Apple Blossom Blooming Time, Flower Characteristics, and the Benefits of Apple Blossom Tea

The apple is a perennial tree of the Rosaceae family, and the apple blossom belongs to the Solanaceae and Rosaceae families, appearing as a white trumpet shape. Its fruit resembles that of the evening primrose, and the flower is brightly colored with a unique delicate fragrance. So when does the apple blossom bloom? What kind of flower does it produce?

The apple is now distributed throughout the world and especially likes to grow in warm places. It is planted in most regions of China, mainly produced in Liaoning, Hebei, Beijing, Shandong, Shanxi, Henan, Shaanxi, Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia and other places. Sun Simiao of the Tang Dynasty once said that apple blossoms “benefit the heart qi”; Hu Sihui of the Yuan Dynasty believed they could “promote fluid production and quench thirst”; and the famous Qing Dynasty physician Wang Shixiong stated they have effects such as “moistening the lungs and gladdening the heart, promoting fluid production and stimulating appetite, and sobering one up.”

When does the apple blossom bloom? What kind of flower does it produce?

The blooming period of apples varies greatly depending on the climate of each region. Generally it is from April to May, with 3 to 7 flowers per flower bud, and the central flower opens first; the apple petal has five segments in a plum-blossom shape. The flower is white with a tinge, 3 to 4 cm in diameter; the pedicel and calyx both have grayish-white fuzz, the sepal lobes are long and pointed and persistent, with 20 stamens and 5 styles. The flower is white and trumpet-shaped. The apple is a cross-pollinated plant, and most varieties cannot set fruit by self-pollination.

How many years after planting does an apple tree bear fruit

An apple tree begins to bear fruit 2 to 3 years after planting, and its economic life under ordinary management conditions is 15 to 50 years; in poor soil with extensive management it is only 20 to 30 years. Due to the combined effect of apical dominance and bud heterogeneity, apples usually have strong apical dominance and obvious layer formation. Because the sprouting ability and branching ability differ among varieties, the degree of prominence of the layering also differs.

Main value of apple blossoms

They have the effects of enriching the blood or relieving neuralgia, enriching the blood and brightening the eyes, and removing acne and whitening the skin.

Suitable combinations: apple blossom, rose, and orange blossom; brewing tea with these three flowers together gives a unique taste,

Sun Simiao of the Tang Dynasty once said that apple blossoms “benefit the heart qi”; Hu Sihui of the Yuan Dynasty believed that apple blossoms could “promote fluid production and quench thirst”; and the famous Qing Dynasty physician Wang Shixiong stated that apple blossoms have effects such as “moistening the lungs and gladdening the heart, promoting fluid production and stimulating appetite, and sobering one up.”

A type of polyphenol contained in apples dissolves very easily in water, and is therefore easily absorbed by the human body. According to research findings, the polyphenol content in unripe apples is more than 10 times higher than that in ripe apples. Moreover, the organic acids, amino acids, sodium ions and other components contained in unripe apples are all higher in content than in ripe apples. And the miraculous “apple phenol” can also inhibit the production of melanin, and thus is greatly effective for whitening the skin!

Brewing method

Brew a teaspoon of dried petals with a cup of boiling hot water, and let it steep for about ten minutes before drinking; brown sugar or honey may be added to taste.

Precautions

Precautions for apple blossoms: please store in a cool, dry place indoors, and prevent children from taking them on their own.

Post-bloom management of apple trees

Post-bloom management of apple trees is the key period for high quality and high yield throughout the year, from the blooming period to before bagging, that is, from early April to mid-May. The specific measures are as follows:

1. Thinning flowers and fruit

1. Determine the amount of branch thinning according to the amount of flowers. For trees with an excessive amount of flowers, where the flower quantity was judged inaccurately during winter pruning and too many flowers were retained, some flowering branches may be appropriately thinned; for overly weak and overly dense large fruiting branches, one or two may be appropriately thinned, but not too many or too heavily, to prevent weakening the tree vigor; for branch groups with too many and too dense fruiting flowering branches, appropriate thinning may be done to reduce the workload of flower and fruit thinning.

2. Change the traditional concept of retaining flowers and fruit. The traditional method of retaining flowers and fruit by distance will retain some flowers and fruit whose floral organs are not robust, but these low-quality flowers and fruit can hardly produce large fruit. Therefore, when retaining flowers and fruit, weak flowers and small fruit should all be thinned regardless of distance. For flowers and fruit on robust branches and strong branches, appropriately more may be retained; as long as the fruit retained per mu is controlled at 12,000 to 15,000, it can meet the requirements of high quality and high yield and bearing fruit year after year, that is, a yield reaching 5,000 jin to 8,000 jin. This work should be carried out as early as possible when the flower buds can be seen; the earlier it is done, the less nutrients are consumed. As long as this work is done properly, it is equivalent to giving the fruit trees a topdressing of fertilizer and a watering, and the fruit size will be obviously 1 to 2 grades larger than without this work.

2. Bud removal

When thinning flowers and fruit, remove the cut-mouth buds and tender shoots that may grow rampantly; this both saves nutrients and prevents shading, and also reduces the amount of pruning during winter pruning. It can be said to yield twice the result with half the effort, with very good results.

3. Post-bloom nutrient supplementation

Within 40 days after the apple tree blooms, that is, before the first nutrient conversion (early April to mid-May), is the cell division period of the young fruit. Whether the tree's nutrients are sufficient at this stage is the key period that directly determines the fruit size and quality, and is also an important period that determines the length and quality of spring shoots and the size and quality of leaves. The basis for judgment is that if after blooming the orchard greens up slowly, the leaves are small and dark green, and it is difficult for new shoots to sprout, it indicates that the stored nutrients have basically been exhausted. In this case, timely nutrient supplementation is imperative. This measure should be carried out immediately when it is observed that the fruit has set firmly. Combined with watering, apply Qixing yellow-barrel Pengdeli by flushing or gun application, one to two barrels per mu, or apply rare earth amino acids at 30 to 50 times dilution by gun application, for better results.