James Grieve Apples

Yes, mine is doing well this year too. Good year for fruit all round I think.

 

Another really terrible year for apples around here. I've got some trees with hardly an apple on them, so I'm glad I bought masses of Tesco carton apple juice when they were selling it at 15p/Litre, otherwise I wouldn't have much stuff for cider/wine making.

And Blackcurrants are also a complete failure, probably due to the exceptionally mild winter.

 

Yes indeed, shame they are not often available in the shops.

 

My Coxs`has none at all , a lovely crop last year, and I think there is one on my Jonagold. Never a heavy cropper but lovely tasting.

Editing because I forgot one of my currants died

 

Our local PYO Orchard Farm has no Cox either. Apparently had blossom aplenty but no pollinators around at the same time....:(
Jenny

 

A great reason for growing-your-own

Have you got pollinators for both? (Although if you live in town probably pollinators in gardens near by ...)

And Cox is self-sterile, so both would benefit from a good pollinator. Cox and Jonagold are in adjacent flowering groups, so Cox should pollinate Jonagold, but I suppose some years the flowering doesn't overlap enough?

 

Last year I had a really heavy crop from the Cox, and the Jonagold which has never cropped heavily, but a lovely apple very large, so must assume there are other pollinators.

 

With lack of pollinators Apples tend to go biennial (no idea why that would be, either Pollen works, or not? ). I think this is especially true of "Self pollinators" and personally I think it would be better if they were not sold like that. Apples (well, most/all?? fruit trees) pollinate better, and produce better fruit, if cross pollinated, so it would be better to tell folk to get a suitable pollinator rather than assume that self pollinators will do a good job.

Self-pollinators either produce tons of pollen (so are great as pollinators for other varieties ) or don't drop their fruit as easily as others. However, I digress, yours aren't self pollinators ...

One possibility is that in "good years" the flowering overlaps with other varieties, or there are more Bees Up & About.

Any crab apples near you? they tend to be the best pollinators.

It was a mast year, last year, so everything taking a rest this year might be to be expected?