Pollinating Apple Trees

Q: I have two five-year-old apple trees, Granny Smith and Fuji, from a big box store. I have only seen one apple on these two trees in all this time. They do produce flowers in the spring so each year we are hopeful. The trees appear to be healthy. Any advice?

A: If they are blooming, but you’re not getting apples, this might point to a pollination problem. Are you absolutely, positively, sure they were correctly labeled at the store? These varieties should bloom at the same time. But the problem might be heavy rains during the time the blooms were on the trees or a lack of bees to carry the pollen back and forth. If you know someone who has a crabapple that blooms around the time of your apples, cut several branches and stick them among the limbs of your trees during flowering next spring so you can be certain the blooms are pollinated readily.