After apple trees flower, there is a period of fruit shedding. Although it appears dramatic, there is little that can be done to prevent the loss of fruit. Thankfully this is not as serious as it might appear. Although many fruits fall, sufficient usually remain attached and go on to develop into mature fruits.

Apples are large fruits and just 1 in 20 flowers setting fruit can constitute a full crop (or as many as the tree can support). In contrast, the loss of smaller fruits, such as cherries, is highly significant as more of the fruits must set to constitute a full crop (or as much as the tree can support until harvest).

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An immature fruit, usually small.

The transfer of pollen grains from a male anther to a female stigma, either within the same flower or between two different flowers. It’s usually followed by fertilisation and seed production. Some flowers are pollinated by insects or other small creatures, others are wind pollinated. It’s also possible to pollinate flowers by hand, if you want to breed new plants or ensure successful pollination when there are few natural pollinators.

pollination

June drop can be quite prolonged and it is unwise to commence thinning fruits until the fall is complete, just in case too many fruits are removed. Once the extent of natural apple losses are known,

Removing excess young fruits – on apple, pear, plum, peach and nectarine trees – to improve individual fruit size and quality and reduce an overly plentiful crop. It may also be done to prevent branches breaking under the weight of a full crop or to even out irregular cropping, when a tree fruits heavy one year and poorly the next.

There are no preventative measures except to practise good cultivation.

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Many fruit trees, including apples, pears, plums and cherries, naturally shed some of their immature fruits in early summer. The fruitlets fall over a short period, which may look alarming but is not generally a cause for concern, as a good crop usually remains on the tree. Planned fruit thinning should be done straight after the June drop.

In gardening, ‘aspect’ refers to the direction in which a garden or plant is facing. This can affect the amount of sunlight and shade that plants receive, as well as the temperature and wind exposure. South- and west-facing aspects are usually warm and sunny, while east- and north-facing aspects are colder and shadier.

aspect

A lack of nitrogen is thought to be sometimes involved so attention should be paid to applying a general fertiliser such as Growmore each spring. However, be careful not to over-fertilise as excessive nitrogen can itself lead to fruit losses.

Insufficient soil moisture may contribute to fruit fall. Watering, followed by mulching, in dry spring weather may help.

There are three main factors associated with the June drop:

1. Natural loss of surplus fruits is part of the cause – trees can only carry so many fruits
2. Competition for the limited carbohydrate resources (energy) – the period before the leaves are fully expanded and contributing carbohydrates has been identified as significant. If the tree runs short of carbohydrates, fruits are more likely to be shed. This is more likely to occur in poor weather when
   Photosynthesis is the process by which plants make their own food, harnessing the energy in sunlight to fuse water (absorbed from the soil) and carbon dioxide (absorbed from the air) to create simple sugars.

   photosynthesis (the source of carbohydrates in trees) is inhibited by cool daytime temperatures and cloudy skies. Warm nights may also cause fruit losses as increased
   Respiration is the process by which energy stored in sugars is released for growth by a chemical reaction inside cells. In plants, glucose (the sugar produced by photosynthesis) is broken down inside plant cells in the presence of oxygen, releasing energy as well as water and carbon dioxide. This process is essential for the survival of plants as it provides them with the energy they need to grow and carry out their life processes.

   respiration in the period of darkness will consume carbohydrates
3. Young trees often suffer especially. Severe fruit drop is probably due to competition for carbohydrates from the shoots and roots. As the trees grow the problem becomes less severe