Recent content by Dantana

2023. Growing decent for my soils. I think it flowered this year but got hit by frost.

I have fruit trees planted on two properties separate by 140 miles. Deer camp is in northern MI, home is in the Thumb. Zone 5A, formerly 4b, for camp and 6A at home. Crabapple - nothing beats Droptine. Quickest to fruit at both places. Always produces. 30-06 is probably second. Similar to...

Can I still paint and seal this year? Or do it in the spring?

The damage…

Not what I wanted to see on my trip to camp. Three of my best late dropping producers - Enterprise, Droptine, and 30-06 - destroyed. So frustrating. I’ll definitely be putting in for my bear tag next year. In the meantime, it’s a waiting game until the rest of my trees get big enough to produce.

Do any of you with bears notice a change in deer patterns when the bears show up?

I started grafting a few years ago and like yourself, found it to be a daunting task initially. But after diving in, it's pretty easy. I have around a 75% success rate. Find rootstock compatible with your hardiness zone then graft 1-year old scion from the original tree onto it. Mehrabyan...

Pretty much every time I head up to camp in September and October I'm dealing with new limbs snapped on my fruit trees. Could be bears, could be raccoons (caught 2 in this orchard last weekend). Either way, it's super annoying. They especially target one particular orchard. Every single one of...

Blue Hill Nursery and Whitetail Crabs.

Are you guys waiting until dormancy to plant in the fall? Or can I plant anytime? I have some grafted trees from this spring that I would like to get in the ground this year, but they are still holding leaves.

Just put my trail cameras out last Saturday. Had my first bear on camera in less than 36 hours. Another one on camera 12 hours later. Between bears and coons I dont know how I'm ever going to get fruit to the deer.

First year planting red milo. First plot was planted July 6. That is doing decent. Second plot planted 2 weeks later, doing okay, not much rain since planting. Third plot planted a week ago, havent been up to check but also no rain. I fear I planted too late for the 2nd and 3rd plantings...

No. My pear trees are still pretty young (3rd growing season I believe). The majority of them had blossoms but fruit never materialized.

I have a couple Kerr but wasn’t able to get any scion from them this spring. My topworking has had good graft success, but not good growth. I think I’m leaving too many nurse branches that are taking up all the nutrients.

This thread has me really wishing I had planted more Trailman and Chestnut. Currently only have 1 of each, both young and not yet producing. I did graft a few Trailman this past spring. I will probably topwork a few trees next year with Chesnut.