Cox Fruit Set

josip

We have a 3-4 year old Cox's Orange Pippin apple tree in our garden.
We planted it last year and it's the first year that we had blossom, 4/5 clusters.
But there has been no fruit set from that blossom and I'm trying to figure out what the problem might be

1. The nearest apple tree that blossoms at the same time is 25m away with no obstructions in between. Is this too far?
2. Is the tree too young for fruit to set?
3. Was the April/May weather to bad this year and fewer bees/insects were traveling the hard yards in between the apple trees? Anyone else experiencing a poor apple fruit set for a variety that's not self pollinating?
4. Some sort of nutrient deficiency in the soil?
5. More attractive neighbour. Beside the tree is a bush that until 10 minutes ago I thought was a Barberry bush, but now I'm no longer sure. Whatever it is, it's an absolute magnet for bees and insects. Would its placement be a benefit or a hindrance for the Cox?

I reckon I'll wait another year and see if we get anything next year before buying a partner.


All advice welcomed.

lottpaul

It sounds as if you should have fruit setting -- are you certain that none have formed? It might be difficult to tell at this early stage.
The tree 25m away is plenty close - does it flower and fruit well?
If it does I'd look at other factors - is the base of the tree weed and grass free - young trees need their space.
Only other question is your location - cois trá - is that literally true ? , because if so is the tree supported and sheltered enough?
Just a few random questions - might be none of the above but if it's growing well you might just need to be patient and wait for a few years. I have a coxs and its one of the most dependable fruiters in the orchard, so would be worth the wait.

TAZ32

If I remember correctly , Cox's orange pippin does not fully ripen, doesn't get enough heat in Ireland. Think it does best in Kent/ southeast UK. Cross pollination with another partner will always give you better results. Even with self fertile plants. Katja or Katie apple tree is a good pollination partner and covers a long period of flowering. Not a bad tasting apple either, or the other alternative would be to bring in pollinator in a pot during flowering or to graft a a piece onto Cox's.

Supercell

I had a Cox in my garden for five years and only got fruit out of it one of them, at the same time all the other apple trees cropped regularly. I reckoned either the soil or climate conditions here at least were not suitable for it and now I have a Victoria plum in its place which is doing fine.

josip

lottpaul wrote: »

It sounds as if you should have fruit setting -- are you certain that none have formed? It might be difficult to tell at this early stage.
The tree 25m away is plenty close - does it flower and fruit well?
If it does I'd look at other factors - is the base of the tree weed and grass free - young trees need their space.
Only other question is your location - cois trá - is that literally true ? , because if so is the tree supported and sheltered enough?
Just a few random questions - might be none of the above but if it's growing well you might just need to be patient and wait for a few years. I have a coxs and its one of the most dependable fruiters in the orchard, so would be worth the wait.

Thanks for the suggestions.
Fairly certain that no fruit has formed.
The tree is planted at the edge of a lawn, I give the grass a clip every couple of weeks and dig out any dandelions. I haven't wanted to spray around the tree. Could the grass be taking nutrients from the soil?
The neighbour's tree certainly flowers well, haven't checked it for fruit before now.
Yes we're "cois tra" about 200m as the crow/seagull flies. But it's East Coast, not the Atlantic. And, the tree is an espalier, so it's very well supported, plus I'm hoping that it being against a south facing wall will help with the climate issues. Its pear companion has no problems flowering.

lottpaul

All sounds ok but I'd try to remove competition from the tree by removing/killing the grass. Grass is very competitive for water, nutrients etc If you don't want to spray the grass you could put down some plastic/carpet etc to smother it. I'd allow a circle of at least 30cm diameter of plant free soil around a young tree. South facing wall sounds great - time should give you a better crop