Fruit Blossom at the National Fruit Collection, Brogdale, Kent

Josephine de Malines

21 April 2020

The warm weather over the past couple of weeks has made walks through the orchards very enjoyable and it has encouraged flowering a week to 10 days earlier than in 2021.  However, the level of flowering this year appears patchy across the orchards, with light flowering particularly noticeable in the pears and early apples. 

Of the varieties on my pear recording list, around 70% have light/very light/too few flowers to record.  A number of factors could be at play here and it may be that these varieties cropped heavily last year and are in a ‘resting’ phase this year, although many of the pears were affected by the late frosts in 2021 so this may not be the case.  Another factor may be low nutrient levels, so we will give them a good foliar feed to be on the safe side.

The blossom in other orchards at the NFC has fared better, with most plum and cherry varieties noted as ‘medium’ flowering.  All being well, a good crop can be expected in both these Collections this year, which will be very welcome after the light crop they produced in 2021.

Lorinda Jewsbury

2022

PLUM

Cambridge Gage:  31^st March (10% open); 3^rd April (full flower); 17^th April (90% petal fall)

Czar:  28^th March (10% open); 31^st March (full flower); 14^th April (90% petal fall)

Denniston’s Superb (Imperial Gage):  24^th March (10% open); 26^th March (full flower); 10^th April (90% petal fall)

Farleigh Damson:  29^th March (10% open); 31^st March (full flower); 17^th April (90% petal fall)

Marjorie’s Seedling:   7^th April (10% open); 10^th April (full flower);

Oullins Gage:   30^th March (10% open); 1^st April (full flower);

Pershore Yellow Egg:   27^th March (10% open); 30^th March (full flower); 14^th April (90% petal fall)

Victoria:   30^th March (10% open); 31^st March (full flower); 14^th April (90% petal fall)

PEAR

Concorde:  12^th April (10% open); 14^th April (full flower);

Conference:   12^th April (10% open); 14^th April (full flower);

Doyenne du Comice:  12^th April (10% open); 14^th April (full flower);

Louise Bonne of Jersey:  4^th April (10% open); 6^th April (full flower); 19^th April (90% petal fall)

CHERRY

Early Rivers:  12^th April (10% open); 15^th April (full flower);

Hertford: 17^th April (10% open); 19^th April (full flower);

Lapins:  13^th April (10% open); 15^th April (full flower);

Merchant: 16^th April (10% open); 18^th April (full flower);

Stella: 16^th April (10% open); 18^th April (full flower);

Sunburst: 16^th April (10% open); 18^th April (full flower);

APPLE

Blenheim Orange:

Bramley’s Seedling: 18^th April (10% open);

Cox’s Orange Pippin:

Crawley Beauty:

Discovery:

Egremont Russet: 14^th April (10% open); 18^th April (full flower);

Falstaff: 16^th April (10% open); 19^th April (full flower);

Feuillemorte:

Fiesta/Red Pippin: 19^th April (10% open);

Gala:

James Grieve: 16^th April (10% open); 19^th April (full flower);

Jonagold: 18^th April (10% open);

Meridian: 15^th April (10% open); 18^th April (full flower);

Red Astrachan: 5^th April (10% open); 8^th April (full flower);

St. Edmund’s Pippin: 13^th April (10% open); 15^th April (full flower);

Worcester Pearmain

Read Full Post »