Rambutan is a popular tropical fruit worldwide but native to Southeast Asia. However, almost all the people in the world, including you and me, love to eat fruits.
Consequently, we tend to grow fruit trees in our gardens. Sometimes, many people, including farmers, have to face a very common problem. Why is my Rambutan tree not fruiting?
This is a main common issue. Some growers complain that their rambutan tree is not fruiting even after flowering. So, this can be happened due to many different reasons.
Also, sometimes one reason can be caused to this case, but sometimes multiple cases can occur simultaneously.
The major reasons for the rambutan fruiting problem can be a lack of knowledge about the tree’s age, pollination problems, pruning errors, pest attacks, sun and soil conditions, and diseases.
So, let’s see the causes that can affect bearing rambutan fruits in detail.
Misunderstanding About the Age of the Rambutan Tree
Many beginners of plantations do not have the correct idea about when their rambutan tree will bear fruits.
However, you cannot expect the fruits after growing your rambutan plants for about one year. Most of the time, rambutan seedlings bear fruits within 5 to 6 years, while budded rambutan trees may fruit within 2 to 3 years.
But generally, you can cultivate the optimum harvest of rambutan trees after 8 to 10 years. So, basically, before treating the tree, you need to know the age of the rambutan tree correctly. Because sometimes, your rambutan tree is not old enough to bear fruits.
Pollination Issues
After age, the second main reason is pollination issues. Most growers say that their rambutan tree blooms, but it does not bear fruits. So, it can be happened due to lack of pollination.
When it turns to rambutan tree, there are male trees, female trees, and hermaphroditic. Male rambutan trees produce only staminate flowers and do not produce fruits. Similarly, female trees flowers are functionally female.
But hermaphroditic is a bit different from these two. It produces female flowers with a small percentage of male flowers. It means these types of trees have flowers that contain both male and female reproductive parts. Mostly this type of rambutan tree can be seen in commercial varieties. But these are somewhat rare.
So, if you have a male rambutan tree, it is not surprising that it does not bear fruits. Therefore, saplings produced from rambutan seeds are not better for propagation.
However, female trees also do not produce fruits without a male pollinator nearby. So, here pollination plays the main role in the process of producing fruits in female trees.
Simply pollination can be defined as a process of transferring pollen grains from male flowers to the female stigma. Mainly insects help to function this process of many trees, including rambutan.
The main partners of pollination of rambutan trees are bees, butterflies, and flies. Rambutan flower’s aromatic fragrance is the hook to attract these insects.
So, lack of insects can be the main reason for pollination problems, and its impact directly causes not to bear rambutan fruits. However, climate changes like heavy rains and wind also keep bees away.
So, always find ways to attract insects like bees and butterflies into your garden because these pollination buddies help to set fruits into your rambutan tree successfully.
Lack Of Sunlight
Generally, rambutan tree is native to tropical region, and also rambutan trees work best in the warm tropical climate.
So, it means this tree loves the sunlight. On the other hand, almost all fruit trees, including rambutan trees, need full sun for bearing fruits. Therefore, always make sure that your rambutan tree has enough sunlight because favorable climate conditions are significant for bear fruits.
Something Wrong with Soil Conditions
Another very vital factor to rambutan trees is soil conditions. Generally, rambutan tree loves to deep, clay-loam or rich sandy loam rich in organic matters. So, lack of nutrients in the soil can be demotivated your rambutan tree to bear fruits.
Because these are trusted sources to build soil fertility. Always fertilizers release nutrients at a steady rate. Consequently, it enhances the soil structure and promotes better and honest growth and fruiting of your rambutan tree.
In addition to that, you are free to cloak the soil surface around the rambutan tree with manure or compost. But the best time is to do this is in spring or autumn.
On the other hand, grass and weeds are competitors for your rambutan tree to get water and nutrients.
Therefore, it is better to keep them away from the trunk until the tree settles down properly. Because if your rambutan plant does not grow properly, it will directly affect fruiting.
Biennial Bearing
Some farmers complain about their rambutan trees that had more fruits last year, but this year tree does not bear. Can it happen? Is it unusual?
Yes, it can happen, and it is a usual thing. This phenomenon can be known as biennial bearing.
The tree can be tired of bearing too many fruits a year. Sometimes it can be caused to branches fall of under the weight of the fruits. In this case, your rambutan tree may take a complete break the following year.
Pruning Errors
Pruning is the most important thing when growing any tree, especially fruit trees. Thus pruning helps the tree to boost in new ways. Also, opening up the canopy by pruning allows the tree to get sunlight and air properly.
However, many growers hesitate to prune their rambutan trees, but the struggling tree can refresh a few judicious cuts. However, you should have proper knowledge of pruning the tree. If you do not have knowledge regarding pruning, it is better to get help from experts.
Basically, when you are pruning, you should know about the 3Ds. Actually, 3Ds derived what you should cut out, Diseased, Dying, and Deadwood plus any crossing branches or branches that point inwards.
Anyhow, you should cut or prune your rambutan tree with the aim of encouraging your tree to grow into an open structure because it helps to get air and sunlight to all parts of the tree. Consequently, it is most important to encourage good fruiting and ripening.
Pest Attacks
However, the best defense against almost all insect pests is biodiversity garden because beneficial bugs police pests in your rambutan tree.
Diseases
A common disease is fungal infections that most fruit trees suffer from. Fungi can ruin the rambutan flowers. Consequently, it will affect to deprive you of rambutan that year.
In this case, you can use recommended fungicide suited to rambutan and your region. But you should spray it at the right time. Do not spray it during blooming because it can kill bees that help pollination. Also, it is vital to maintain your garden well to keep diseases away!
