Between the beginning of April and May, apple trees transform into blooming beauties that are almost constantly swarmed by buzzing insects. But is it normal that there are very few leaves on the trees at this time?
Why does the apple tree bloom before the leaves emerge?
Nature has designed it so that apple trees bloom before the leaves emerge, as this way the tree hasmore power to produce flowers. He then puts the energy into the leaves needed to feed the fruit tree.
Does the apple tree produce flowers or leaves first?
Between the end of March and May, depending on the location, the apple treeinitially produces pink flowers. These sit in protective, light green sepals.
Only after flowering does the fruit tree display its characteristic egg-shaped leaves with sawn edges.
Why do leaves emerge after flowering?
In natureeverything is geared towards reproduction If the apple tree blooms before the leaves emerge, this gives it a great advantage over other plants. It would require an enormous amount of power to produce flowers and leaves at the same time and could produce fewer fruits.
Thanks to the clever tactic of first opening the flower buds that were planted the previous year, the apple tree uses up the remaining reserves from the previous year. However, already during flowering, the buds of the leaves necessary for nutrition begin to burst.
Tip
The apple blossom is quite vulnerable to frost
If late frosts set in, freezing temperatures at night can have devastating consequences and even endanger the entire harvest. Many fruit growers protect the flowers from freezing by sprinkling. In your private garden, if there is a risk of frost, you can wrap the trees in a garden fleece (€6.00 on Amazon) or wet the flowers with water so that the heat of crystallization protects them from death by cold.