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Honey Crisp Apple tree

8 years ago

I’ve had a Honey Crisp for at least 6-7 years now and no flowers. Is this going to bloom?

Comments (3)

  • 8 years ago

    A 6 or 7 year old apple tree that doesn't bloom has a serious problem. If its growing normally, but has never bloomed ask if its getting enough sun, water, nutrients etc... If it has bloomed in the past, you may have just had bad luck with the weather a few years.

  • 8 years ago

    There are various reports online about Honeycrisp being a slow producer compared to most other apple varieties. But flowering is not exactly the same as fruit production and most apples start flowering at a pretty early age. HC is a mid to late season bloomer so less likelihood of a late frost damaging potential flower buds.

    Have you asked at you local extension office how these tree do in your specific area?

  • 8 years ago

    Honeycrisp is notorious for being slow to come into bearing. However the rootstock your Honeycrisp is on also plays a key part on this topic. Apple varieties on dwarf rootstocks normally come into fruit bearing a lot sooner than if the rootstock is a standard (Antonovka, Dolgo, prunifolia, ranetka ect) or semi-dwarf (MM 106, MM111 ect).

    I know of people who have Honeycrisp on a standard rootstock (preferred for cold hardiness in cold climates) who wait 8 years before their trees started to bear fruit. I have 2 Honeycrisp on M7 rootstock and got no fruit for 5 years from planting. Now they are bearing more each year the last two years.

    What rootstock are your Honeycrisp on? As long as the tree is healthy and you have another variety nearby that blooms at the same time, you should eventually get some flowering.

    You may try some branch bending as Honeycrisp is awful in form anyway. Great tasting fruit but not the easiest to grow. If you tie or weigh down branches to horizontal or slightly lower, they should set fruit buds for the following year. In desperation I did this on both my Honeycrisp as a test when 5 years old and the following year those branches were the only branches to have flowers on them. Since then I have done more branches and now the trees are doing good but they can still can sometimes go into biennial bearing (Honeycrisp is known for that).

    No wonder orchardists around here charge $70 a bushel for Honeycrisp. I love the apple but hate the tree. Not the easiest variety to grow.