Apple/Pear Trees
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This is how I protect fruit trees.
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I cut 4” corrugated drain pipe length wise with a skill saw so I can open it up to get it around the trunk of the tree. I recommend ripping as much corrugated as you are going to need before cutting it to length. It is very quick and easy. I then make sure the corrugated is a couple inches below the dirt to prevent mice from getting in there and creating a nest.
<O</O
I take Irish Springs soap and LEAVE IT IN THE BOX. The box will take the brunt of the weather and keep the bar of soap from disintegrating for several years. For whatever reason Irish Spring is the ticket and works better than other brands I have tried. I push tie-wire thru the box and thru the soap and hang it from a branch or trunk.I have found that this keeps the deer & bunnies from destroying the trees for a few years until they get large enough to take the abuse.
<O</O
Some have warned that birds might try to next at the top of the corrugated, but I have not had that problem. There are many ways to skin a cat. This is a quick easy method that I have found works great and to me is a bit easier than fencing….. just the method I have found works best for me.
I hadn't done it yet when I took this pic, but I also mulch around the tree to hold moisture and eliminate weeds/grass and use the Jobe's slow release fruit tree fertilizer spikes that you push into the ground (man do they make a difference!)<O</O
<O
</OI cut 4” corrugated drain pipe length wise with a skill saw so I can open it up to get it around the trunk of the tree. I recommend ripping as much corrugated as you are going to need before cutting it to length. It is very quick and easy. I then make sure the corrugated is a couple inches below the dirt to prevent mice from getting in there and creating a nest.
<O
</OI take Irish Springs soap and LEAVE IT IN THE BOX. The box will take the brunt of the weather and keep the bar of soap from disintegrating for several years. For whatever reason Irish Spring is the ticket and works better than other brands I have tried. I push tie-wire thru the box and thru the soap and hang it from a branch or trunk.I have found that this keeps the deer & bunnies from destroying the trees for a few years until they get large enough to take the abuse.
<O
</OSome have warned that birds might try to next at the top of the corrugated, but I have not had that problem. There are many ways to skin a cat. This is a quick easy method that I have found works great and to me is a bit easier than fencing….. just the method I have found works best for me.
I hadn't done it yet when I took this pic, but I also mulch around the tree to hold moisture and eliminate weeds/grass and use the Jobe's slow release fruit tree fertilizer spikes that you push into the ground (man do they make a difference!)<O
</O
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LoessHillsArcher
PMA Member
Checked on the fruit trees - for some unknown reason the peach tree isn't looking too hot? Not sure what the deal is. The growth from last year died back and the whole tree is resprouting from odd points. Of all the trees I pruned this winter I did the least on this one. Not sure what to think. We'll have to watch it throughout the summer
The apple trees responded VERY well to the pruning. I'm very pleased with how they are looking!
Two of the larger trees are even going to have apples this year, this will be the first year we've ever gotten fruit off them.
The apple trees responded VERY well to the pruning. I'm very pleased with how they are looking!
Two of the larger trees are even going to have apples this year, this will be the first year we've ever gotten fruit off them.
magnus
PMA Member
I think Scott is right, about hardiness. Other big thing with care of peaches -- is not to prune them in the dead of winter like can be done for apples and pears. I picked this up from several commercial peach growers -- don't touch them with pruners until sub-20s temps are done for the winter.
Turkey Creek
Nebraska
LHArcher prune back to live buds on your peach, you have winter die back. Make sure there is a live bud or fresh growth. Lots of bud kill this winter, the wood might be green but you want a live bud. Preferably ones that are outward facing. Peaches are best grown with an open center form. Peaches put on a lot of wood quickly and actually need to be pruned every year, fruit is produced on 1 year old wood.
Matthewfox_45
Well-Known Member
Reliance peach are supposed to be hardy here. I know a guy that has one that does very well.
Had some trees with corrugated pipe on em. Checked em over the weeend, dag nab - mouse nests and bugs in all and girdled trees and killed a few. I do all screen with stapler so that doesn't happen. these few I was not thinking thru it at the time. I learned some hard lessons over the weekend. screen em like above pic.
SEIowaDeerslayer
Well-Known Member
Going to be an apple kind of year!! Morse Nursery apples from seed are blowing up with fruit this year. One has a fairly large apple and the other has small apples.
I planted 8 Johnny Come Lately Morse seedlings last fall & 6 of them made it through the winter & are flourishing! I hope mine look like those in a few years. The only thing I wish Morse did was bare root plants - I think the air pruning helps but for survival nothing beats a dormant planted bare root plant.
letemgrow
PMA Member
What I did not realize about apples was the extreme variation from seed they exhibit when I bought those. Morse apples I bought were from seed and not grafted so I have everything from a dime sized apple to large ones. Least now the best can be grafted on to the rest to get more of the good stuff. I would have been more leary buying them from the state had I known it was a crap shoot what a good apple tree would produce.
I can say those Morse ones show little, if any disease problems for me and I have lost some grafted antique varieties (have lost a few Morse ones also). I never sprayed any of my apples for anything, and I am glad that happened so now I know which ones are more suitable for my area with less effort.
Hewes is a grafted antique that is still throwing out apples and has been for several years now. I'd plant that one any day of the week on my farm.
Learn from my mistakes. I have about 10% of my trees out there with corrugated pipe around them. Thinking back, I did it out of speed when I ran out of screen. Of all them out there, I pulled all this weekend that still had it on. At least 75% of em had major damage including killing several. Absolutely would kill all of em with enough time, a few I caught in time I'm hoping. Mouse nests, completely girdled trees from the mice, tons of bugs, whatever. Pull em off!!!! Sucks seeing 5-7 years of work end like this on many trees. Learn from my mistakes on this one.....
interesting. I may consider pulling mine, but it has never ever been an issue? I always keep everything dead around apple trees so that probably helps keep mice away and I keep the tubes 3-4" into the dirt so they would have to climb 30"+/- to the top to get in. I am not one to not take advice so I will def reevaluate....just never been a issue in any of the trees I've planted over the years. Probably not worth rolling the dice though.... too much effort to have it happen. Thanks
Mine were buried and 90% had great weed control. This one was one I couldn't get to so weeds bad but others great for weeds. All had mice in em. They get in. They will eat trees. It's not even "don't take the chance" - it's a likely probability they will eventually get the trees. Get em off ASAP. I'm still just fired up and ticked at myself for letting it happen to so many. Frustrated at myself for letting this happen when i kinda already knew better. Now others can catch there's before i caught mine. Thank goodness i way way more that i did take the time to screen. Sucks seeing a 5, 6, 7 year old tree finally bite the dust though from a stupid mistake I made. Oh well, part of learning. got a few in the nursery to fill some gaps though.
magnus
PMA Member
Curious what "cocktail" you use for keeping grass-free / weed-free around your trees? Am looking for a combo that lasts all season. I know Paul was big on Simazine/Prowl, but that hasn't worked real well for us.
Roundup and mulch is all I use. Others on here know a lot more on the chemicals than me. I had an unlimited supply of mulch from friends in the tree business when I was living in MI. They would literally dump giant truck loads off whenever and wherever I wanted as they were always in need of somewhere to get rid of it. So back there, I would mulch entire orchard plantings (nothing like acres of 12" thick free mulch). I don't have that luxury here so I spray more and only mulch a small circle around the individual trees. That Irish Spring soap thing for deer may seem comical, but I swear by it. Maybe it held the mice at bay all those years too? lol
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letemgrow
PMA Member
Aluminum window screening and then fencing around that either in blocks, or individual fencing.
