Couple pics at my place

[foggy]

I took a few pics at my place I thought were interesting. I FINALLY have apples on a few of my trees this year. Some are ABUNDANT.


I planted about 3 acres of soybeans. Many are doing pretty well.....and some are eaten to the dirt.....as shown by this exclusion cage. Without the cage one might think the beans were weak.


I terminated some of my brasica efforts seeded into my soybeans. I left this plot....and while weedy.....it is working out OK.

 

[wiscwhip]

Have you put any urea on those brassicas?

 

[sandbur]

Tom-is that branch in danger of breaking off from too many apples?
What varieties are doing well?

 

[foggy]

Answers to Q's. No fertilizers on any of my plots yet this year. I wish I knew the rootstock or the variety of the trees I planted. Yep, some of the branches are over--laden with apples and in danger of breaking. I need to pull some apples off and / or support some of the branches (maybe tomorrow).

 

[foggy]

Also have lots of natural foods this year.....seems a good year for Acorns on my Burr Oak, lots of raspberries, and I always have lots of hazel.



Not too sure about my pics here. o_O

 

[foggy]

Regarding the apple trees. Last year I took Art's advice and added about 3 Fruit Tree Spikes to each tree. I also used an "earth auger" chucked into my deWalt drill......and drilled some 3" diameter holes in the ground under the trees.......to which I added some lime. Some apples on about 6 trees this year.......and I have about 20 total apple trees.

THANKS ART! Good advice. :)

 

[foggy]

Most of my Soybeans look like that in the pic below. This plot also doubles as my rifle range and was an old log "landing" at one time. I have a lick on the far end and a game camera....quite a few deer are using these plots.

I have about 3 acres of beans and they are barely staying ahead of the deer so far. Today I seeded into all of the beans with my fall mix......and then the rains came. :D :D

 

[scott44]

Good pics!

 

[sandbur]

Most of my Soybeans look like that in the pic below. This plot also doubles as my rifle range and was an old log "landing" at one time. I have a lick on the far end and a game camera....quite a few deer are using these plots.

I have about 3 acres of beans and they are barely staying ahead of the deer so far. Today I seeded into all of the beans with my fall mix......and then the rains came. :D :D
View attachment 6412

Looks good, Tom!

 

[SD51555]

Nice update Foggy. I'd lighten up some of those heavy limbs. Darn nice looking soybean plots. One take away from our overbrowsed soybeans from this year was, we need more soybeans. Maybe you gotta fire up the chainsaw and stump grinder for another clearing project? You haven't mentioned the grinder in a while.

 

[wiscwhip]

Those soybeans are beautiful considering the browse pressure they are receiving. Get some N on those brassicas soon and they will take off. Shouldn't be a problem for you to spread urea and do a little jig to wash it in.

 

[foggy]

Those soybeans are beautiful considering the browse pressure they are receiving. Get some N on those brassicas soon and they will take off. Shouldn't be a problem for you to spread urea and do a little jig to wash it in.

Agreed. My situation is that I have been unable to do much to my land this season.....as I have been sidelined with back issues and then needed to repair significant damage to my home property due to a windstorm. The fertilizer may happen in a week or so.....but I've had allot of other fish to fry. ;) (I know....excuses, excuses ;) )

I did get some more land opened up this spring and its now planted in rye. I need to get some lime on it and more beans next year. I did grind about 150 stumps out of my land earlier this year.

My land had most of the timber cut from it about ten years ago.....just before I bought it. The natural regen has finally gotten to the point where I am satisfied with the cover now. I got allot of new hardwood trees and plenty of pine trees to provide cover. I am trying to selective thin some pines and allow the birch, popple, and oak trees to become more numerous as well as create enough food plots and shooting lanes for the future.

^ I'm about 80% +toward reaching those goals. :)

 

[wiscwhip]

Nope, those are not excuses, those are just higher up the priority list and impossible to ignore.

 

[Satchmo]

Good looking beans you got there. With this rain, your fall mix should fill it in nicely. A guy NEVER wants to get to 100% of his goal anyway. All we would have to do then is drink beer, and even the best of us probably can't do that for 12 hours a day every day.

 

[foggy]

I remember talking with you about those apples a number of times over the years, I'm betting they are on antonovka rootstock and just took 7+ years to produce fruit.

Is antonvka rootstock a good thing, long term?

 

[tooln]

Looks good Tom, keep up the good work.

 

[sandbur]

Is antonvka rootstock a good thing, long term?

Tom, two of my anties are dying that have been in the ground for about 27 years. NW Greening and Red Baron are about done. It may not be a rootstock problem, but old sunscauld or maybe that borer. Dolgo still looks healthy on antie. This is on the sandy loam at Buckman.

Sandy soil in Cass County is a different thing. Many years ago, our county agent was grafting and growing apples by Walker. He told my uncle that the lifespan of trees seems to be shorter on the light soils. I'm not sure what rootstock he was talking about.

This would be a good question if anyone goes to the apple meeting at Staples on August 21.It's in the afternoon at Central Lakes College and costs $5. They are growing some apples on light soil, but none of the trees appear to be very old. An experienced person in the crowd might provide better information.

Could you also pick the brain of your local orchard?

Just a few words about the dolgo. It had no pruning and the red baron and NWG also did not until the last five years. However the dolgo has limbs shading the trunk on the southwest side. All three trees are in a somewhat exposed location. The red baron and NWG show damage from sunscauld and dying starts on the SW side.
Maybe the dolgo is just tougher, or maybe it just has enough limbs to protect the SW side from sunscauld.

There are 5 chestnut crabs on unknown rootstock that are doing pretty well and have been in the ground for 25 years or so.. One of these trees is in cass County light soils. Unknown rootstock, but I would have to assume it is from Bailey's. The trees are slightly smaller than the anties. One of the trees is showing some rootsuckers that I have planted and will graft too in the next few years. I got the feeling that this tree is a different rootstock than the other 4 as I purchased it form a different source.

Bailey is a supplier to many of the nurseries in Minnesota.

Tom- those dolgo seedlings that we bought together a few years ago are just about ready to bare, if I don't cut them all of for topworking! They must be 10-12 feet tall.

 

[sandbur]

Tom-if you are looking for advice on planting for the long term, I would....

Plant a haralson and chestnut crab on Bailey's standard size rootstock near your building where the family can enjoy some apples to eat. Wolf river might be another hardy choice for pie apples. Chestnut crab is an apple crab or lunch box crab and can be eaten out of hand. You all ready have one nice apple that is bearing!

All my other plantings would be hardy crab apples of different varieties for wildlife.

 

[foggy]

I'd tend to think low native ph is the long term problem on light, sandy soil, but could certainly be wrong. Fruit trees growing on light, sandy soil should receive an annual, heavy application of pell lime under the drip line.

If you look at my bean pic above (and previously posted) the ground looks light color in the foreground. That is the spot where I had a lime truck dump the dolmetic ag-lime load a few years back. I have put two to three tons /acre on most of my land.....and the trails. My PH runs up to about 7.....but I did not do a soil test this year. I gotta get that done......as I suppose my PH may start to drift lower at some point now. Without the lime.......the PH is under 5 in most areas......and growth is poor.

 

[foggy]

That'd be your ph at the depth you took soil samples....how about at 5'+?

I tilled my land after I applied the lime. Actually..........I use an old drill bit attached to an extension.......and coffee can set-up to take samples to a depth of about six inches. It's really quite accurate / even. This is gonna sound funny.......but.....in early life.....I used to work for MN Valley Testing Laboratories (MVTL) whom performs lots of soil testing for "big ag" as well as bacterial testing and such. ;) (I sold "oil analysis" to determine the wear to heavy engines, aircraft, and such.)

Here's my home-spun sampling set-up. Works pretty nice. The long bit is attached to a cordless drill. :)