Mark Bernskoetter, Master Gardener
Q: Why are all my apples falling off the tree? C.A. in Springfield
C.A. in Springfield
If you find fallen fruit, slice it open and check for larvae infestations to see if there are pests, which is one possibility for your problem.However, if the tree doesn't have sufficient energy to maintain the crop it is bearing, it simply drops the fruit. This often occurs naturally in larger fruits such as apples and pears. You can keep this from happening by selectively removing some of the blossoms in the spring as they start to drop their petals before the fruit ever forms. This is known as fruit thinning.
Overfertilizing or spring fertilizing, especially with high nitrogen fertilizers, will force the plant to put its energy into leaf production, even at the expense of fruit production. If you fertilize, do it in the fall.
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