Have you got young fruiting trees in your garden like I do? Then you know that feeling of checking your young fruiting trees every Spring for fruit buds. Yes, that's what they call - those buds or sprouts that would bring you flowers and possible fruits during harvest time.
Not every bud or sprout would bring you flowers and fruits later - some buds would just bring you leaves.
and it's not bad at all except for it's but human nature to want to know which part would give you flowers and fruits because for some fruiting trees grower - specially if you're a beginner, you might commit the same mistake I did during my first two years of growing fruiting trees in my back yard. That mistake would really cost you flowers that could become fruits and your fruiting trees to slow down fruiting. What on earth am I talking about ? Just keep reading on till the bottom to get there.I'm posting because I found out that on some parts of the world, they're still experiencing a semi - ice age feel and Spring hasn't really sprung yet. Japan was pretty early with blooms as I saw on @mweich's page and I threw him a question about how to identify or tell which one is a flower bud and a leaf/ leaves bud on plums. I didn't get my answer so I closely monitored all the fruiting trees I have in both of my gardens.
It's easy to tell which part of any plum trees or peach trees are fruit buds and vegetative buds or those that would just give you leaves. The flower buds in plums that would give you possible fruits later are normally round in shape no matter how small or early in Spring it is.
These blooms are from a Cherry Plum. The flowers come out first on this one so you won't have to look for signs.
This Prunus Domestica makes it very easy to tell. As you can see the flower buds are much more dominant and noticeable now and easier to tell. Whichever bud out round in shape out of any of your plum trees - is its flower bud. Hands off them.
This is the first time this nectarine/ peach is flowering in my back yard. This Prunus Persica is the only one that survived the hard winter, two of them died but it's alright. I know what to do to make it bear fruit the organic way. Comes in another post if I don't forget but who cares only Chico, Garden lady and a few fully read my gardening posts these days.
It's the same thing with a these Redcurrant/Ribes Rubrum ... remember ...
In some fruiting trees or shrubs - the flower bud comes out round in shape.
The tough part is that of a pear, cherry and apples but my pronoia seems to always work for me and the universe have thrown me a chance to monitor the Common Pear or this Pyrus Communis I have in my other garden. It's too early to tell whether my cherry and apple trees will be bearing me fruits but the pear has already made a revelation and they are as follows.
- Flowering buds have brown scales - like bottoms.
- Flowering buds tend to protrude away from the stem while the leaf buds are growing closer to it.
It's important to know all of these signs so you won't prune them out your young fruiting trees or shrubs. I committed that huge mistake. It does not only hamper fruiting and harvest but also growth specially on apples, cherry and pears. Last year, I cut out all the spurs on my apple trees. It takes at least 2 years for a spur to flower and they would have already brought me those this year but my ignorance have caused me another year of waiting.
If you live in Western Europe like where I am now - then it's possible that these signs are all visible now. If you don't it's possible that either your fruiting trees and shrubs are already in full bloom or still hibernating in an icy spell. Anyway, which ever part on earth you are living in - if you have a fruiting tree or shrub and you know a tip on how to identify flower from vegetative buds - do spill and share it below and I thank you already. Does this post help you? Do tell how and perhaps you have something to share below - do it!
I took each picture with either my Samsung Galaxy Note 1 and A3 2016 edition.
Which fruiting tree or shrub have you got in your gardens?
- Can you identify flower buds from vegetative buds? How? Do spill???
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- Gardening Hacks : Basic Tips in Growing Cacti Indoors
- Which Cactus Is This?
- Tips on Propagating Succulents Like Echeverias
- Flowers That Are Still In Bloom in Late Autumn, 2016
- Firethorns in Autumn
- Mispel or The Medlar Fruit
You still want sources despite the fact that I took progression pictures to prove that I experienced it myself so here knock yourself off with these sources:
Prunus Persica
Spur - check 2nd pic
Flowering Habits of Apples and Pears
Red Currant
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Here are my other gardening articles: