Fruit trees for Spring 2023

[b116757]

I got my Wildlife Group order in on Friday. I had ordered the Late Season Pear Package for this year. Most of the pear trees if not all were of good quality with nice root systems . The Gilmore Christmas being the exception it’s roots were a bit questionable but they must of had an over abundance of those pears or where a bit unsure of them themselves they shipped me 6 extra of them. I certainly can’t complain about that, it filled my little 1/2 acre orchard I had laid out on the new farm and I brought 3 of them back to the house and planted in the home orchard. Now I’m just waiting on a couple Illinois Everbearing Mulberry trees I ordered and some grafted Pecans to arrive. Ison’s was running a sale on their grafted pecan trees and I had a moment of weakness and ordered 4 of them Friday evening now I have to figure out where to plant them.

 

[bigboreblr]

Fair Oak,

I've had some down time lately. Been thinking of bears and trees. I'd be tempted to get some barbed wire.

Overall, this is what I might do. Use a rootstock with substantial roots, like antonovka maybe dolgo. Maybe use an anti-foliar or pluck the buds for several years. Im almost thinking an open center might be a good shape. Pruning back to promote limb strength, and not size. I was going to try a smaller tree, like G210.

If using the timbers, I'd use them to hold up the tree and close up the gaps from thrm getting into the cage. Letting them ckimb to the honey without breaking the hive might not be a bad idea.

 

[Derek Reese 29]

Picked up my Blue Hill order Firiday and got it in the ground yesterday. Got to chat with Ryan for a little which was awesome.
The order was 1 Turning Point, 1 Ed's Crazy Crab, 1 Roadkill, 1 #5 Crab, 1 Big Dog, 1 Harvest Pear and 1 RubyRush.
All the trees had good looking thick roots and the larger 2 year old Ruby Rush was particularly impressive (good roots and big tree).
Supposed to get a decent rain today and warmer temps from here on out. Here's to hoping everything does well!

 

[granitepants]

I've got two semi-standard Gala and one Northland Crab coming mid April for the critters in the woods and six dwarf Honeycrisp and a couple Gala for the critters in our backyard--our apple munching sons. Can't wait to see how they do!

 

[hunts_with_stick]

Picked up some apples from home depot. Some were massive! I didn't measure the trunk but they were easily the thickest I have seen. Mutsu, Yellow delicious, Pink Lady, and fuji. some of my asian pear grafts onto my keifers are showing some signs of budding so I will get a couple of different varieties of pears from one tree. I grafted 10 apples onto rootstock, 4 from an old apple tree that was on my property when I bought it. I just found three other apple trees (very old) in the woods. I trimmed up a bit last weekend to try and generate some new growth so I can get some scions off of them to see what they produce.

 

[b116757]

Picked up some apples from home depot. Some were massive! I didn't measure the trunk but they were easily the thickest I have seen. Mutsu, Yellow delicious, Pink Lady, and fuji. some of my asian pear grafts onto my keifers are showing some signs of budding so I will get a couple of different varieties of pears from one tree. I grafted 10 apples onto rootstock, 4 from an old apple tree that was on my property when I bought it. I just found three other apple trees (very old) in the woods. I trimmed up a bit last weekend to try and generate some new growth so I can get some scions off of them to see what they produce.

Keep your receipts from big box stores trees you may need them.

 

[hunts_with_stick]

I do! I’ve actually had better luck with them then the ones I got from nurseries! And the nursery screwed me with having to pay s&h again! I havent had a big box tree die yet. And i have 30 or so of them.

 

[bigboreblr]

Tractor supply had some $10 cheapie trees, so I planted one last year. Red the tags for this years one, they say they grow 25-30ft tall, but dont say rootstock.

Droptine buds are real fat in zone 5. Thinking droptine will have some issues with frost up in zone 3 land. Crossbow, 30-06, and liberty have similar bud sizes. Have kerr scions cooking a year on an old mcintosh tree, those buds are getting pretty fat too.

 

[b116757]

I’ve had the opposite experience with big box store trees I’m sure there are lots of variables including store staff care and the nursery they came from. I have had good luck with Tractor Supply Keiffer pear trees

 

[Charles Clear]

I am about 50/50 on store bought trees. They sell oversized trees with large trunks with miniscule trimmed down root systems. There are so many good nursery options now, I rarelly even browse the big box stores. I will definitely take a chance on clearance trees from a big box store though.

 

[White Oak]

I’ve had the opposite experience with big box store trees I’m sure there are lots of variables including store staff care and the nursery they came from. I have had good luck with Tractor Supply Keiffer pear trees

If you are a tree guy you KNOW when your local big box stores shipments typically arrive. Best best is to get there within the first couple of days after they arrive to get the best selection. I have also got trees marked down cheap at the end of season that have grew just as well. Like you said , all depends on the care and if they get watered

 

[BuckSnort]

Topgrafted some Dolgo seedlings with small fruit and unknown bird-sized crabs over to true Dolgo, Kerr, and a few others that came from @Oaknut through trades (much appreciated!). It was a bit early but I had to make it work into my busy spring schedule.

 

[blueKYstream]

I think I've got my tree fix in for a bit, so I'm switching over to planting shrubs this year. I planted a red osier dogwood I grew from a cutting. I grafted a few sticks of priscilla, pristine and kerr onto my apple trees, several varieties onto callery pear and will be grafting a couple different mullberry varieties). I ordered Aronia (chokeberry), Arrowwood Viburnum and American Plum. I got an email saying the Arrowwood Viburnum was overestimated and won't be shipped. Guess I'm down to only Aronia and Plum.

 

[PatinPA]

Got everything pruned up yesterday. Still waiting for my Blue Hill order to be ready. I looked and last year I didn't pick up until the 20th so I guess I have some time yet.

I bought wild pears from a site that I don't think exists anymore. No idea what they are but I don't think they're Callory. I'll have to post pics when they leaf out. They're very spiny. I had a few that I planted 5 years ago and tubed them as seedlings. They're probably 10 feet tall now and I finally removed the tubes and pruned them. Interested to know if anyone can tell what they are. They've never fruited. I'm not sure I've ever even seen blossoms on them.

 

[bigboreblr]

Got everything pruned up yesterday. Still waiting for my Blue Hill order to be ready. I looked and last year I didn't pick up until the 20th so I guess I have some time yet.

I bought wild pears from a site that I don't think exists anymore. No idea what they are but I don't think they're Callory. I'll have to post pics when they leaf out. They're very spiny. I had a few that I planted 5 years ago and tubed them as seedlings. They're probably 10 feet tall now and I finally removed the tubes and pruned them. Interested to know if anyone can tell what they are. They've never fruited. I'm not sure I've ever even seen blossoms on them.

Trying out gin pear grafted onto 87 rootstock, thought callery pear wasnt so desireable. Gin pear is for cider, but they have some november drop times. Some fols can Id tree varieties by the color of the young branches, atleast into generic types. might be worthwhile to shoot a pic.

 

[rogersb]

Picked up my bluehill pears this morning. Got advent and harvest. I'll get them in the ground in the next couple days.

 

[Apple Junkie]

That is impressive work KY. Your grafting skills give you a lot of flexibility in adding/altering varieties that work best in your location. Nice work.

 

[bigboreblr]

Sandbur and Oaknut, thanks for the scions. Also, thanks for the guys on here helpful with trees and habitat too. Sure saved alot of headache in my endeavor.

Might be missing a few. droptine, crossbow, 30-06, liberty, enterprise, kerr, big dog, trailman, signal fire, ides of march, chestnut, harrison , blue pearmain, franklin cider,, all winter hangover, saturn peach, bartlet, seckel, kieffer, and gin pear. Dolgo, american and transcendent crabapple, and american apple seedlings planted too. Putting in a golden delicious one armed, the hole as already dug. Stark, Willis, whitetail crabs, turkey creek, and 39th parallel orchards. Would order again from all but Willis. Big thanks to turkey creek and maple valley orchards for limiting / canceling my order after my arm got injured.

28 fruit trees in their permanent home, a few apples up at camp in December, and about 30 guys between the nursery and grow pots. Most heading north in 2 or 3 years.

 

[b116757]

I got my Illinois Everbearing Mulberry trees today I’ll have to get them in the ground tomorrow.

 

[b116757]

I got 4 grafted paper shell pecan trees in yesterday evening now I got to figure out where to plant them.