Fruit Tree Guide

[R.E. Gould]

We have some wicked thick Red Cedar stands a few hundred yards away from the apple trees (and red cedars and junipers in all directions generally). Not good for the apples, but great deer cover. We have a place in the Adirondacks that is CAR host free... looking forward to trying a broader range of 'spray free' varieties up there. If you aren't worried about CAR, it seems the list can be quite a bit longer.

 

[Merle Hawggard]

Merle -
Goldrush is a great eater, isn't it??!! Goldrush and Crimson Topaz are my favorite eaters. Crimson Topaz is very similar to Goldrush in taste - sweet, but with a nice tartness to it. Tangy. They're both late apples - but that's OK with me - worth the wait!!

Yes! Definitely going to keep it sprayed if just for our personal use.
Deer have plenty of others to choose from.

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[Troubles Trees]

I have looked off and on for organic amendments to add to the soil at the time of planting for bare root fruit trees on here, and Googling it online. It seems a topic similar to Beekeeping where one swears to do it this way and the next one says never to do it that way. I have the soil sample in the box and dropping it off for a soil test tonight after work, my last soil test was 15 years ago and the results were lost in a fire. I only recall the PH was 5.5 and my soil naturally were very low in P and K so my question is:

Does it hurt a bare root fruit tree if I add Lime and other organic amendments like Bone Meal, Potash or Greensand to the dirt prior to back filling?

My soil sucks, everything I have planted grows very slowly, that has improved some just by surface broadcasting triple 19 on established plantings in the spring. Everything I read says the best way to use most fertilizers is to mix it in the soil since the P & K aren't mobile in the soil except Nitrogen that moves through the soil well. I only want to add P&K things because of the risk of burning new roots with N and despite looking for 0-20-20 we don't have anyone locally that carries it. My Blue Hill Pears and Persimmons will be here in a couple weeks and want to give them a good start but also not screw this up :)

 

[woodduck]

I have looked off and on for organic amendments to add to the soil at the time of planting for bare root fruit trees on here, and Googling it online. It seems a topic similar to Beekeeping where one swears to do it this way and the next one says never to do it that way. I have the soil sample in the box and dropping it off for a soil test tonight after work, my last soil test was 15 years ago and the results were lost in a fire. I only recall the PH was 5.5 and my soil naturally were very low in P and K so my question is:

Does it hurt a bare root fruit tree if I add Lime and other organic amendments like Bone Meal or Greensand to the dirt prior to back filling?

My soil sucks, everything I have planted grows very slowly, that has improved some just by surface broadcasting triple 19 on established plantings in the spring. Everything I read says the best way to use most fertilizers is to mix it in the soil since the P & K aren't mobile in the soil except Nitrogen that moves through the soil well. I only want to add P&K things because of the risk of burning new roots with N and despite looking for 0-20-20 we don't have anyone locally that carries it. My Blue Hill Pears and Persimmons will be here in a couple weeks and want to give them a good start but also not screw this up :)

Blue Hill sells a 2 or 3lb bag of P&K fertilizer to mix in the soil at planting time. I think it is enough to plant 8 or 12 trees if I remember correctly. I have always mixed wood ashes into my soil at planting time. Wood ashes contain P&K but very small amounts.

 

[Troubles Trees]

Blue Hill sells a 2 or 3lb bag of P&K fertilizer to mix in the soil at planting time

Ryan has been out of that fertilizer since last year, I keep checking back but it always says sold out.

I do have a few thousand individually wrapped tree-prep tablets that are just for this purpose I will likely use. I just got frustrated looking online for any clear information on this. I found an article from Oregon State University that says --> "Nitrogen or other macronutrients should be applied in the second year. Research indicates that applying fertilizers in August or early September maximizes nutrient uptake and is more efficient than late winter fertilization. Early season fertilization is often leached. Late summer to fall fertilization at the time of your last irrigation is taken more directly into the tree, helping to make healthy buds, spurs and shoots for the coming year without stimulating late growth."

That goes against the grain of everything else I have read regarding when to fertilize trees.

Fertilizing fruit trees

Fruit trees like apples, pears and prunes generally need fertilizer. Learn how to match your orchard's needs with the macronutrients the soil can provide.

extension.oregonstate.edu

 

[Telemark]

Ryan has been out of that fertilizer since last year, I keep checking back but it always says sold out.

I do have a few thousand individually wrapped tree-prep tablets that are just for this purpose I will likely use. I just got frustrated looking online for any clear information on this. I found an article from Oregon State University that says --> "Nitrogen or other macronutrients should be applied in the second year. Research indicates that applying fertilizers in August or early September maximizes nutrient uptake and is more efficient than late winter fertilization. Early season fertilization is often leached. Late summer to fall fertilization at the time of your last irrigation is taken more directly into the tree, helping to make healthy buds, spurs and shoots for the coming year without stimulating late growth."

That goes against the grain of everything else I have read regarding when to fertilize trees.

Fertilizing fruit trees

Fruit trees like apples, pears and prunes generally need fertilizer. Learn how to match your orchard's needs with the macronutrients the soil can provide.

extension.oregonstate.edu

Is that in general, or specific to Oregon's climate?

 

[Troubles Trees]

Is that in general, or specific to Oregon's climate?

That is a good question, I don't see anywhere in that section or in the header that says it only pertains to their part of the country. In fact the only part they talk about their specific area is in general what soils in Oregon are both lacking and have excess of. Since it refers to "research indicates that applying fertilizers in August or early September" I clicked around to see what research they were speaking about but didn't find anything.

I will look a little more today if things slow down.

 

[Troubles Trees]

So I googled "research indicates that applying fertilizers in August or early September" and found this article which says the same thing in a few different areas.
"Pecan trees loaded with nuts can benefit from a fertilizing with nitrogen in August"
And "Late August and September are good times to fertilize many plants to ready them for better fall growing conditions and prepare plants for winter."

John Begnaud: Late summer a good time to fertilize plants

Late August and September are good times to fertilize many plants to ready them for better fall growing conditions and prepare plants for winter.

www.gosanangelo.com

And this one is based out of California but also states "Research indicates that summer fertilizer applications (August to mid-September) are more efficient than late winter (traditional) applications".

Fertilization

The California Backyard Orchard - Fertilization

homeorchard.ucanr.edu

I will Google it a few different ways but I would like to see the actual research before I change my thoughts on it.

 

[Telemark]

Pecan growing areas and California have very different climates to the Midwest. I would definitely try to find more info on the research they mention.

 

[sandbur]

Here are some opinions on KinderKrisp from a very experienced person in Alberta. I found it interesting and wanted to share it. My KK has survived very brief periods of -42F. One of the Canadian’s comments is that it is 1/2 of a zone hardier than Honeycrisp. Canadian zones are measured a bit differently than our zones.

KK was developed by a small orchard it central Minnesota. On my place, it has not been a heavy producer, but reasonable amounts of fruit are produced.

I do have some young, open pollinated seedlings of KK that have not produced yet.

 

[sandbur]

Here are some opinions on KinderKrisp from a very experienced person in Alberta. I found it interesting and wanted to share it. My KK has survived very brief periods of -42F. One of the Canadian’s comments is that it is 1/2 of a zone hardier than Honeycrisp. Canadian zones are measured a bit differently than our zones.

KK was developed by a small orchard it central Minnesota. On my place, it has not been a heavy producer, but reasonable amounts of fruit are produced.

I do have some young, open pollinated seedlings of KK that have not produced yet.View attachment 50177

 

[OakSeeds]

What Telemark said ... "Pecan growing areas and California have very different climates to the Midwest. I would definitely try to find more info on the research they mention."

 

[Kooch]

Here are some opinions on KinderKrisp from a very experienced person in Alberta. I found it interesting and wanted to share it. My KK has survived very brief periods of -42F. One of the Canadian’s comments is that it is 1/2 of a zone hardier than Honeycrisp. Canadian zones are measured a bit differently than our zones.

KK was developed by a small orchard it central Minnesota. On my place, it has not been a heavy producer, but reasonable amounts of fruit are produced.

I do have some young, open pollinated seedlings of KK that have not produced yet.View attachment 50177

I admit I didn’t read the entire thread. Sandbur, are you the tree grower in central Minnesota they talk about?


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