2ndHand
5 year old buck +
Thanks Ed for the details - appreciate the information!
2014 Grafting Adventures of CrazyED
- Thread starter CrazyEd
- Start date
2ndHand
5 year old buck +
Sounds like plan - Thanks!
Bowsnbucks
5 year old buck +
2ndHand - Post #414 - I don't know about Menards - there are no Menards around here. I've used conduit as Sandbur said he does, but we have stonier ground at my camp and conduit doesn't hold up as well ( for us ). I believe you guys in the Upper Midwest have sandier soil where conduit would work fine and be cheaper and less problem cutting. ( No cutting torches or re-bar cutter required !! ) We all face different soils and circumstances.
EDIT: I noticed the pix at post #408 by 2nd Hand. That is the exact method of planting I use for my trees at camp. The only difference is I pile about 4" of crushed limestone ( pea-sized ) to cover all the landscape cloth. It keeps the mice and voles away - they can't tunnel in the stone - and helps keep the landscape cloth from moving around from wind, etc. Those pix are a good illustration of the method I learned from guys on here and have used with great success. Credit the experienced men on this forum and orchard owners for their guidance !!
EDIT: I noticed the pix at post #408 by 2nd Hand. That is the exact method of planting I use for my trees at camp. The only difference is I pile about 4" of crushed limestone ( pea-sized ) to cover all the landscape cloth. It keeps the mice and voles away - they can't tunnel in the stone - and helps keep the landscape cloth from moving around from wind, etc. Those pix are a good illustration of the method I learned from guys on here and have used with great success. Credit the experienced men on this forum and orchard owners for their guidance !!
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CrazyEd
5 year old buck +
Welcome to the 2016 edition of CrazyEd's 2014 grafting adventures. I will say the grafting side of the apples hobby is enjoyable! While I first got excited just to plant apples, i'm now just as excited to graft them.
Beautiful February day today, it feels like late march! I made a little bonfire outside today to do some burning, and it was a good opportunity to check on my home nursery, as well as the 3 trees i have growing in my yard at home. I will say my home nursery doesn't photograph too well, but I will say the trees look amazing. You might notice i have tags all over the place. I find using a sharpie on these plastic ties it's important to always write on both sides of the tags, and just check your tags regularly. Some of them have been re-tagged, and then in late fall I went through and selected all the trees that will be planted this spring with orange tags 2' off the ground. Some of the bigger trees are over 7' tall with nice feathers. I'll be digging out a bunch and re-organizing the rest.
A while ago in this thread or one of my others, someone asked about how the root systems were looking on my trees. As you can see, i'm growing in a 2x12 raised bed. From the little bit i saw today, I think they are looking pretty good.
Here is another tree
Beautiful February day today, it feels like late march! I made a little bonfire outside today to do some burning, and it was a good opportunity to check on my home nursery, as well as the 3 trees i have growing in my yard at home. I will say my home nursery doesn't photograph too well, but I will say the trees look amazing. You might notice i have tags all over the place. I find using a sharpie on these plastic ties it's important to always write on both sides of the tags, and just check your tags regularly. Some of them have been re-tagged, and then in late fall I went through and selected all the trees that will be planted this spring with orange tags 2' off the ground. Some of the bigger trees are over 7' tall with nice feathers. I'll be digging out a bunch and re-organizing the rest.
A while ago in this thread or one of my others, someone asked about how the root systems were looking on my trees. As you can see, i'm growing in a 2x12 raised bed. From the little bit i saw today, I think they are looking pretty good.
Here is another tree
Turkey Creek
5 year old buck +
Looking good as usual. Seeing snow melting is always nice as well!
I found last year that one of the heavy carpenters pencils works better than a regular sharpie marker for the writing not to fade. I also picked up a couple of grease pencils the other day to give them a try this year.
I found last year that one of the heavy carpenters pencils works better than a regular sharpie marker for the writing not to fade. I also picked up a couple of grease pencils the other day to give them a try this year.
greyphase
5 year old buck +
I've progressed from the carpenters pencil, through the grease pencil, and now I'm using a Sharpie Pro industrial strength marker. I found them on Amazon. The regular Sharpie that I was using on the temporary tree tags were fading around about 6 months. This Pro marker seems to be lasting much longer.
Trees are looking great Matt. The fridge is filling up with scion and I'm itching to get grafting. :D
Trees are looking great Matt. The fridge is filling up with scion and I'm itching to get grafting. :D
Bowsnbucks
5 year old buck +
Nice trees Ed. The spring planters should take right off from the looks of them. I also use metal tags in the field - engraved aluminum tied on a limb with #12 gauge insulated copper wire. No worries !!
buckvelvet
5 year old buck +
Anyone of you guys that transplant trees (apple/pear) on a regular basis from grafting at home every hurt a root structure bad enough to where the tree died in the end? I want to grow mine at home for a year or 2 but am a bit worried about this possibility?
aerospacefarmer
5 year old buck +
Growing in a container or straight in the dirt? In container it won't be an issue but you could have a shock factor digging out of nursery but it's done all the time by the guys at Cummins and I am sure Ed can give you some first hand experience
Turkey Creek
5 year old buck +
I do it all the time. We dont grow anything in pots. 1 year old tree no issues what so ever, 2 yr old tree you might prune the top back a bit depending on how much root you leave behind. I have never had a tree die when transplanted. Obviously the more root that remains intact the better.
CrazyEd
5 year old buck +
The dirt I am planting in is very loose and well drained so it's not a problem. I plan to just take my time, bring them out slow with as much root as possible, shouldn't be bad. Previously I was growing in extreme heavy clay that would be water logged in spring. That was a lot more work and thats why i had to put the raised beds/boxes in. My yard gets water logged in spring for a long time, I had to get the trees out of that stuff, but when i had them in there they still survived. It was just way more difficult to work Now it's easier.
leexrayshady
5 year old buck +
What was the mix that you used in your raised bed Ed?
CrazyEd
5 year old buck +
buckvelvet
5 year old buck +
CE,
How many trees did you fit in here? Spaced them around a foot? Roots tangle pretty bad when pulling them out for transplant?
How many trees did you fit in here? Spaced them around a foot? Roots tangle pretty bad when pulling them out for transplant?
Bowsnbucks
5 year old buck +
All that good organic stuff put the growth on 'em !! Nice. I use mushroom compost when I plant in the field too. I mix it with the existing top soil and set the trees in a good hole-full of it. Trees take right off. Nice raised bed, Ed !
CrazyEd
5 year old buck +
I dunno. There are a lot of trees, probably 150 or so. they are packed in tight, but growing like weeds. Don't know about spacing, it was basically try to fit them all in, that was the bottom line. I'll let you know on the roots after I dig.
Mahindra3016
5 year old buck +
CrazyED Do you have the trees is some kind of root trapping bag, or just planted in the soil? I plan on making a raised bed for the same purpose.
