My Apple Tree Has Gone Bi-Annual What Can I Do?

[johnk]

My apple tree has a bumper crop one year and nothing the next. Is there any way of evening the crop out and get the same each year?

[Chipchopper]

I think it's "all in the laps of the gods" you get good years and bad years, largely governed by the weather.
Try a mulch around the root area, and make sure there is a pollinator nearby.

[TheChair]

I think you mean biennial. Biannual means twice a year.

[Khandro]

It's very much to do with what kind of weather you get in the spring, this year has been very bad in that we (here) had a very mild, warm period, late winter early spring, and then it suddenly plunged below zero for several days & nights, damaging the burgeoning buds & blossoms.
Over in Alsace it has been estimated that 60% of all grape vines & fruit have been damaged.
I think the later flowering apple trees - therefor the later fruiting - are the safest.

[johnk]

TC thanks, wasn't sure about that word.
Thanks everyone looks like it's just pot luck, maybe get some next year?

[woofgang]

No guarantees but you can feed the tree with a suitable fertiliser which might help or you can try thinning the crop in bumper years. If the tree is producing a really heavy crop it will need a year to build up its reserves again to produce another crop and feeding can help with this. This will only take it so far though. A lack of pollinators is something you can't affect although big fruit concerns will rent bees. If the year is dry then water the tree very regularly from very early spring right round until harvest even on until the tree drops its leaves, you want to build up blossom as well as keep the fruit growing.

[AuntPollyGrey]

Despite a lot of my ornamental flowers getting 'nipped' in the cold weather, my apple trees are literally dripping with blossom - about four weeks later than normal though - have your trees blossomed yet?