Erik A. Draper, Ohio State University Extension, Geauga County; James A. Chatfield, Ohio State University Extension, Northeast District/Horticulture and Crop Science; and Kenneth D. Cochran, Secrest Arboretum of The Ohio State University, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, and Ohio State University Extension.
The 2002 growing season was difficult because of weather extremes. Spring rains were abundant and the ground was saturated for extended periods of time. At the end of May, the rains stopped, and hot, dry weather remained until late September, making 2002 a good year to add evaluations of tree response to drought stress.
Due to the plentiful periods of cool, wet weather in the spring, the crabapples were challenged by ideal conditions for apple scab (Venturia inaequalis) development. This year was also an "off" or light year for fruit because of the unusually heavy fruit set of 2001.
Perfect weather during the 2001 bloom caused most flowers to emerge unscathed by frost and consequently, most flowers set fruit. The result was a spectacular year for fruit in 2001, but the heavy fruit development limited the amount of carbohydrates available for flower-bud initiation. Therefore, flower display, and accordingly fruit display, were limited in 2002.