Apple/Pear Trees
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letemgrow
PMA Member
These varieties I planted should be great options for minimal maintenance. Never sprayed any of them....a few do not look good and I would not plant them again. The rest look fantastic. :way:
streitl
Member
Paul,
Several of my apple/pear trees from previous years are not looking very good. One tree had the top browsed off. Another couple are loose in the ground. I tried staking them up this spring, but they are still loose. Do mice get underground and chew up roots? Do you have any recommendations for those loose trees? Do you think they could come back? These trees are probably 3 to 5 years old I would guess.
Several of my apple/pear trees from previous years are not looking very good. One tree had the top browsed off. Another couple are loose in the ground. I tried staking them up this spring, but they are still loose. Do mice get underground and chew up roots? Do you have any recommendations for those loose trees? Do you think they could come back? These trees are probably 3 to 5 years old I would guess.
letemgrow
PMA Member
Are those trees on well anchored rootstock, dwarf rootstock, or do you know? Some rootstock varieties have to be staked their whole lives. That could be the reason you are seeing them loose after 3-5 years. Takes that long for enough leaf/limb mass to catch enough wind to uproot them.
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letemgrow
PMA Member
Best you can do now is stake them and see if that helps IMO.
dbltree
Super Moderator
October 30th, 2013
The clothespins put on last year stayed on and the job...
encouraging strong horizontal limb growth and crotch angle
In this country we certainly test the apple/cedar rust problem, some trees such as Liberty and Enterprise are very resistant but even those that are not do very well...
and we watch deer from our windows, knocking apples down and happily lapping them up
Walt checked his trees and apparently interrupted the feast
He returned later to find that the deer quickly returned and cleaned up!
He found his Asian pears still very hard and firm in early October and took some home to let them ripen, by late October they were sweet and delicious...perfect timing for whitetails!
His apples were hanging well...
Nice to have different varieties dropping from July thru December if possible
We try to keep the orchards planted to clover
and locate tree orchards in/along food plots
Planting fruit trees can be addicting, always another variety to try but one can plant trees according to budget...2 or 20 and add species and varieties each year :way:
The clothespins put on last year stayed on and the job...
encouraging strong horizontal limb growth and crotch angle
In this country we certainly test the apple/cedar rust problem, some trees such as Liberty and Enterprise are very resistant but even those that are not do very well...
and we watch deer from our windows, knocking apples down and happily lapping them up
Walt checked his trees and apparently interrupted the feast
He returned later to find that the deer quickly returned and cleaned up!
He found his Asian pears still very hard and firm in early October and took some home to let them ripen, by late October they were sweet and delicious...perfect timing for whitetails!
His apples were hanging well...
Nice to have different varieties dropping from July thru December if possible
We try to keep the orchards planted to clover
and locate tree orchards in/along food plots
Planting fruit trees can be addicting, always another variety to try but one can plant trees according to budget...2 or 20 and add species and varieties each year :way:
JNRBRONC
Well-Known Member
Radical strategy
Want to draw deer into your apple trees longer? Bend a branch down until it breaks.
It happened accidentally this year with the bumper fruit set. Most commercial orchards would have sprayed a hormone so that the trees dropped some fruit, increasing the size of the apples that weren't dropped. I could care less about that, so let things go and had a bunch of branches break under the heavy fruit set.
It appears that when the branch breaks, the hormones the tree produces don't make it to the stem of the apple to let them drop. So if you don't care how ugly your apple trees are, you might consider bend a couple down until they break next August. The apples will eventually fall off throughout the winter, keeping the deer coming back looking to see if anything dropped.
I have a LOT of pruning to do this January.
Want to draw deer into your apple trees longer? Bend a branch down until it breaks.
It happened accidentally this year with the bumper fruit set. Most commercial orchards would have sprayed a hormone so that the trees dropped some fruit, increasing the size of the apples that weren't dropped. I could care less about that, so let things go and had a bunch of branches break under the heavy fruit set.
It appears that when the branch breaks, the hormones the tree produces don't make it to the stem of the apple to let them drop. So if you don't care how ugly your apple trees are, you might consider bend a couple down until they break next August. The apples will eventually fall off throughout the winter, keeping the deer coming back looking to see if anything dropped.
I have a LOT of pruning to do this January.
BigfootWillow.com
Tree Climber
There are some apple trees out there that suppose to hold onto their fruit into the winter, no broken branches required.
JNRBRONC
Well-Known Member
Yup, I have some that naturally hold their apples into January.
letemgrow
PMA Member
Are those a named variety or seed planted?? Proper crotch angles are a must for long term production. If not, mother nature will self prune them for ya.
dbltree
Super Moderator
Wildlife Growers
Contact Stephen Spurlock sspurlock50@gmail.com
Read back thru this thread to see trees we planted, expensive but fruit in two years, shipping is expensive but there may be enough coming to Iowa to keep shipping costs down.
<sspurlock50@gmail.com></sspurlock50@gmail.com>
SEIowaDeerslayer
Well-Known Member
I'm getting my fruit tree and oak tree projects planned for this year. I've always used the tubes for the oaks but would the mesh be acceptable for them as well? Just looking for areas to cut cost as a foot of the mesh is cheap compared to a tree tube.
letemgrow
PMA Member
Those mesh tubes only work for putting on top of solid tubes IMO for eliminating browsing above say 4' tubes.
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SEIowaDeerslayer
Well-Known Member
Thanks guys, will use the tubes again on the oaks.
And yes Paul, those fences are expensive!
And yes Paul, those fences are expensive!
letemgrow
PMA Member
Pulled the fencing off some 4"+ diameter apples and the bucks quickly tore off the window screening as well. Guess some fencing is going back up for a few more years.
What needs to be done to apple trees this time of year? We planted 15 trees from Stark's last year, and they seem to be doing OK (although I'm anxiously awaiting the first sign of green buds on them after the summer / winter that we had). Am I supposed to spray them with a dormant oil spray right now? Anything else?
Thanks.
Steve
Thanks.
Steve
magnus
PMA Member
This is prime time to prune back unwanted branches or growth on fruit trees, and continue to shape them so they'll be able to handle the fruit load in years to come. Cages often need to be enlarged too, and this is perfect time of year to do that. Also dormant oil spray --- as long as it's not below freezing within 3 days of the spraying. Something with the oil accelerates freezing especially on the pruned limbs, can damage them. So timing is important. They won't be pushing green anytime soon, so dormant oil along with fungicide and insecticide early, is probably the best spray of the year and can go on anytime the temps are right -- up until just before the buds break open. Even TWO sprays of same stuff 10-14 days apart is better. Remember, main purpose of the oil spray is to suffocate insects that have overwintered in the nooks and crannies of the fruit wood. Is hard to get them all with just one spray........
Next task when ground temps begin to warm up, is to get the herbicide spray mix (Paul's is ideal) down around the bases of all fruit and nut trees. Grasses and weeds are probably the biggest competition to wildlife tree growth. Plus it provides places for insects to hang around before they get onto trees and fruit. Better prevented by spraying early than trying to chase it later. Sprayed areas should be as wide as the "drip line" of the tree. Depending on planting pattern, sometimes it's just easier to spray the ground of the entire row of trees. This prevents having to go back and weed whack, mow, etc, during the season.
Hope this helps.
Next task when ground temps begin to warm up, is to get the herbicide spray mix (Paul's is ideal) down around the bases of all fruit and nut trees. Grasses and weeds are probably the biggest competition to wildlife tree growth. Plus it provides places for insects to hang around before they get onto trees and fruit. Better prevented by spraying early than trying to chase it later. Sprayed areas should be as wide as the "drip line" of the tree. Depending on planting pattern, sometimes it's just easier to spray the ground of the entire row of trees. This prevents having to go back and weed whack, mow, etc, during the season.
Hope this helps.