dwarf appel

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narmaj Deventer, Netherlands(Zone 8a) Apr 28, 2018

I have an old (20yrs or so) dwarf apple tree (about 1m high) that I "saved" from being ditched, by transplanting it to my place. It's been here about 5 or 6 years now. Strangely, it only flowers and bears fruit on one of it's main branches. What could be the cause? I have only pruned it very lightly to keep the middle open. Should I do that differently? In the pictures you can see it blooming, and there is one I've taken looking down from the top so you can see how the main branches grow. The one that blooms is on the left, growing almost horizontally.

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Handroanthus Lynnwood, WA Apr 28, 2018

Hello there it is likely that the rootstock has grown up such that it is as vigorous( or even more so) than the selected form. Do the leaves appear any different ie blooming limbs vs non blooming? In the event that reversion is occurring, you will need to remove all of the limbs that are growing from the rootstock, which should originate below the graft union. All in all, the tree may not be worth saving, if productivity is your sole desire. If you only seek fruit, I would suggest getting an apple variety that is appropriate for your area and make sure it is grafted onto m27 if that is hardy in your area. This way the tree will fruit in 2-3 years and can be kept at 6' or less, but will need to be staked for its entire life. This is due to such heavy fruit loads, that the root system is unable to support without staking.

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narmaj Deventer, Netherlands(Zone 8a) Apr 29, 2018

Thank you, once again! I will look at where the grafting was. Actually, the tree is only here so that it wouldn't have to die. It gives apples, but I've never had one, cause the birds get to them first. That's ok with me; I was just curious about the blooming. But it doesn't look like anything is coming from below the graft. These are the same main branches that were there when I brought it here.

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Handroanthus Lynnwood, WA Apr 29, 2018

Let me know what you find

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