Fruit Trees Dropping Fruit
Question from Debbie:
I have a client who lives in the North Tustin area and he has both a two-year old peach tree and apricot tree who each have dropped their fruit in last years. What is the cause and what should we do??? Both are planted in the ground in full sun.
Answer from Pat:
Deciduous fruit trees always drop a lot of excess fruit and some drop more than others. Always thin out the fruit so it is evenly placed down the branches, but the trees may still drop more when they cannot maintain all the fruit that set. When a lot of fruit drops at once, this is called “June Drop”. See page 243 o my organic book for explanation of June drop. Also see this answer I wrote to another gardener:— https://patwelsh.com/wpmu/blog/trees/june-drop-on-peach-trees-and-proper-thinning-of-fruit/ By the way, I said to thin when the fruit is about the size of a hens egg but you can begin thinning when the fruit is more like the size of a walnut, and some gardeners begin even sooner:
I know thinning fruit is important. Our tree is planted on an extreme slope over the septic field. It bears profusely, but I can’t get to the fruit to thin it!
We inherited this tree, and the critters got all of it before we moved in. It looked like the above photo one weekend. The next, the fruit was gone.
We live here now, and we may really prune this tree way back. We may lose a year of fruit, but better than losing my life slipping down that steep hill!
Certainly don’t break neck on slope. Can you build some kind of steps up and level path or stepping areas around, terracing to make footing for yourselves? See my explanation of making steps out of dry concrete bags. Note: It’s very important each step rests on the one below or they will slip and slide around. These steps cannot be built from top down. Must be built from bottom up. Re: thinning fruit: a long-handled Japanese fruit picker could reach. Or Google: “long reach pruner”. Tie a bamboo pole to a rake so you can rake up fallen fruit at a distance.
Drastic pruning of a productive fruit tree may ruin its crops for many years depending on variety. Refer to correct pruning instructions from the Extension or read what I have said about pruning various types of fruit. Hard pruning results in too much vegetative growth. If you cut off all the bearing wood, a peach tree Can make more. May take years for apple, plum, or apricot.