A few blossoms started!

[greyphase]

Thanks Maya for a simple explanation on spraying .

 

[Maya]

Someone asked about hybrid Bur
oaks on the other site last year. I give them a thumbs up so far. I planted these in 2010. They've put on about 7' or so, and were planted in some real crappy gravel along a roadway. I have one in my lawn where there is better soil and it's about 9' tall.

 

[Jordan Selsor]

Awesome Maya! I am gonna steal your rain catcher idea. My orchard is on a slight hill side so Im just gonna put on the top side. Plan to put it on a platform a few ft off the ground.

 

[Maya]

It works great Jordon, but the roof needs to be added to. I've had about 1.5" of rain and only collected 30 gallons or so. It's about 5' x 6' now, I plan on adding another 6-8' as time permits.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Thanks, Maya for the spray info. We have no red cedar around us for several miles minimum, so CAR shouldn't be a problem. Camp location is a mountain top in N.C. Pa. Our planting method was to strip away a 40"x 40" square of sod, plant tree w/ added black, aged mushroom compost, put down landscape cloth equal to the 40" square. Then we wrapped the trunks w/ aluminum window screen ( stapled ) and piled 3" of pea-sized limestone gravel on top of the landscape cloth. The whole spot was then caged w/ 5' tall concrete mesh and staked w/ 1/2" re-bar. We applied 10 gal. of water over 2 days when planted. Since our location is remote, I drilled ( 4 ) 1/16" holes in the bottom of some 5 gal. buckets to put at each tree location on top of the gravel. When filled, the buckets slow-drip water to the trees over about a 12 hour period. The buckets were placed AFTER the initial 10 gal. watering at planting weekend.

The camp is an old farmstead with plenty of field area. The trees get lots of sun and plenty of breeze. We have a tractor & implements which we plow, disc, pack our food plots with. The apple trees were all planted in those field areas which will NOT be food plots. Don't want to chance root damage to them. Only mowing with tractors ( grass w/ a little clover ) around the apple trees. That's our situation. I thank you again for the expert advice on spraying. I'm going to try to get some pix of the trees next trip up to camp.

 

[Maya]

http://orchard.uvm.edu/2013NETFMGOrderForm.pdf

I've gotten a lot of PM's and some great questions, and I keep suggesting to get the NE fruit tree guide, here's a link. You can also contact your local extension service and see if they have something similar. I know Aero got one from Penn State. I'm sure it's the same thing just a little more geared for your area. Minnesota, Purdue, Michigan and NC all have exellent apple programs and I bet they have guides like this. They are a great reference on anything fruit tree!

I've got a seminar and tour of an orchard in NH tonight put on by UMass and UNH....can't wait!

mm111 Liberty about 10-12 yo.

 

[buckvelvet]

What size caliper is that Liberty? HA! :)

I really enjoy all these pictures gives me something to work towards with my soft mast plantings that I've done this year.

Some of the seedlings I planted specifically the hybrid wild crabs from native nursery have some seriously curved trunks. How do I get something like that to straighten out? You think they would straighten out on their own as they grow up the tube (only about a foot tall right now) and the tube is 5 foot tall or do I need to force it straighten out by tying it in like 3 spots to a stake?

 

[Maya]

It's good apple character! I love it so long as the tree is not leaning so much they may tip with soft wet soil and/or heavy crop load! So long as they have a decent start and fairly straight to begin with they do well. This is just reaching out for light, It's along a small strip of big Black Cherry. It looks more bent in the pic than it actually is.

 

[sandbur]

It's good apple character! I love it so long as the tree is not leaning so much they may tip with soft wet soil and/or heavy crop load! So long as they have a decent start and fairly straight to begin with they do well. This is just reaching out for light, It's along a small strip of big Black Cherry. It looks bore bent in the pic than it actually is.

The cowslips are in full bloom, now. That is 3-4 weeks behind.

Nanking bush cherry are starting to bloom and a few flowering crabs are close to blooming.

 

[chummer]

The cowslips are in full bloom, now. That is 3-4 weeks behind.

Nanking bush cherry are starting to bloom and a few flowering crabs are close to blooming.

I have tons of cow slips, are they good for anything?

 

[Maya]

The cowslips are in full bloom, now. That is 3-4 weeks behind.

Nanking bush cherry are starting to bloom and a few flowering crabs are close to blooming.

We were 8 days behind last year on bloom this year.

 

[Maya]

I got creamed! 3/4" - 1" hail. Trees are shredded, not sure how it will effect apples yet. Going to talk to a specialist from CPS this morning. Check out pics on my orchard page on Facebook if you are on it. Outback Orchard. I posted a bunch of pics there. Here's one during the storm.

 

[Maya]

All the leaves are ripped apart. The trees will re-grow leaves, but I'm not sure what will come of the fruit. This is what all the trees look like on every tree. The viens are turning brown and the trees are severely defoliated.

 

[Maya]

What should have been between 7 and 800 bushel might be lost....all the trees/ leaves are ripped apart like I went through the orchards w/ a weed wacker.

 

[BJE80]

Great pics

 

[Turkey Creek]

Maya that is heartbreaking. We get our fair share of hail in this area too often. Puts your stomach in a knot whenever you see the first stone hit the ground or hit the roof.

 

[buckvelvet]

Maya, terrible man! Can you post a link to your facebook I'd be happy to follow ya!

 

[buckvelvet]

Lol nvm i found you, no way it can't be you, 15oo apple trees, yes thats Maya! HA!

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Sorry to see the damage to your trees, Maya. I hope they come around again for you and you get some fruit.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I don't know what I did to cause 3 copies of my post to come up. Sorry! Found the way to clear them.