How many apple trees per food plot?

[Freeborn]

I know this will change depending on deer density but wanted to ask; what is a practical number of apple trees to have near a central and/or kill food plot? I’ve got one central plot (6 acres) and plans to add 2 kill plots (3/4 acre) and want to plant apple trees near each. I’m planning on planting sufficient varieties to cover Sept-Dec but would you plant more than one of each variety? The central plot has plenty of room for trees but the kill plots could have limited space.

I typically have 6-8 permanent deer on the property with more when the crops are removed from the neighboring fields.

 

[CrazyEd]

My central orchard has about 50 trees now and is getting another 100 the next few years :)

 

[MA VT Flatlander]

I have 33 trees in my food plot in MA and 12 trees at my camp in VT. all trees bought from MAYA in VT. He knows me as bucktail from the bowsite.

 

[CrazyEd]

jury is still out if I can actually get one of these trees to produce in my beach sand.

 

[sandbur]

Jerry-I have not thought this through....

but why not plant a large variety of trees in the destination plot.

On the kill plots, only plant trees that drop during hunting season. The biggest difference would be to skip the August droppers on the kill plots. I would have a chestnut crab on every plot.

If you have a wintering area, you might want to plant late dropping varieties in that location.

What are you using for the late dropping varieties?

 

[Freeborn]

Art,
I have not gotten all the varieties figured out but maybe this thread is where we should flush out those varieties. So far I was thinking Chestnut Crab, Liberty, Florina Querina and North West Greening. I have a Chestnut Crab, Liberty and others near my buildings but nothing near my plots. I plan on placing my order early and doing most of the prep work this summer.

 

[Maya]

Hey Flatlander now I know who you are! Give me a call the next time your up, I'll see if I have time to come over and say hi!

I've mentioned this before a few times over the years, but the best set up is to have an orchard between bedding and plot, not in plot . ( on the edge of food plot) Deer and especially bucks feel more safe coming into an orchard than a plot, it's thicker. You are more apt to see them during daylight hours.

I do like a minimum of 8-10 trees. The cam was on one of my apple trees in this pic. The deer was heading toward a break in a hedge row going into the orchard and there is a stand to the right of the cam.

 

[sandbur]

I started a thread on the QHMG facebook page, hoping for input on drop times in central and northern Mn.
I know nothing about Florina querina.

SLN has a few trees listed as having long drop times. They might be a good choice for those small kill plots. I have not tried any of those specific apples.

 

[sandbur]

Finding those trees that fit an intended drop time while also having some (I prefer a lot) disease resistance narrows the list from which to choose. I want low(er) maintenance trees that I don't have to pump full of chemicals to get a decent crop.

That is why I like the crab apples. Maybe less maintenance.

 

[CrazyEd]

Stu if you need Wolf River scions next year just lemme know.

 

[Jordan Selsor]

Shoot don't ask this crowd! You will have 100!!! I'm gonna make myself stop at 20 in my main orchard which is close to my destination clover plot and chestnuts. I planted 3 pears on another plot just cuz I had a nice lil knoll with good sun an good dirt!

 

[MA VT Flatlander]

Hey Flatlander now I know who you are! Give me a call the next time your up, I'll see if I have time to come over and say hi!

I've mentioned this before a few times over the years, but the best set up is to have an orchard between bedding and plot, not in plotView attachment 343 . ( on the edge of food plot) Deer and especially bucks feel more safe coming into an orchard than a plot, it's thicker. You are more apt to see them during daylight hours.

I do like a minimum of 8-10 trees. The cam was on one of my apple trees in this pic. The deer was heading toward a break in a hedge row going into the orchard and there is a stand to the right of the cam.

That is why I put my orchard on the north end of my food plot.

 

[Maya]

Ma Vt is that at your house or up here? This is my favorite stand. You can see the apple orchard (I'm standing in it) and the alfalfa field in the background. I've got a stand in the thick area of the maples straight a head in the hedge row. The deer come from a hill to the left, feed through the orchard, and then go out in the alfalfa. I pile all the brush when pruning the apples in front of the stand and to the right, so they have to go through the opening in the hedge row to the left. I've killed a lot of deer here!

 

[MA VT Flatlander]

My central orchard has about 50 trees now and is getting another 100 the next few years :)

Are all those apples for the deer and wildlife or are you going to start selling apples?

 

[MA VT Flatlander]

Ma Vt is that at your house or up here? This is my favorite stand. You can see the apple orchard (I'm standing in it) and the alfalfa field in the background. I've got a stand in the thick area of the maples straight a head in the hedge row. The deer come from a hill to the left, feed through the orchard, and then go out in the alfalfa. I pile all the brush when pruning the apples in front of the stand and to the right, so they have to go through the opening in the hedge row to the left. I've killed a lot of deer here!View attachment 434

My house Maya. Next time I go to VT. I will take some pictures.

 

[THunter]

Shoot don't ask this crowd! You will have 100!!! I'm gonna make myself stop at 20 in my main orchard which is close to my destination clover plot and chestnuts. I planted 3 pears on another plot just cuz I had a nice lil knoll with good sun an good dirt!

Jordan, you are figuring this bunch out ain't ya. :D Problem is on planting day, they're all too far away to drive over and help. :D :D As to the original question I usually only have four or five trees AROUND my plots, never in them. Varieties I use here are Yates and Arkansas Black.

 

[wiscwhip]

That's a pretty sweet setup Maya! Encourage or plant some shrubs in that hedgerow for the future, with the brush you have piled there it would help to protect the new plantings from browse until they could get established.

 

[Maya]

That was a few years ago, wiscwhip. One thing we never have to do here is plant browse. If you cut, get light in, it turns to a nasty mess in no time. It's all blackberry, raspberry and multiflora rose. No walking through it and plenty of browse for deer to munch on.

 

[wiscwhip]

Nice! I was thinking that if you had blackberries or raspberry vines in there it would be perfect. The MFR not so much, but I bet it does the job you intend it to do in that spot.;)

 

[Maya]

Yup, thanks, on this farm we have it all, but as in most of the NE, just to many people, to much hunting pressure. I just went there turkey hunting there, what a difference a few years makes. Way to much MFR! Here's a buck using that opening in 2012. You can see all the browse that filled in.