Why don't the leaves of the apple tree bloom in the spring - what to do?

The apple tree seedlings, planted in the fall, overwintered well. With the arrival of spring, they should “fill out” their buds, but, unfortunately, this does not happen. At first glance, the tree is alive, what is the reason?

There are many factors due to which the leaves on the apple tree may not bloom after winter!

Beginning gardeners do not always understand why the leaves of an apple tree do not bloom in the spring, and even experienced farmers have such problems.

Why don't the leaves of the apple tree bloom?

If the apple tree is frozen in this state, most likely the roots of the seedling are damaged - pests (rodents or cockchafer larvae) have frozen or “tried.”

When assessing the situation, you need to take a closer look at the trees that are already growing on the site. This will make it possible to determine whether fruit plantings can grow here at all. If the estate is new and there are no plantings, then the situation becomes more complicated.

When assessing the current situation, the following options may be available:

1. Proximity of the groundwater horizon . In this case, there will be no trees nearby. Their root system, constantly washed away by water, cannot withstand excess moisture. In this case, the tree could grow safely for 2–3 years. When the roots reached the water, the vitality was exhausted.
2. Freezing of the crown. In this case, severe frosts are not necessary. It is enough for plus to change to minus 4-5 times during the winter. Repeated icing of branches is no less destructive.

   The photo exudes winter coolness. But to prevent the leaves from blooming in the spring, severe frost is not necessary.

3. Freezing of the kidneys . Severe frosts, especially those that began abruptly and lasted an abnormally long time, can destroy the buds on a tree. Sometimes the buds die closer to the trunk and only the tops bloom.
4. Damage to the trunk by rodents . In this case, the vascular system of the apple tree may be severely damaged, and the buds will not bloom until it is restored.
5. Broken branches. In the event of heavy snowfall or ice freezing, branches extending at right angles become stretched and break. In this case, it will be clearly visible that some of the buds are blooming, and some are not.

   Sometimes you won’t notice a broken branch right away!

6. The tree is not prepared for wintering . If moisture-recharging autumn watering was not carried out, and there was no rain in September - October, the apple tree was not prepared for winter, and reacted to this with dormant buds. In addition, the summer heat stops the growth of young branches, and with the onset of moderate temperatures, growth resumes, but does not have time to complete the physiological processes by winter. As a result, the buds do not ripen. Poor ripening can also be caused by an excess of nitrogen. Fertilizers of this kind are not applied to the apple tree before fruiting. As fruit begins to form, nitrogen compounds are applied carefully and only in spring.
7. Damage to kidneys by pest.

What measures to take in special cases

If, after a harsh winter, the leaves and buds on the apple tree have not blossomed, there is no need to despair. This may be due to the individual development of the tree or due to non-compliance with growing conditions. In any case, the problem can be solved.

Apple tree leaves do not bloom in spring

In this case, also, first of all, it is necessary to determine the extent of the damage by making an incision in the tree. The following measures will support recovery:

• If the wood is yellowish, then anti-aging pruning of the crown will help.
• Spraying the tree with cold water in the morning;
• If the wood is a dark shade, then the freezing is strong and only wild birds grafted under the bark of the damaged tree can save it. The total number of branches is 5. This method will help the apple tree gain strength and energy for the upcoming winter.

An equally popular reason for unblown leaves is a winter with little snow. In this case, there are leaves on the tree, but they are too small and have difficulty opening. In this case, it is necessary to introduce organic fertilizers, which, when released into the soil, begin to warm the roots. Manure can also be placed on the surface as a cover. Stimulant drugs will help awaken the apple tree, for example, Zircon, Narcissus and other similar remedies.

The buds on the apple tree do not bloom in spring

Even with experienced summer residents, it happens that the buds on the apple tree do not bloom, even if they are already swollen. This phenomenon indicates that the tree lacks energy and strength. This is often due to careless care. Unfortunately, there are no tips that would help make the buds bloom, but nevertheless, there are measures that will increase the level of frost resistance and reduce susceptibility to adverse factors.

First of all, you need to organize proper regular watering, as well as develop a clear feeding scheme. At the same time, do not forget about the amount of fertilizer. Promptly trim and hill the tree trunk circle.

In order to prevent frostbite on the apple tree, you should organize the correct winter shelter: cover the crown and root zone with canvas or rags, and with a layer of straw and sawdust. mulch the tree trunk circle.

You need to choose a variety for planting that is suitable for growing in your region.

Apple tree seedling does not bloom

Seedlings are much more susceptible to damage after wintering than adult plants.

To identify the reason why a seedling does not bloom, you should first check the condition of the kidneys. You need to randomly separate 3 buds from the branch and open them. If they are green, then it is recommended to leave the seedling alone, but if they are brown, the plant is frozen.

You can revive the kidneys by spraying with drugs: Epin or HB-1 twice a day. This procedure should be carried out until new branches appear. An equally effective method is to water the bush abundantly with cold water.

It is not recommended to feed seedlings during this period, as they are in the process of adaptation and do not absorb nutrients.

A day before applying fertilizer, you need to pour 10 liters of water under the bush.

If the seedling is frozen, you must wait until the dormant buds awaken. It is possible that shoots will appear above the grafting site. In this case, it is recommended to cut off the frozen table at the level of the upper shoot, and then lubricate it with garden varnish.

To avoid freezing of seedlings, it is necessary to remember that they require at least 20-25 days to acclimatize the planting field at above-zero temperatures during the day and night. During this time, the young tree should have time to take root in a new place.

In order to increase the resistance of seedlings to frost, you can use the smoke method. To do this, you need to light a fire or light a smoke bomb at a safe distance from the tree.

There are many reasons why leaves and buds on apple trees do not bloom. Fortunately, effective ways to solve the problem have been developed. If you carry out all the procedures correctly, the tree will delight you with lush flowering in the spring and a huge amount of tasty and juicy fruits.

How to help an apple tree

Let's look at the main ways an apple tree can help for various reasons.

When freezing

If the color of the pith and cambium is brown, things are bad. If the color is light brown, freezing occurs, but the tree can recover.

To establish the extent of the process on the branch, we make a longitudinal and transverse section.

On a living branch, cadmium is always light in color.

If in doubt, then:

1. cut off a branch;
2. brought into a warm room;
3. put in water;
4. observe the swelling of the kidneys.

If the buds are blooming, then you should wait a little; with the onset of intense heat, the tree will bloom.

If a branch does not open buds, this does not mean that the entire tree is frozen; you should wait. Next, intensive pruning is carried out to ensure healthy wood and growing tops.

Damaged bark on apple tree branches is a sign of a disease or pest.

For prevention purposes. If the gardener catches the moment of freezing, then he should spray all the wood with cold water during the period of sunrise. In this case, the crown will take longer to thaw (self-thawing) due to slow heating, and the tree will suffer less.

In case of damage by rodents

If only the bast and wood are affected, then you can graft the trunk on four sides and have a neat apple tree.

If the trunk is affected, then the grafting is done directly to it.

To prevent damage by rodents in late autumn, the apple tree trunk is wrapped.

With crown load

If a gardener notices excessive load during snowfall, then quickly clearing the snow is practiced.

Monitor the amount of snow on the branches. This applies to all trees, not just apple trees!

Large branches, especially those growing at an acute angle, must be pulled together, this will prevent cracks, breaks, and breaks.

Experience shows that material for such work should be prepared in the fall. As a screed you can use:

• ropes;
• wires;
• old synthetic rags, cut into ribbons.

If the fault is already obvious and a screed is being carried out, then the joint must be covered with garden pitch . This putty will prevent moisture and prevent wood from rotting.

What measures to take

The absence of leaves and buds after winter may be due to specific reasons related to the individual characteristics of the tree itself (variety, age), violation of growing rules, and even due to insufficient snow cover on the site.

Apple tree leaves do not bloom in spring

When leaves do not bloom on a young apple tree, you must first assess the extent of the damage. Cuts are made on the branches horizontally and vertically. By the shade of the wood you can understand the degree of freezing; the darker, the greater the damage. In addition, you can take several branches home, put them in water and cover them with a bag, creating a greenhouse effect. After about 7-10 days, the buds should swell.

If this does not happen, the apple tree is very frozen.

To restore, you can take the following steps:

1. In case of minor frostbite (the wood has a yellowish tint when cut), you need to do anti-aging pruning of the crown;
2. The tree can be invigorated by spraying with cold water in the morning;
3. If freezing is very strong, the tree can be saved by grafting two-year-old trees under the bark of the dying tree. A total of 5 branches need to be grafted. In this case, the apple tree will receive nutrition and moisture, after which it will come to life. All buds that appear must be cut off so that the tree gains strength for the coming winter.

A winter with little snow is the main reason why the leaves of an apple tree do not bloom in the spring. At the same time, there are leaves, but they are small and difficult for them to open. You can get rid of this problem with organic fertilizers. Organic matter itself is a good insulating material, since when it gets into the soil, it begins to warm the roots. And manure laid out on the surface acts as a shelter. To awaken the plant, it is recommended to use stimulant drugs, such as Zircon, Narcissus, EM drugs and other similar means.

What to process?

If the reason is clarified, you can move in the right direction. If the reason for the non-opening of the buds is still unclear, you can spray the tree with growth stimulants. The following drugs are suitable for this purpose:

• «Stimpo" This product can be used in conjunction with phytosanitary treatment products;

  The drug "Stimpo" is a growth stimulator with a bioprotective effect that enhances the immunity of the apple tree.

  Read also:  Control of cherry fly: processing time, effective preparations
• «Regoplant»;
• " Pennant ". The solution is prepared at a concentration of 20 ml per 10 liters of water;

Rules and terms

1. The first spraying is carried out before the buds open.

   The first spraying is the most important; it needs to be done throughout the entire garden, and not just on the apple tree.

2. The second is at the moment of budding.
3. Third - when the apple tree finishes flowering.

For a better effect, you can water the apple tree with a solution prepared from these preparations. For this:

• dissolve in a bucket of water;
• at the moment when the buds should swell, pour it under the tree trunk;
• repeated watering during the budding period (if there are no buds, then after 30–40 days);

Specified drugs:

• remove phytotoxic load;
• enhance photosynthesis in young cells.

Albite

The complex drug Albit is a growth regulator, fungicide and anti-stress stimulant in one bottle.

You can also treat the apple tree with Albit.

The active substance is synthesized from soil microorganisms. Bacteria living on the roots of the plant stimulate their growth.

The microfertilizers included in the preparation, in symbiosis with the product of microorganisms, activate the enzymatic system and increase the tree’s immunity.

Prepare a solution at the rate of 1 g per 10 liters of water . The instructions recommend treating the tree during the pink bud period. However, reviews say that early spraying of the tree perfectly stimulates bud break.

If the culprit is a pest

The reason for the buds not opening may be the apple blossom beetle. Sometimes the pest is called a weevil for its resemblance to it.

The apple blossom beetle becomes active when the temperature rises above 10 degrees.

The brownish-gray pest is capable of completely eating away the inside of the bud, leaving only scales.

As soon as the temperature begins to rise to 10 ᵒC, the flower beetle intensifies its activity. A particularly dangerous place is in an old apple orchard. On mature trees the pest is almost unnoticeable, but a young apple tree can suffer 100% damage.

We identify the pest

As soon as spring comes into its own, you should constantly inspect the apple tree. The flower beetle may not be noticed, but drops of liquid on the buds will immediately indicate the presence of the pest.

It is necessary to carefully examine the buds of the apple tree.

There is a high probability of the presence of a flower beetle if:

• a young tree is planted in an old garden ;
• autumn sanitary work is not carried out (the pest overwinters under a fallen leaf, under a hummock of earth; after leaf fall, leaves and rotten fruits must be removed from under the tree, the soil must be dug up);
• the tree trunk is not (the pest gets into the cracks under the bark, and whitewashing normalizes its quantity);
• catch belts are not used .

How to get rid of a pest

The following can be used as an insecticide:

• "Decis";
• "Biotlin";
• "Avant KS";
• "Kinmiks";
• "Fufanon."

  Fufanon belongs to the class of organophosphate pesticides with low environmental toxicity.

If you decide to process an apple tree, you need to do this not on one tree, but throughout the entire garden. You cannot limit yourself to one spraying. The instructions for the drug will certainly tell you:

• dose;
• concentration;
• multiplicity;
• ambient air temperature for a specific product;
• shelf life of the drug (with or without dilution);
• methods of working with pesticide.

If you need to water

When understanding why leaves do not bloom, you need to assess the situation with soil moisture and the availability of nutrients.

In dry autumn, moisture-recharging watering of the apple tree should be carried out.

If the tree has not been watered since the fall, there was little snow in the winter, there was no rain in the spring, and even the area is sloped (even a small part of the water runs away), then the apple tree has no way to raise nutrients to bloom leaves.

Spring sap flow is the basis for growth. If there is not enough moisture, the processes slow down and stop. It should be borne in mind that an adult fruiting apple tree needs 600 liters of water. Think about it - 100 buckets. Not every gardener is able to water his garden enough. There is also no reason to expect mercy from nature, looking at global warming.

That is why autumn moisture-recharging watering is mandatory, and if it is skipped, then in the spring you should not expect rapid bud break.

Unsuitable variety

It happens that a gardener, having fallen in love with beautiful photographs of a seedling and not really reading the description, orders it online and receives an unsuitable variety for his climate. As a result, the apple tree cannot bloom and bear fruit, since it is forced to spend all its energy adapting to this climate or soil composition.

It often takes at least seven years for her to finally adapt. The more severe the climate conditions for it, the longer the adaptation period lasts, if it does not die in the first year.

For example, in the northern region, an apple tree grown for the southern region may die in the first severe winter.

Therefore, in order to avoid getting into such a situation, you always need to find out whether your climate or soil composition is suitable for a young seedling. Only in this case will a correctly selected seedling variety soon bloom and produce delicious fruits in the fall.