You learn something new everyday .... if you are willing!

[sandbur]

TC- have you found any preferred rootstocks in your area or for the northern plains?

 

[chickenlittle]

Developing new rootstocks is a monumental task. It is not surprising that compatibility or susceptibility issues will come to light even after 40 years of testing. Can't test everything everywhere. But that is one reason it is important to get bad outcomes on Geneva rootstock back to the developers. They can figure out the causes, get info out on what to look for and make recommendations on what to do o or not to do, check other combinations for the same issue, etc. As they learn more, some Geneva rootstocks may go out of production while others are hopefully robust.

 

[Turkey Creek]

TC- have you found any preferred rootstocks in your area or for the northern plains?

I have had good luck with both B118 and M111 which have been root stocks frequently mentioned on here. I have grown a few on M7 and I have a orchard wanting me to graft a bunch of trees for them on M7 so I will be giving it more of a test in the coming years. I dont have anything grafted onto Dolgo root stock, but I do have some Dolgo seedlings at the farm and I am amazed at how well they have grown after being basically defoliated 2 years in a row by grasshoppers. No fruit on either one of those yet though. Trying some varieties on M111 roots with a B9 interstem that I grafted this spring for home owner use. I just dont think B9 alone has what it takes in my area to be a great backyard tree. Curious to see how precocious they are with the interstem and if they will truly be a smaller tree.

 

[Booner21]

Correct as far as I know regarding soil contact. You need to be aware of root suckers and avoid direct contact to the bark on very young trees. I have sprayed around the cages and even inside the cages of my older trees with no adverse affects.

I am very careful while doing so. However, sometimes folks forget how far drift can travel ( or care in my case neighbors or the companies that are hired to do their spraying). Twice this year I have had "neighbors" crops sprayed on days where it was clearly not advisable 90 degrees or hotter and 20 mph + winds while the rig was going across the field at high speeds. I documented those instances, but fortunately or unfortunately there was no significant damage immediately following those applications. That is the problem shown in the above photo, once the damage shows itself it is going to be next to impossible to pinpoint the cause and to get compensation a year later.

Can't speak to the wind but liberty needs to be hot and sunny to be sprayed they recommend spraying during the heat of the day for good uptake. May have been a different herbicide from glyphosate

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[wooduck]

The gly damage on trees has been knowen in the fruit trade for many years now , gly damage may not show but can and will kill trees in following years and most people attribute that damage to other causes , the gly can weaken the tree and it dies years later and some assume winter damage, viral, ect , there are many weed control options out there that do not include gly , We farm some corn , beans that are gly resistant and proper use and it does not need to be applied in the heat of the day to work well . we also have 2000 plus fruit trees bearing and have never applied any gly in or around trees

 

[chickenlittle]

I've seen a couple stories this year about dicamba drift damage. One was about the largest peach orchard in Missouri.

 

[Buckly]

LC always had good info on fruit trees and herbicides. He proudly recalled spraying double the rate of Cleth over his wife's flowers with no bad effects. His preferred mix for fruit trees was a combo of Cleth, Prowl H20 and Simazine. sprayed around the bases of the trees for great weed control. I use this myself and have had great results. I also spray this mix right over my spruce trees. I personally try and stay away from gly anywhere near my fruit trees.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Thanks Buckly, for the reminder of LC's herbicide mix. ^^^^ Might have to switch to that and give it a go.