A cherry tree full of blossoms is a spectacular sight. The disappointment is all the greater when the long-awaited fruits do not appear after the flowering period. Various reasons can be responsible for the lack of harvest.
Why isn't my cherry tree bearing fruit?
A cherry tree may not bear fruit due to lack of pollination, frost during flowering, copper and zinc deficiency, or shotgun disease. Adequate fertilization and he althy growth conditions are crucial for successful fruit formation.
In the case of young trees, there is a possibility that they have not yet reached the productive age. Depending on the variety and size of the tree, the sweet cherry trees bear fruit from around the 5th year, the sour cherries sometimes earlier. To avoid disappointment, you should find out when you buy when you can expect the first harvest.
Other common causes for the lack of harvest can be:
- lack of pollination,
- Frost during flowering,
- Copper and zinc deficiency,
- Shotgun disease.
Fertilization problems
The numerous flowers usually promise a good yield. However, the flower can only develop into a fruit once the seeds from the female flowers have been pollinated with pollen from the male flowers. This is done by insects, especially bees.
In self-pollinating cherry varieties, the male and female fertilization organs are ripe at the same time and can fertilize each other. However, many sweet cherry varieties require a different pollinator variety in the neighborhood. If this is missing, there will be no fruit. The flowers can also freeze due to sudden frost, meaning they can no longer produce fruit.
Deficiencies and diseases
A lack of fruit formation may indicate a lack of trace elements copper and zinc. The cherry tree only needs these in small quantities, but their absence can have an impact on fruit production. Such deficiency symptoms often occur on light and dry sandy soils. This can be remedied by using an appropriate fertilizer that is distributed on the tree disc before winter.
One of the other possible causes for the failed harvest can be shotgun disease, which can be recognized by brown-colored, holed leaves. The infection not only attacks the leaves, but also the flowers, from which only a few, stunted fruits are formed.
Tips & Tricks
In a wet or cold spring, there is sometimes insufficient bee flight and therefore no fertilization. In this case you just have to hope that next spring there will be better flying weather for bees.
