A few habitat pics I thought you might enjoy

[Native Hunter]

I topworked persimmons today. I had a few that I had already identified as males and a few more that I decided to go ahead and work before being able to determine their sex. Here is my method for bark grafting:

• If a tree has already been identified as a male, I mark it with a blue ribbon.
• At the time I graft, I add another striped ribbon and write the name of the cultivar on with a magic marker. If the tree takes and does well, it will get a metal ID tag next year.
• I first wrap the graft with the green grafting tape that has no adhesive. Then I go over that with electrical tape to get it tighter. The electrical tape can be removed later on without pulling on the bark of the tree and the green can be left as long as you want.
• I use the Wound Sealer that comes with a brush. Wax is fine but not as durable as the sealer. If keeping moisture out for a long period of time is important, the sealer will last longer. Rain can beat wax away.
• I may be going to a lot of trouble and overdoing some things, but I had a 95% success rate last year, so I'm not changing anything.

Some of my fall plots are looking good and others are just so so. This is one of the good ones.

A Northern Whitetail Crab planted one year ago. Loaded with blooms this year.

Another one planted last year.

A Box Store Apple with 2 years growth.

A weeping limbertwig in the fog. I thought this pic was cool. It will really be weeping when the apples start growing.

While I was topworking today. I had some mighty good help to come and do some mowing. Dad loves running that big bat wing hog.

A few more miscellaneous recent pics.

That's about it guys. Next job is to continue working in my tree planting. I'm building a road behind my white pine road screen and doing some chainsaw work and stump spraying. More to come in a few days. Thanks for looking....

 

[Turkey Creek]

Looking good!

 

[Telemark]

If you have a bad pear that is too big to topwork, here is something you can do:

How big is too big?

 

[Native Hunter]

How big is too big?

For academic purposes, let's say around 4 inches DBH. In reality you could probably do bigger and everything end up okay, but one important part of success is getting the wound to heal over in a reasonable amount of time and without long term decay of the wood. The larger you go, the more the risk of that not happening sets in.

I would suggest that you watch some of the videos on the Internet of topworking. You will see some big trees being done. I just can't speak for how those trees fared long term. This would be a good question to post for our forum member: "What is the largest tree you have successfully topworked and got healing without any decay?" I personally would be interested in hearing the answers.

I was just looking at some of the small trees yesterday that I topworked last year. Many of them have completely closed in the gap in only one season of growing. I feel really good about the long term health of a tree like that. Look at the pic below. This was after one season.

 

[H20fwler]

Nice pics Native, it already looks like summer on your place!

 

[ghilliehunter]

I topworked persimmons today. I had a few that I had already identified as males and a few more that I decided to go ahead and work before being able to determine their sex. Here is my method for bark grafting:

• If a tree has already been identified as a male, I mark it with a blue ribbon.
• At the time I graft, I add another striped ribbon and write the name of the cultivar on with a magic marker. If the tree takes and does well, it will get a metal ID tag next year.
• I first wrap the graft with the green grafting tape that has no adhesive. Then I go over that with electrical tape to get it tighter. The electrical tape can be removed later on without pulling on the bark of the tree and the green can be left as long as you want.
• I use the Wound Sealer that comes with a brush. Wax is fine but not as durable as the sealer. If keeping moisture out for a long period of time is important, the sealer will last longer. Rain can beat wax away.
• I may be going to a lot of trouble and overdoing some things, but I had a 95% success rate last year, so I'm not changing anything.

Some of my fall plots are looking good and others are just so so. This is one of the good ones.

A Northern Whitetail Crab planted one year ago. Loaded with blooms this year.

Another one planted last year.

A Box Store Apple with 2 years growth.

A weeping limbertwig in the fog. I thought this pic was cool. It will really be weeping when the apples start growing.

While I was topworking today. I had some mighty good help to come and do some mowing. Dad loves running that big bat wing hog.

A few more miscellaneous recent pics.

That's about it guys. Next job is to continue working in my tree planting. I'm building a road behind my white pine road screen and doing some chainsaw work and stump spraying. More to come in a few days. Thanks for looking....

Love the turkey pics!

 

[Native Hunter]

I got my road behind the road screen almost finished. I did all this with a DR mower and chain saw. Along with what I did last year, I now have a road behind the screen that I can drive a tractor and bushhog through along the entire length. This will also help the white pines to not shed their lower limbs, because they will continue to get some sunlight.

Found this tiny oak at the edge of the road - apparently from an acorn. Trees are getting big enough now that some are starting to drop.

Instead of road building looks like I should have been turkey hunting. I surprised these when I drove in the other morning. One of them has a heck of a paint brush. They scattered like a bunch of wild turkeys...:)

Apple set is incredible here this year. Nearly all trees are loaded. I will be eating apples off this one in 50 days. Earliest apple I grow.

A man who does a lot of habitat work wears out a lot of shovels. I won't tell you how many I've gone through. ;)

 

[scott44]

Looking Good! I've been thinking of getting a DR brush mower, what one do you have?

 

[Native Hunter]

Looking Good! I've been thinking of getting a DR brush mower, what one do you have?

Scott, mine is really an old model. I doubt they make that exact one anymore. If I remember correctly the motor is 17 horsepower Kawasaki , and at the time I bought it, it was one of the largest ones. I think the cut is 32 inches.

It really works well in places that are too tight for a tractor. It will easily cut anything that it can ride down, and sometimes I will even run it up on a tree it can't ride down. It will grind them right down. As an example, it will go right over and chop up a 5 or 6 foot high red cedar in high gear and you won't even hear the motor slow down. A big sweetgum is no problem. Anything around 2 inches or less at the ground is whacked like butter. I've been using it for years and never even had to change the belt. All I do is change the oil, and it did get tuned up last year. And, I forgot, last year I had to have a place welded on the deck, but that is all.

I recommend getting the largest they sell. I really love mine.

 

[scott44]

Scott, mine is really an old model. I doubt they make that exact one anymore. If I remember correctly the motor is 17 horsepower Kawasaki , and at the time I bought it, it was one of the largest ones. I think the cut is 32 inches.

It really works well in places that are too tight for a tractor. It will easily cut anything that it can ride down, and sometimes I will even run it up on a tree it can't ride down. It will grind them right down. As an example, it will go right over and chop up a 5 or 6 foot high red cedar in high gear and you won't even hear the motor slow down. A big sweetgum is no problem. Anything around 2 inches or less at the ground is whacked like butter. I've been using it for years and never even had to change the belt. All I do is change the oil, and it did get tuned up last year. And, I forgot, last year I had to have a place welded on the deck, but that is all.

I recommend getting the largest they sell. I really love mine.

Thanks!

 

[Merle Hawggard]

I'm thinking a little jb weld will have that shovel ready to go again in no time!

Good to hear the apples are going to produce too. I like deer food we can eat.

Sent from my SM-S903VL using Tapatalk

 

[Native Hunter]

I'm thinking a little jb weld will have that shovel ready to go again in no time!

Good to hear the apples are going to produce too. I like deer food we can eat.

Sent from my SM-S903VL using Tapatalk

Merle, I'm really attached to that shovel....

Seriously, I've been watching apples for several years and never seen a fruit set like this time. Of course, we don't count the chickens before they hatch. On the other hand, this is the worst year for pears I have ever seen.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Say hello to that young gent about to climb into the New Holland, Native !! Did he take a break from coyote patrol ??

Nice turkeys, too. No surprise with all you have planted there. They don't look skinny !! That gob draped on top of the wood pile looks like a dandy. Congrats !!

Glad to hear you have big fruit-set on the apples. Sounds like you'll have some to eat AND feed your critters.

 

[Native Hunter]

Say hello to that young gent about to climb into the New Holland, Native !! Did he take a break from coyote patrol ??

Nice turkeys, too. No surprise with all you have planted there. They don't look skinny !! That gob draped on top of the wood pile looks like a dandy. Congrats !!

Glad to hear you have big fruit-set on the apples. Sounds like you'll have some to eat AND feed your critters.

Thanks Bows. Dad has been hunting the yotes since he mowed. There is a pair nearby, because I keep getting them on camera, but he hasn't got a shot at one yet. There was one evening he hunted and said the whole place was just covered with deer, so he left early that evening.

I will keep you posted on how the apple crop does this year.

 

[Knehrke]

One of the items on my to-do list this weekend is to replace the dry-rotted tires on my DR. It's one of the first generation 14.5 hp "pro" setups they used to sell twenty years ago and it's a beast. Still running great.

 

[Native Hunter]

One of the items on my to-do list this weekend is to replace the dry-rotted tires on my DR. It's one of the first generation 14.5 hp "pro" setups they used to sell twenty years ago and it's a beast. Still running great.

They seem to be pretty tough and hold up well. Sounds like you are preparing for the next 20 years.

 

[Telemark]

What kind of apple is that, Nativehunter?

 

[Native Hunter]

What kind of apple is that, Nativehunter?

It's called Striped June (aka Margret). It will be ripe by mid to late June here. It's a small red apple - about 2 to 2.5 inches. I don't care for the taste much myself, but my son likes them. They are too tart for me.

A much better early apple IMHO is Bevan's Favorite. The taste is great and it will be ripe sometime in July.

Both of those early apples are highly disease resistant and easy to grow. I've never seen a hint of fireblight on either one, and the leaves stay very clean looking. That's hard to say about any apple in my neck of the woods.

Here is an old thread where you can see pictures of both apples.

http://habitat-talk.com/index.php?threads/bevans-favorite.7742/#post-145624

 

[Bill]

I can't believe how much green you have already! Trail cams tell me my clover only broke dormancy about a week ago and very little green on trees.

Looking good around there!

 

[Native Hunter]

I can't believe how much green you have already! Trail cams tell me my clover only broke dormancy about a week ago and very little green on trees.

Looking good around there!

Thanks Bill. I would have thought we would be about the same in green up, but I guess not.