Fruit Tree Progress Pictures

[Spiider]

I've still got to clean up around a number of trees to get some pics but these are my latest additions from this Spring. All purchased from Grandpas Orchard.

Planted 2 Redhaven Peach trees with my youngest son


Planted 2 Stella and 1 BlackGold cherry trees with my middle son


Planted 2 Bartlett Pear trees with my oldest son (getting some Keiffer next year)


Last year I planted just under a dozen apple trees (Enterprise, Freedom, Liberty and Dolgo) and 2 of the Freedom trees produced on the 1st year (2 on one and 1 on the other).

 

[buckvelvet]

Love the progress! However after seeing countless Bartlet horror stories I would never plant one.

 

[Jordan Selsor]

Looks great! Can't believe those Apple trees produced so young. What rootstock are they on? I have one barlett in the ground and I'm gonna give it the benefit of the doubt until I see the first hint of fire blight. When that happens it will be pruned asap and the next spring it will be grafted with a different variety. Hoping it does well and I don't have to mess with it.

 

[aerospacefarmer]

I had some fire blight and some shoot blight on my Bosc and Asian pears this year. I cut it out and cut down one tree and burned yesterday so I don't think it's only Bartlett that is susceptible. This was a bad year for fire and shoot blight apparently and I had it in a about 5 % of my trees mostly shoot blight but some fire blight as well. I guess shoot blight is the same issue but it attacks individual shoots with or without fruit The fruit dies as well but an apple shoot next to it is fine. I was aggressive in some cases and cut back more then the effected shoot but in some cases not

 

[Spiider]

Looks great! Can't believe those Apple trees produced so young. What rootstock are they on? I have one barlett in the ground and I'm gonna give it the benefit of the doubt until I see the first hint of fire blight. When that happens it will be pruned asap and the next spring it will be grafted with a different variety. Hoping it does well and I don't have to mess with it.

Thanks! They are on B.118 from Cummins.

 

[Spiider]

I try to pick trees with good all around resistance, but there is always going to be some risk, no matter what. My strategies are to plant a wide variety of different fruits, pay attention to others wisdom and pray for the best.

 

[greyphase]

I try to pick trees with good all around resistance, but there is always going to be some risk, no matter what. My strategies are to plant a wide variety of different fruits, pay attention to others wisdom and pray for the best.

Sounds like a good plan to me ;).

 

[aerospacefarmer]

Just a note to let you know the Japanese Beetles are munching. I sprayed yesterday and they were flying for cover. I am sure the imidan will do the trick but they are pesky buggers and the sooner you get them the better. I am in north central PA

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Thanks Aero. I'll be spraying on Monday at camp. Only day without rain forecast in the next several !! We sure aren't hurting for rain.

 

[Rally1148]

Just a note to let you know the Japanese Beetles are munching. I sprayed yesterday and they were flying for cover. I am sure the imidan will do the trick but they are pesky buggers and the sooner you get them the better. I am in north central PA

I've yet to see them here in MI. It won't be long!

 

[Spiider]

Thanks Aero, to be honest, I haven't sprayed any of my fruit trees yet (ever). I'm on the start of my 3rd year planting fruit trees and the more I learn, the less I find that I know! I'm going to purchase some Imidan though.

Do any of you guys remember the Gurney's debacle in 2013 where they sold Goldrush trees for 4.99 but didn't put a limit on the quantity? Then they had a big mess to clean up, with many people not getting any, and some only getting 1. Well, here is my 1st apple tree that I planted... Goldrush from Gurney's. It's got just over 2 dozen apples on it as of now.


I also see the need this year for some larger cages! I think most of my current cages are 4' diameter. And like the picture above, a lot of them are in many cases growing out the sides... So what do you guys do, shoot for 6' diameter? I don't want to take the cages off anytime soon. I also see that I have a lot of training to do. I pruned back most all of them the last 2 winters, following a "apple pruning and training" guide. But it looks like I still have a ways to go on some. Do you guys take the cages off each year and pull the weeds? I'm going to start carefully spraying around them so I can at least get to them easier from now on... I've got 4x4' squares of Lumite, window screen around the bases, and then a bag of pea stone around them but it doesn't keep everything away or out.

 

[Spiider]

This was the only fruit tree on our property when we purchased it. A mature crab apple. It sits right behind our pole barn and is a popular spot for us and wildlife. It seem to produce heavily every other year thus far.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Spiider - I mow around our apple trees - outside the cages. Sometimes, grass pops up even with landscape cloth is down and limestone gravel is piled on top of it. I just reach in and pull it as necessary. I've also sprayed gly in and around the cages. I put the spray wand in close to the tree trunk and point it OUTWARD before I start spraying. That way any spray is directed away from the tree and onto the weeds. I haven't lost a tree doing it that way and no damage done to the tree at all. Between mowing and spraying around the perimeter of the cages, I have weeds and grass under control.

As far as bigger cages go, mine are about 4 ft. dia. too. As the trees grow, I just remove the lower limbs each winter when pruning and the tree " grows " up and out of the cage so the lowest limbs will be above 5 ft. off the ground. I aim for 6 ft. or higher for my lowest limbs and then I don't have to keep enlarging the cages, diameter-wise. The few limb tips that stuck out of the cages and got nipped by deer didn't hurt them at all.

 

[Spiider]

Spiider - I mow around our apple trees - outside the cages. Sometimes, grass pops up even with landscape cloth is down and limestone gravel is piled on top of it. I just reach in and pull it as necessary. I've also sprayed gly in and around the cages. I put the spray wand in close to the tree trunk and point it OUTWARD before I start spraying. That way any spray is directed away from the tree and onto the weeds. I haven't lost a tree doing it that way and no damage done to the tree at all. Between mowing and spraying around the perimeter of the cages, I have weeds and grass under control.

As far as bigger cages go, mine are about 4 ft. dia. too. As the trees grow, I just remove the lower limbs each winter when pruning and the tree " grows " up and out of the cage so the lowest limbs will be above 5 ft. off the ground. I aim for 6 ft. or higher for my lowest limbs and then I don't have to keep enlarging the cages, diameter-wise. The few limb tips that stuck out of the cages and got nipped by deer didn't hurt them at all.

Thank you very much! I'll do the same as you suggested too. One thing I was thinking of doing, which may fit in well is to be sure I spray around my entire small "orchards" (one where my apples are and the 2nd where all other fruit trees are) and then plant perennial clover or lawn grass seed to maintain. Looks like some keep a small (grass valley) strip as bare dirt directly around them as well, that reads like it might be the best option. http://www.uvm.edu/~fruit/treefruit/tf_horticulture/AppleHortBasics/Readings/WI_groundcover.pdf
Thanks again!

 

[sandbur]

I like weeds on the south and sw side if any young tree.

I also am beginning to question the removal of limbs up to a 4, 5, or 6 foot height.

Climate is a big consideration in the decision with limb removal.

 

[Spiider]

I like weeds on the south and sw side if any young tree.

I also am beginning to question the removal of limbs up to a 4, 5, or 6 foot height.

Climate is a big consideration in the decision with limb removal.

Sandbur - I'd like to hear more about your thoughts on these topics, specifically item #2. I've added some specifics on the location and soil types below which I think will address items 1 and 3.?.? Of course though, I'll due my own due diligence in researching these items too.

Spiider...with a tree the size of the Goldrush you posted, I'd be getting ready to pull the cage off. Maybe make a smaller (2') diameter cage for continued trunk protection and leave the window screen for ongoing rodent protection....but sooner or later those lower limbs are likely going to be browsed. It looks like your cage is 5' welded wire? If so, that tree has to be 10' tall?

Yes on both accounts, almost 10' tall and 5' welded wire. So, what's your opinion on how high I should go when lopping off the lower branches?

I'm right on the edge of zone 5b/6a. I've got my small apple orchard planted in an old hog pen, so the top 1' + of soil is outstanding, with sandy loam under that. Most of them sit on a slight sloping hill to the E S/E with full sun during the day and partial sun/shade in the last 2-3 hours of daylight.

 

[NY_Terrence]

Spider... I buy the 100' rolls of welded wire and cut to 16'8" to get six cages out of each roll. Each cage has a diameter of about 5'4".

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I try to keep our lowest branches up around 6 ft. above ground because of the amount of land we have to keep mowed. It's much easier to keep weed & grass competition down
(especially in the first 5 or 6 years of tree development ) by riding the mower around all the trees. Deer have already nipped off the ends of limbs that stick out thru the cages, but no harm done. I think each guy's situation is different as to his own wants / needs / requirements. Our biggest prob is bears. Deer we can keep off the trees - bears are a challenge, so our next battle will be to keep the bears out of the apple trees once they start to produce. We've seen that the young bears are the most apt to climb trees - the big, old, fat ones seem to be content with strolling around on the ground picking up the drops rather than expend energy climbing. We can deal with that easier than having a 400 - 500 lb. monster out on the end of a branch !!!:eek::mad:

That's also why we picked certain rootstocks for our trees - so we get big, tall, woody trees so even if the bears get to reaching up and grabbing the lowest limbs - we still have much more tree up high to produce apples for dropping to the deer. Good luck with your trees Spiider.

 

[aerospacefarmer]

here are 2 young ones who are waiting for the honeycrisps to fall from that 5th leaf tree that is loaded this year. The trees in the foreground inside fence are some of my grafts from last year that I planted in May

 

[aerospacefarmer]

4th or 5th leaf goldrush with a lot of apples on it