Noticed a scattering of tiny apples or pears beneath your fruit trees this month? You’ve been hit by (you’ve been struck by!) the June drop.
Yet another of those scary-sounding gardening terms that gets bandied about a lot, the June drop is a perfectly natural phenomenon that occurs in gardens across the UK around early summer.
It can look alarming, especially after a promising spring bloom, but we’re here to reassure you: the June drop is actually a sign that your fruit trees are doing exactly what they need to. But why does it happen? And what should we be doing about it when it does?
What is the June Drop?
The June drop happens when fruit trees, especially apples and pear trees, shed some of their developing fruit in response to natural cues. It’s the tree’s way of balancing its energy; it simply can’t support every fruit it begins to grow.
‘The tree is just reducing the quantity of fruit they carry in order to successfully ripen those that remain,’ promises Monty Don via his popular gardening blog.
While the June drop might seem like a waste of good apples and pears, this natural thinning process helps ensure that the remaining fruit has the best chance to grow bigger, healthier, and more flavourful.
So, should you intervene or let nature take its course? Well, in most cases, minimal intervention is needed. However, just as fruit tree pruning is the key to better harvests each year, Monty Don is quick to point out that your tree will be ‘ indiscriminate about which fruit it lets go’.
As such, ‘it is a good idea to selectively remove the smallest fruit’ before the tree does it for you, he adds.
What you’ll need
Thankfully, the June Drop doesn’t demand that we go out and buy loads of gardening equipment.
All you really need, in fact, is a pair of protective gloves (we rate the Niwaki gardening gloves from Crocus), a pair of sharp, clean secateurs from Amazon, and a bag for your garden waste.
What to do
Honestly, while reading up on the June drop is just as important as knowing how to prune apple trees, we promise that minimal intervention is required; all you really need to do is wait until after the June drop and start thinning out the fruits – a task you’ll want to have finished by mid-July at the latest.
Other than removing malformed fruit, it’s best to ‘reduce each cluster on a spur to just two fruits that are not touching each other,’ suggests Monty.
‘Not only will these grow and ripen better as a result, but also the risk of damaging the branches by the weight of the fruit later in the year is greatly reduced.’
‘In most cases, no intervention is needed. The June drop is generally a sign your tree is doing exactly what it should. However, if you notice a particularly heavy drop, or if fruit continues to fall throughout the summer, it might be worth checking a few things,’ says landscaper and gardening expert Steven Bell.
Steven advises you check the following:
- Is the tree getting enough water, especially in dry spells?
- Could it do with a balanced fruit tree feed?
- Was blossom time hit by poor weather, limiting pollination?
‘If your tree is still groaning under the weight of developing fruit after the drop, you might want to manually thin the crop a bit more,’ says Steven, who is fully in agreement with Monty’s advice.
‘This helps the tree avoid stress and can improve the size and quality of the fruit that remains. As a rule of thumb, aim for one good fruit every 10–15cm (4–6 inches) along the branch.’
FAQs
What is the June drop?
The June drop is nature’s way of doing a bit of garden housekeeping. ‘In spring, our fruit trees burst into bloom, often producing far more flowers than they could ever carry through to harvest,’ says Paving Shopper’s Steven Bell.
‘Once pollinated, these blossoms begin to form fruit, but not all of them are destined to ripen. By mid-June, the tree has a pretty good idea of what it can reasonably support, and it begins to shed some of its young, undeveloped fruit.’
He adds that, while this might look concerning (even a bit disheartening), ‘it’s entirely normal and actually beneficial’.
Why do trees drop their fruit?
Wondering why some trees drop their fruit? ‘Think of it like this: the tree is managing its resources. Just as we might thin carrots or pinch out tomatoes to encourage quality over quantity, trees naturally reduce their crop to focus on the strongest contenders,’ explains gardening expert Steven Bell.
He goes on to note that several things can trigger or influence the extent of the drop, including…
- Poor pollination earlier in the season, especially if bees were in short supply.
- Cold snaps or wet weather during blossom time.
- Nutrient shortfalls, particularly if the soil is lacking in essentials like nitrogen or boron.
- Drought stress (something we’ve had to contend with more often in recent UK summers).
‘It’s also a response to the overall health and age of the tree. A young tree, or one that’s had a tough year, will often drop more fruit than a mature, established one,’ finishes Steven.
Now that you know about the June drop and the mischief it wreaks, you don’t have to panic over those tiny, tumbling fruits.
‘Remember, the June drop is a brilliant example of how plants self-regulate. It’s the tree’s way of ensuring that, come September or October, you’ll be picking fruit that’s full of flavour and properly developed, rather than ending up with lots of undersized, unripe fruitlets,’ says Steven reassuringly.
‘So next time you see that little carpet of fallen fruit, just put the kettle on, and know your tree is just doing its job.’
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