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Symptom

Young fruit dropping

Plants shed fruit they cannot support after stress, poor pollination or pest attack. Some drop is natural: many fruit trees thin themselves in early summer.

Cut a fallen fruit. Grubs inside point to pests; seedless or undeveloped fruit to poor pollination; healthy fruit to stress or natural thinning.

Likely causes

Ordered from the usual answer to the less likely one. Each links to the full problem.

Recorded on Hydrangea

  1. A drooping plant in dry, cracked soil Watering Possible

    Underwatering

    Drop after the plant dries out.

Less likely on Hydrangea

  1. A courgette with a withered flower and a shrivelling fruit Fruiting Common

    Poor pollination

    Poorly pollinated fruit is shed early.
  2. Ripe raspberries collapsing from fruit fly damage Pest Possible

    Fruit flies

    Fallen fruit with maggots inside.
  3. A cut feijoa with brown, tunnelled flesh Pest Less likely

    Guava moth

    Feijoas and guavas dropping with tunnels.