medlar flower buds dropping

[chrisdb]

Is it a pollination problem?

That's why I got the Royal medlar, which did flower and fruit last year but this year is losing the buds before opening like the Iranian. And the only thing really different about last year was the weather, namely that it was consistently cold then consistently warm without any yoyo temperatures or frosts.

[Jungle Jane]

It might be fruiting biennially now,as it fruited a lot last year it might’ve made the tree struggle this year maybe?

[chrisdb]

It might be fruiting biennially now,as it fruited a lot last year it might’ve made the tree struggle this year maybe?

Maybe.... but no other biennial trees I have develop lots of buds then lose them. My apples do have off years but they just don't bother developing many flower buds in the off years. Have you seen bud dropping with other biennial trees? Then there's the fact that the previous four years before last year were all identical failures with similar symptoms.

[nickdub]

Sorry nothing obviously a problem from the photos - if it was mine I'd leave it be and see what happens over the next few years - I would probably buy a couple of other fruit trees next Autumn, and keep them to one side in case the current ones prove to be a bust, then you'd have some replacements on hand.

[Jungle Jane]

Must be frost damage with the black insides,I was just looking at this about hardiness compared to cherries & things & medlar particularly mentions “blooms may be killed by late spring frosts”
https://leafnetworkaz.org/resources/...02%20parts.pdf

[chrisdb]

Must be frost damage with the black insides,I was just looking at this about hardiness compared to cherries & things & medlar particularly mentions “blooms may be killed by late spring frosts”
https://leafnetworkaz.org/resources/...02%20parts.pdf

That's my conclusion, but it goes against all UK advice I've seen which is why I've assumed something else until now. Sellers of medlars also always claim medlars are unlikely to be affected by frosts because the blooms open late. Here's a quote from the Keepers website, for example:

They grow well, crop well and produce good quality fruit in nearly all parts of the UK. They should always be planted in full sun if possible but will tolerate partial shade. They are very hardy and will tolerate temperatures well below those that may be experienced in even the coldest parts of the UK. Because they flower very late the blossom is rarely damaged by frost.

Of course, this is technically true since the frosts are affecting the buds not the blossom, but if the unopened buds are very frost sensitive (more than apples, pears, ...) then it's an extremely misleading statement. And one that's repeated by almost all suppliers, books and the rhs.

[chrisdb]

Another update. An interesting difference between the older Iranian medlar and the younger Royal: both got mostly wiped out, but the young Royal tree is producing a few extra flower buds on young growth, whereas the Iranian, which developed flower buds earlier, shows no signs of a second attempt at flowering beyond the 10 or so flowers that survived.

The main seller of Iranian medlars is Keepers from Kent, which may be a bit milder than Nottingham?