Recent content by Preacherman

I’m looking for several dozen scions from American female persimmons. Would prefer you know the variety like Yates, etc.2/25/23

Thank you. I appreciate the info.

Do you know a good source for Droptine and Golden Hornet?

Are you referring to apples only? What varieties are you planting that are late blooming?

Thanks for explaining why people plant two trees when planting AB. I’m going to look a second time at planting an AB.

Thanks for two of you suggesting maybe frost pockets. Generally my eight acres lies in a shallow valley between two ridges. On the eight acres I have, there are low and high areas. Most of my trees are planted on the high areas. But overall you may be right although out temperatures at the...

Don’t the Ark Blacks take two pollinators. If so what do you use to pollinate? They would have to bloom late too.

Weather-wise is Tennessee the worst state to grow fruit trees? Since I moved to TN eight years ago from FL, I have planted around 50 fruit trees- apples, peaches, pears, persimmons (American and Asian), figs, cherries, crabapples as well as chestnuts. Since most of my trees became mature...

I grow American persimmons from seeds in pots and within two years I cut them off and graft scions (both American female and Japanese) into them. Growing American persimmons from seeds produces (in my opinion) far more male trees than female and you won’t know if you have a female for about 4...

I would refer you to Grafting Persimmons: Step One & Step Two (QDMA) Osborn and Miller. They suggest cutting scions from January to early March and small enough to go into a gal. Ziploc. Wrap the scions in a damp (not wet) paper towel and put in the Ziploc and place in refrigerator until...

If you need too, you can order some mason bee cocoons from Crown Bees to get started. Not cheap but now would be the time. But starting off by seeing if there are some close enough to you to find your nesting house just might work.

I leave my reeds and drilled wood nesting blocks for mason bees outside until mid May. Then I take the reeds which I have in small bundles and put them in a plastic container in my shed. I cover the container with cheesecloth to keep a small wasp (main predator) from getting to them. Over the...

Although there are around 20,000 varieties of bees, solitary bees as far as I know don’t sting. If you catch one in your fist, they may bite trying to get free but that hardly hurts. Solitary bees do not make honey. They’re useful as great pollinators. Those TS houses will attract some bees but...

I hope you didn’t get the short houses like Tractor Supply sells. Mason bees love reeds that are 5/16” X 6” while Leafcutters prefer 1/4” X 6”. Reeds made of cardboard material in these sizes were reasonably priced BB (Before Biden). I try to place my houses under an overhang out of the rain...

I am familiar with Leafcutter bees and they are smaller than mason bees and are summer bees that are terrific pollinators for flowers and gardens. They are similar to mason bees but uses pieces of leaves instead of mud to close up the egg and nectar loaf in each compartment within a reed or...