I take care of several local orchards and have been finding huge amounts of fruit drop and poor setting near Astoria. Apples, cherry, plum — very weak production in the orchards. Do you know if this is common, or what causes it?
What you describe is generally a result of significant wet weather patches when orchard trees are blooming.
Pollinators in rainy weather
The honeybee is not a good traveler in wet weather, so pollination success drops way off. There are also some issues with honeybees and a mite that have depleted the honeybee population. Many beekeepers lost their colonies over this winter/early spring.
Mason bees can fill the gap since they are native and willing to fly between showers. They also don't fly as far, so a gardener that has supported them will generally have better pollination results.
Frost on fruit tree blooms
One additional factor is the occurrence of frosts during the bloom period, particularly when the days are cloudy/cool, but the nights clear up and temperatures drop below freezing. This effect can vary significantly from one garden to another, even if they are less than a quarter mile apart. In some areas, wind patterns and the pooling of cold air can be clearly observed, leading to these site-specific differences.
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