all that’s really helpful. I was thinking it was something I’d done wrong but as you say it might be just a poor crop and we were spoilt last year!

If you had thinned the fruit last year, only allowing one or two apples on each branch, you’d probably have had apples this year. But who has the self control to do that? Certainly not me.

If you feed your apple tree at all, use a high potassium feed to encourage flowers and fruit, not a general purpose balanced feed. I use tomato fertiliser for everything (except my apples which are in the ground and don’t need feeding).

2020 was a mast year. Maybe this is what a normal year would be like?

So tomato feed would be ok??

@Allfurcoatandnoknickers

So tomato feed would be ok??

Yes.

Could I ask what variety is your tree and how big is the tree and the pot please? I'd like to get one so if you have a suggestion of where to get from, that would be great. Many thanks.