# Help with flowering crabapple not flowering?



## booboo (Jun 1, 2007)

Hey all, looking for a little help or advice here.

I'm an arborist who spent some time working in nurseries years ago, but that part of my brain has turned to mush so I need a hand with this one.

I've got a weeping flowering crabapple that I planted for an anniversery present a 4 years ago. We're in upstate NY, just into zone 4. The nursery I got it from is very reputable, they buy most of their tree stock, including this crab, in small and plant them out in fields to hold over for a couple of years before they re-sell them. The crab is in a pretty sheltered spot, has no dieback in the spring and is putting on 1-2' of new growth each season, so I don't think winter kill is the problem. I can't remember which cultivar it is, but it a light pink/white flower.

It flowered really well the first year, but has not flowered since. I talked to the nursery it came from, they suggested a high phosphorous fertilizer which I hit it with last fall, but still no flowers this year. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.


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## Elmore (Jun 4, 2007)

Perhaps it's getting too much irrigation and/or nutrition. Maybe too little sun. Is it planted in a nice manicured lawn area?
You could try PGRs (plant growth regulators). Ethrel is one that is used.
Paclobutrazol (found in Cambistat, Bonzi, Clipper, Piccolo etc.) might work though I might avoid using it due to the slow rate of wound closures associated with it's use. 
You could try ringing, bark scoring and/or cincturing the tree to induce a flowering response

Tree Fruit PGR’s:
http://hortweb.cas.psu.edu/courses/hort432/lecturenotes/pgr.html

FRUITING:
http://www.uvm.edu/pss/egarcia/fruitprod/Lectures/flowering.doc (2.42MB Word Document)

http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache...+to+induce+flowering&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=9&gl=us (HTML)

GROWTH REGULATORS FOR TREE FRUITS:
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/treefruit/456-419/456-419_GRTF.pdfn (PDF)

http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache...to+induce+flowering&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=16&gl=us
(HTML)


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## booboo (Jun 5, 2007)

Elmore said:


> Perhaps it's getting too much irrigation and/or nutrition. Maybe too little sun. Is it planted in a nice manicured lawn area?
> You could try PGRs (plant growth regulators). Ethrel is one that is used.
> Paclobutrazol (found in Cambistat, Bonzi, Clipper, Piccolo etc.) might work though I might avoid using it due to the slow rate of wound closures associated with it's use.
> You could try ringing, bark scoring and/or cincturing the tree to induce a flowering response
> ...



Thanks for the links, I'll look them over. I don't think over irrigation is the problem, it's fairly dry soil and doesn't get any extra watering. It's in a mulched bed, so no lawn and nothing in the bed has ever been fertilized except for the extra phosphorous I put on the crab. Too little light is a possibility, it gets maybe 4-5 hours of direct sun per day.


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## kevinj (Jun 5, 2007)

I'm NOT joking.
Whack it with a 2x4. 1 good whack about 10 inches from the base.
This will shock the tree.
Which is needed for it to blossom.
There will be many responses that disagree with this.
But I really believe this will work.


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## Elmore (Jun 6, 2007)

kevinj said:


> I'm NOT joking.
> Whack it with a 2x4. 1 good whack about 10 inches from the base.
> This will shock the tree.
> Which is needed for it to blossom.
> ...




Does that method work with politicians or people?


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## kevinj (Jun 11, 2007)

Elmore said:


> Does that method work with politicians or people?



You were right to seperate the two.
But to answer your question ; NO.
Politicians, should be struck at eye level.
Start with Hillary, just to make sure...


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