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loneranger

Well-Known Member
May have lost my fruit crop last night? Got down to 23'. Buds not open but advanced enough to have done damage I fear. Will be the third time in 10 yrs this has happened. Too extreme for fruit out here on the plains. Had better luck with fruit when I lived up in N-MI. It usually stays good and cold up there to keep the buds shut tight until it is warm for good.:mad:
 
I feel your pain Ed, I have all but given up on trying to keep apple trees viable on my farm. If the droughts don't get them in the summer, then we seem to have enough temp swings in the spring that the fruit setting is busted. Apple trees have been one of the few, and probably the biggest, disappointments to me in trying to improve the habitat on my farm.

Does anyone know if pear trees are less susceptible to the climatic conditions that limit apple trees in southern Iowa? It seems like some folks in southern Iowa have success with pear trees.
 
Thanks Dave. I think that is why you do not see any big orchards im S IA. I do think pears are tougher. Once some of mine were on bloom and it snowed pn them. Still had pears. Was 28 in fairfield so crossing my fingers? Anything below 25' damage happens.
 
Have you guys lost 2nd year trees to drought? I don't worry too much about the frosts, trees still seem to produce fruit still - just don't get loaded. I planted a bunch of apple tree whips last year that did great all year & looked good last time I was at the farm to check on them.

I remember Dbltree posted that he hadn't lost a tree to drought that made it through the first year and the key was to mulch and make sure there is some type of forage near the tree that helps keep the moisture in the soil.
 
You are right,,first couple yrs are key. After their roots go deep they usually survive. I have a strange thing. I have great vigorous trees on one side of my land on the other side I treat them the same but every tree except onehas done the same thing. They grow good for two or three yrs then,,,,they up and die?? Must be something lacking in the soil?
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I've had trees grow good for 3 years and then die, but then I've pulled the tree up and its roots are gone from getting eaten by pocket gophers. I bought a $40 liberty apple last year from local nursery, and its roots got eaten by gophers. I'm going to war with them this spring.

I have a few fruit trees I planted back in 2010 and they got through the drought in '12 and '13 no problem, but I did take water back to them a few times each summer.
 
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