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  • #1

    Stella cherry tree dropping fruit

    Morning All,
    I'm having problems with my Stell cherry tree dropping most of its fruit. This year's blossom was pretty plentiful but the cherries have been falling steadily ever since.
    The tree is about 7 years old in good sun and kept pruned to about ten feet tall so I can drape a net over it to keep the birds off. It's on a Colt rootstock.
    It fruited well in its second year but the irregular weather of late with late frosts, drought and torrential rain have conspired to keep the blossom to low levels. However, this year, the blossom has been very good so I had high hopes, until the immature fruit starting raining down! I've been watering it well every evening for a few weeks now but still the fruits are dropping, there won't be anything left before long, anyone got any ideas, or having the same problems?
    The fruit are about half size and starting to blush up.
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  • #2
    Probably poor pollination.
    Even self-fertile varieties of fruit tree produce more fruit and better quality fruit when cross-pollinated by another tree of the same species which flowers at the same time and which isn't related.

    It might also be because the tree is young. Young trees usually produce only a small amount of low-quality fruit until. They crop much better when mature.

    The cherries round here are ripe at the moment; the birds and wasps are eating them and the pavements are littered with pips.
    .

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    • #3
      FB - I think if the tree is 7 years old it is probably no longer young so should be fruiting regularly, even on Colt.

      I wonder what impact this pruning regime (which must be fairly heavy to keep the height to 10ft) is having on the tree?

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      • #4
        Originally posted by orangepippin View Post
        FB - I think if the tree is 7 years old it is probably no longer young so should be fruiting regularly, even on Colt.

        I wonder what impact this pruning regime (which must be fairly heavy to keep the height to 10ft) is having on the tree?
        Yes, pruning could be a problem.
        In my area, Colt 'matures' to reach a size of about 2-2.5m (7-8ft) (Gisela-5 reaches about 1-1.25m, 3-4ft) and Colts is much more dwarf than you'd expect relative to seedling cherry which 'mature' into trees several times the size. I suspect Colt may be one of those rootstocks which - like MM106, Quince A and St.Julien A - is very sensitive to adequate soil moisture and varies in vigour tremendously depending on soil moisture availability. I also think it is this moisture sensitivity which makes those rootstocks relatively precocious (a bit of water stress and plenty of sun is always good for fruit bud formation).
        .

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        • #5
          Originally posted by Speed Gardener View Post
          However, this year, the blossom has been very good so I had high hopes, until the immature fruit starting raining down! I've been watering it well every evening for a few weeks now but still the fruits are dropping, there won't be anything left before long, anyone got any ideas, or having the same problems?
          .
          I've had the same problem this year with a Stella and a Sunburst, both 6 or 7 years old and trained as fans. More than half the crop has dropped at a late stage, turning red. Don't know why. I haven't given them any extra water over the last few weeks, but until this week it's not been that dry. Thinking about it, the same happened last year.

          Old books I've consulted tend to stress the need to water regularly and mulch.

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          • #6
            The old 'heavy standard' cherry trees round here are completely neglected (growing in very poor soil, in a low-rainfall area, with nobody caring for them and grass and weeds around them), but it doesn't affect their ability to produce a good crop almost every year.
            Maybe the varieties and rootstocks being promoted and sold at the moment aren't as good as 'the books' claim they are.
            Last edited by FB.; 17-06-2014, 05:28 AM.
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