It is finally spring and my apple tree is blossoming! With mason bees flying around, everything is in sync. Orchardists assess bloom at different stages to give them a clue about blooming time and when bees are needed in the orchard. This slide shows some of these stages: pink and in tight cluster, pink and open cluster, King blossom in bloom, all flowers in cluster in bloom and petal drop. Once petal drop occurs, all possibilities of pollination are over. Note though that one tree has various stages of bloom at any one time, giving the bees the potential of reaching more flowers and giving us more fruit to harvest in the fall. Have a great spring- now that it is here!
