Apple Tree Protection Advice

[Prelude8626]

I have 6 apple trees coming at the end of the month. I was wondering what you all have found is the best way to protect them once you plant them. Also, if your fencing them in with welded wire how big should you make it (only want to make the cage once). Thanks

 

[Catscratch]

Aluminum window screen around the trunk, 5ft fence around the tree.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[Native Hunter]

I've changed things around over the years, but here is my current method:

• 5 foot high welded wire fence at least 3 feet diameter, and preferably more
• two electric fence posts to hold cage - using cable ties (fence opening is at 6 o'clock. Posts are at 10 and 2 o'clock) This makes it easy to get in later for maintenance. Make sure you fix the opening in a way that it is easy to get into later on. Two bent wires will hold it fine.
• fabric mat on the ground - 4 x 4 feet or something around that size. Put down with steeples
• window screen with two slits cut on the bottom side to make it hug the ground when I put two steeples down - (see pic below) This helps keep rodents from pushing under the screen.

This is a small pear tree I set this weekend. Pic is a little blurry and I didn't notice it until I got home.

 

[Prelude8626]

I've changed things around over the years, but here is my current method:

• 5 foot high welded wire fence at least 3 feet diameter, and preferably more
• two electric fence posts to hold cage - using cable ties (fence opening is at 6 o'clock. Posts are at 10 and 2 o'clock) This makes it easy to get in later for maintenance. Make sure you fix the opening in a way that it is easy to get into later on. Two bent wires will hold it fine.
• fabric mat on the ground - 4 x 4 feet or something around that size. Put down with steeples
• window screen with two slits cut on the bottom side to make it hug the ground when I put two steeples down - (see pic below) This helps keep rodents from pushing under the screen.

This is a small pear tree I set this weekend. Pic is a little blurry and I didn't notice it until I got home.

how do you attach the window screen to make it wrap around?

 

[Native Hunter]

how do you attach the window screen to make it wrap around?

Sorry, I forgot to give that info. I use a regular office staple gun and put in three or four staples. I learned that trick from Crazy Ed on this forum. You wouldn't think about those office staples lasting a long time out in the weather, but they do. You can check them every few years when doing maintenance around your trees.

 

[scott44]

I do very simular to Native except I use more fence, I cut a 4' X 4' piece of weed fabric and run the fence around the fabric with a 5' pvc conduit in all 4 corners, 2' of window screen up the trunk and pea stone for a mulch.

 

[Native Hunter]

I do very simular to Native except I use more fence, I cut a 4' X 4' piece of weed fabric and run the fence around the fabric with a 5' pvc conduit in all 4 corners, 2' of window screen up the trunk and pea stone for a mulch.

That's a first class job!

 

[homerj]

I see a roll of concrete wire, but I only see welded wire around your trees? Do you use the concrete mesh for something else?

 

[scott44]

I see a roll of concrete wire, but I only see welded wire around your trees? Do you use the concrete mesh for something else?

I picked that up last year after everthing was planted, going to use it this year.

 

[BuckSnort]

I grabbed a 50’ roll of hardware cloth on sale from Amazon about a month ago, I’m going to switch over to that this year for around the base of the tree hoping it’s easier to work with than the window screen.

 

[SwampCat]

I also knock all the fruit off mine for about the first four or five years or the coons and possums will break all the branches. After that, they are usually stout enough to support a coon. No fruit ever makes it to the ground

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Scott44, post #6 - Your pix are just what we do at camp, except we use concrete mesh when we plant. It stands up on it's own, reducing the staking numbers. Even the sunny field location is the same as ours !! You ought to kick butt with your apple trees.

I learned so much on this forum - like the system in Scott's pix. Crazy Ed, Maya, Appleman, and others got us on the right track. Our first attempt years before was using black, corrugated drain pipe for "protection". Those ended up as mouse & vole hotels and we lost all those trees.

 

[pinetag14]

I do very simular to Native except I use more fence, I cut a 4' X 4' piece of weed fabric and run the fence around the fabric with a 5' pvc conduit in all 4 corners, 2' of window screen up the trunk and pea stone for a mulch.

Man scott, you must have $500 just in protection materials! You ain't playing around.

 

[aerospacefarmer]

And you guys worry about the time and cost to spray lol. Let the deer prune and spray minimally for great tree protection. 30 06 is great protection also

 

[Native Hunter]

Caging an apple tree around deer has nothing to do with cost and nothing to do with time.

It has everything to do with common sense. Why buy a tree and watch it either eaten to the ground or all the bark rubbed off with antlers...……….

If you plant good apples there is no need to spray, but there is always a need to cage apple trees in deer country.

 

[Mortenson]

I got my start with 2 beautiful box store pear trees. Grabbed a couple kids and went out and planted them. Stood there and admired them. Came back the following day to cage them with 2 old tomato cages made from concrete remesh, and they were completely defoliated by the deer already. That was a quick education.

 

[aerospacefarmer]

Caging an apple tree around deer has nothing to do with cost and nothing to do with time.

It has everything to do with common sense. Why buy a tree and watch it either eaten to the ground or all the bark rubbed off with antlers...……….

If you plant good apples there is no need to spray, but there is always a need to cage apple trees in deer country.

Caging has a lot to do with cost and time. You can cage a tree with 15ft of welded wire fence and a wooden stake or 2 to anchor. This certainly gets the obvious done which is protecting your tree without spending a lot of money for posts and 5 ft high fencing. And I believe you get better apples and healthier trees when you spray. I have over 400 fruit trees with 4 ft high cages and are sprayed each year and I get plenty of fruit from healthy trees. Just my 2 cents

 

[aerospacefarmer]

I got my start with 2 beautiful box store pear trees. Grabbed a couple kids and went out and planted them. Stood there and admired them. Came back the following day to cage them with 2 old tomato cages made from concrete remesh, and they were completely defoliated by the deer already. That was a quick education.

Time to cage is imeadiately for sure

 

[4wanderingeyes]

I got my start with 2 beautiful box store pear trees. Grabbed a couple kids and went out and planted them. Stood there and admired them. Came back the following day to cage them with 2 old tomato cages made from concrete remesh, and they were completely defoliated by the deer already. That was a quick education.

I planted 12 one year, I had enough caging for 9, being I live 200 miles away, it was a weekend thing, so I waiting until the following weekend and the other 3 were demolished. I looked at the cameras and saw that hours after I planted them, the deer were on them and destroyed them, in the daylight. Yes, cage them the same day as planting them.

Most of my cameras now are cell cameras, so I see what is going on in practically real time. I have noticed if I go out and cut some trees down with the chain saw, it takes about a half hour, and the deer are there eating the tree tops. They must recognize the sound of the chain saw and come running!

 

[Native Hunter]

Caging has a lot to do with cost and time. You can cage a tree with 15ft of welded wire fence and a wooden stake or 2 to anchor. This certainly gets the obvious done which is protecting your tree without spending a lot of money for posts and 5 ft high fencing. And I believe you get better apples and healthier trees when you spray. I have over 400 fruit trees with 4 ft high cages and are sprayed each year and I get plenty of fruit from healthy trees. Just my 2 cents

Four foot cages don't work where I live, because the deer eat the tops out of the young trees. I've already been though that.

I get loads and loads of health fruit every year without doing any spraying, and my trees are healthy as well. I think you should keep doing what works for you, and I will keep doing what works for me.