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| King blossoms on an apple tree at Hutchins Farm in Concord, Massachusetts, yesterday. |
First to come forth, the king blossom heralds the harvest to be.
Blogger Chris, of A Life of Apples, tells us
Every fruiting spur on an apple tree produces a cluster of six buds; five centered around a central blossom known as the King Blossom. This blossom is the first to open and pollination of it is key in insuring good fruit set.
So fragile, so fair! If only we could be sure it would be pollinated, but nothing in this life is guarant
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| Detail from photo |
Did you spot it? My camera caught this pollinator—a fly, perhaps—as it flew near the middle blossom in my photo. I later saw it, or another, doing its thing with one of the flowers.
Take nothing for granted, but a fair weather forecast augers well for the fall.
Chris no longer blogs about apples, but his meditations are evergreen and worthwhile. I reviewed A Life of Apples in 2010.
"[The king] blossom is the first to open and pollination of it is key in insuring good fruit set".
ReplyDeleteIs this true? I've not heard this before, but interested to know if there's anything in it, and if so, why? Like any self-respecting king, the king-fruit hogs the limelight, taking first dibs on the resources, but we, like any self-respecting proletariat, curtail its excesses, sacrificing it in its princehood at the alter of uniformity.
Off with his head! But not yet, prithee.
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