WTNUT
5 year old buck +
I have some time today, so thought I would give back. I learned so very much from experts (I am not an expert just a guy who has a ton of trees and has learned a lot over the years) early on while on the old forum and then this one. The following are some things that you need to really think hard about and consider doing when you are learning and starting out. Again, dang I was hard headed early on and wish I had listened more and not said “well I and just planting trees for deer I don’t need to worry about THAT”.
1. If you are in an area that has risks for fireblight, do NOT plant trees that are highly susceptible to fireblight. It is a bad deal and you can’t beat it.
2. Plant more trees that are disease resistant and less of the old heirlooms UNLESS you are truly ready to commit a lot of time to caring for them. For example, a Liberty apple may be the best apple out there for someone who wants to plant an apple tree for deer.
3. If planting for deer, pears that are fireblight resistant are the easiest tree to plant, and my favorite pears are the Asian Pears. They are the easiest to grow and they hang on the tree forever.
4. Training your apple tree to a central leader and Christmas Tree shape the first 5-6 years will save you time over the long run and make pruning much easier.
5. When training just use wire to pull you laters down. Run wire between the lateral and your cage.
6. Buy a roll of livestock fencing with 6 inch squares and make your cages. Count 24 squares and cut the fencing and you have about the right size cage. Make sure the fencing is 5 feet tall.
7. Use electrical conduit to stake your cages. Weave it though the squares three pieces to a cage.
8. Always used conduit to stake your new trees up. They grow much better and straighter staked than not.
9. You are growing fruit not firewood. That means don’t be afraid to prune your trees. Pruning is good for them it stimulates growth and production.
10. As trees mature and produce more fruit, if things are in balance you will need less and less pruning. If you spend more than 5 minutes pruning a 10 year old tree something is out of balance. You didn’t prune any last year, there was poor fruit production, there was too much fertilizer -something is off.
11. Adopt some type of spraying program you can keep up with year to year. Mine is a mix of copper and oil pre bud break. Captain and Imidan AFTER blooming is complete. I spray once a month for three months. Many spray more, but this works for me.
12. If you have deer, do not waste your time leaving a first row of laterals lower than at least 5.5 feet above the ground. Any lower and the deer are going to rob you of apples long before they are ready to be picked or fall.
13. If you need a lateral on the central leader score (cut into the central leader) right above a bud.
14. For wildlife in a food plot or anything you want to mow around plant trees at least 21 feet apart within a row. Pay attention to the words “at least” because 28 is better when you are trying to mow around them.
15. Get the right rootstock for your soil. For me, M7, M111 and B118 are all great for wildlife when planting apples.
16. Here is a controversial one, but there is a place for big box fruit trees. At times you can find some really good trees at Rural King for example. I bought 6 this week. Just get the right variety don’t buy a bad variety because the tree looks good. Remember container trees can be root bound so bust the crap out of that root ball when you plant it.
17. You can’t did too big of a hole when planting trees, just make sure you compact your lifts when your put soil back in and avoid dead air space.
18. Another good one if you plant a tree especially bare root and don’t get at least 4 feet of growth the first year, cut the central leader back a good bit at the end of the first year and watch for year two. If it does not jump up light a rocket year two, dig it up at the end of season and plant another tree there that fall.
19. On bare root trees, keep the lateral sprouts picked off nest to the top of the central leader as it grows the first couple years. Really promotes vertical growth.
20. Don’t be afraid to move a good size tree if you need to. As long as they are dormant, you can transplant with ease. I have moved 12-15 feet tall trees that were 8-10 year olds by hand (not my first choice I prefer the excavator). Essential they are just a big bare root tree at that point. When you plant them use fence post, wire and old garden hose to stake and secure them really well.
That is not an all inclusive list but a good list of things I have learned.
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1. If you are in an area that has risks for fireblight, do NOT plant trees that are highly susceptible to fireblight. It is a bad deal and you can’t beat it.
2. Plant more trees that are disease resistant and less of the old heirlooms UNLESS you are truly ready to commit a lot of time to caring for them. For example, a Liberty apple may be the best apple out there for someone who wants to plant an apple tree for deer.
3. If planting for deer, pears that are fireblight resistant are the easiest tree to plant, and my favorite pears are the Asian Pears. They are the easiest to grow and they hang on the tree forever.
4. Training your apple tree to a central leader and Christmas Tree shape the first 5-6 years will save you time over the long run and make pruning much easier.
5. When training just use wire to pull you laters down. Run wire between the lateral and your cage.
6. Buy a roll of livestock fencing with 6 inch squares and make your cages. Count 24 squares and cut the fencing and you have about the right size cage. Make sure the fencing is 5 feet tall.
7. Use electrical conduit to stake your cages. Weave it though the squares three pieces to a cage.
8. Always used conduit to stake your new trees up. They grow much better and straighter staked than not.
9. You are growing fruit not firewood. That means don’t be afraid to prune your trees. Pruning is good for them it stimulates growth and production.
10. As trees mature and produce more fruit, if things are in balance you will need less and less pruning. If you spend more than 5 minutes pruning a 10 year old tree something is out of balance. You didn’t prune any last year, there was poor fruit production, there was too much fertilizer -something is off.
11. Adopt some type of spraying program you can keep up with year to year. Mine is a mix of copper and oil pre bud break. Captain and Imidan AFTER blooming is complete. I spray once a month for three months. Many spray more, but this works for me.
12. If you have deer, do not waste your time leaving a first row of laterals lower than at least 5.5 feet above the ground. Any lower and the deer are going to rob you of apples long before they are ready to be picked or fall.
13. If you need a lateral on the central leader score (cut into the central leader) right above a bud.
14. For wildlife in a food plot or anything you want to mow around plant trees at least 21 feet apart within a row. Pay attention to the words “at least” because 28 is better when you are trying to mow around them.
15. Get the right rootstock for your soil. For me, M7, M111 and B118 are all great for wildlife when planting apples.
16. Here is a controversial one, but there is a place for big box fruit trees. At times you can find some really good trees at Rural King for example. I bought 6 this week. Just get the right variety don’t buy a bad variety because the tree looks good. Remember container trees can be root bound so bust the crap out of that root ball when you plant it.
17. You can’t did too big of a hole when planting trees, just make sure you compact your lifts when your put soil back in and avoid dead air space.
18. Another good one if you plant a tree especially bare root and don’t get at least 4 feet of growth the first year, cut the central leader back a good bit at the end of the first year and watch for year two. If it does not jump up light a rocket year two, dig it up at the end of season and plant another tree there that fall.
19. On bare root trees, keep the lateral sprouts picked off nest to the top of the central leader as it grows the first couple years. Really promotes vertical growth.
20. Don’t be afraid to move a good size tree if you need to. As long as they are dormant, you can transplant with ease. I have moved 12-15 feet tall trees that were 8-10 year olds by hand (not my first choice I prefer the excavator). Essential they are just a big bare root tree at that point. When you plant them use fence post, wire and old garden hose to stake and secure them really well.
That is not an all inclusive list but a good list of things I have learned.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk