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Orchard locations?

StucknAz

Active Member
I’m sure this has been asked but for you guys running a lot of fruit, are you keeping it in a destination food source or do you place in transition/kill plots too? Trying not to over think this but I put in 25 pear and crab this past year in my big food destination plot. I have a good pinch in the interior woods plot with good access, would adding a few keifer there be a good idea or will that slow them down too much on their way to main food source. My plan is to get a box blind at this location once I can afford one.

Are you guys limiting your fruit to destinations or is it a good idea to place them in kill plots or transition plots?
 
I’ve got 15 more pear coming next month and an additional 20 rootstock/scions for future plantings. I’ve been listening to Higgins and his crew subscribes to fruit in the destination. Just wondering if everyone is on board with that?

Also I can’t plant food on my uncles 75 but he’s got good bedding. I’m trying to pull deer off my sloppy neighbor onto me. Would adding a couple fruit trees in a south slope next to projected bedding be absolutely counterproductive? My thought is encourage bedding on me by giving them a quick treat as they get up and get moving.
 
I think site selection is more important than anything.

Fruit trees need to be well drained soils. They do not like their feet wet.

Avoid clay soils as well.

And if possible plant them up on a hill. Late frosts can zap a Fruit year. Low spots or dips in terrain are more susceptible to late frosts as cool air settles.

After you've met above criteria I'd locate them in transition zones going to bigger food sources.
 
Bingo!!!^^^
Kieffer is great!! Pears do really great here!! Protect em really well & get good black dirt that’s high on the landscape. Be rocking.
 
I watched a recent episode of Bill Winke's on tree pruning. One of the experts on it doing the pruning pointed out an area that Bill planted into fruit trees that was surrounded by timber in a relatively small area. He said those areas are not good places to put fruit trees as cold air settles in there keeps colder longer so when a cold snap happens when fruit trees are blooming out, those areas have a much greater chance of killing frosts. I have a 6 tree orchard in an area like this and he describes exactly what happens to it. It is rare to produce much fruit in this spot.
 
Great advice above. I would absolutely plant a couple of kieffer pear trees in the woods plot you describe above. Sounds like a killer spot and the fruit trees would just make it that much better.
 
What are thoughts on planting perimeter of hay field .75 acre with pear? I’m unable per family farm rules to plant food plots in this location but able to use perimeter to put in fruit. This would be 3/4 mile from destination and would be advantageous to pulling deer off neighbors and potentially laying up a buck or two from diff core area? Would pears with varying drops work as a draw if there’s no one planting close by? Seems like no brainer as it would provide me with west wind setup which I don’t have on the main section of farm.
 
What are thoughts on planting perimeter of hay field .75 acre with pear? I’m unable per family farm rules to plant food plots in this location but able to use perimeter to put in fruit. This would be 3/4 mile from destination and would be advantageous to pulling deer off neighbors and potentially laying up a buck or two from diff core area? Would pears with varying drops work as a draw if there’s no one planting close by? Seems like no brainer as it would provide me with west wind setup which I don’t have on the main section of farm.

Pears and persimmons both would be nice, if the site allows.
 
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