General question here. I'll start off with the admission that I'm a cheapskate. Four kids, middle class etc. I don't have a ton of $ to put into the farm. I tend to scarf up all the close of the season deals at southern states and buy the cheapest trees and berry bushes for about 90% off retail. I also purchase seedlings through the Ky division of forestry. Question: is it worth paying the primium for good trees (that cost significantly more than I'm used to paying) from some of the sources recommended on these forums?
Is it worth it?
- Thread starter nateb440
- Start date
Catscratch
5 year old buck +
The more I do this the more I'm inclined to plant only what I can take care of (I still try to do mass plantings but I'm figuring out I can't get stressed when they don't work). With that said I think it's worth it to buy the best quality trees you can and take really good care of them. For me that is about 5 trees on any given yr.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
There are deals and there are deals. Sometimes you will find a lot of roots circling around a pot when a tree has been in a normal nursery container for a while. They need to be hand pruned before planting. It will take them, like bare root trees, a number of years to re-establish and begin growing vigorously again. Another consideration is planting time. Trees planted in the field for wildlife may not be able to get supplemental water, so planting them going into summer can be an issue in some areas.
The kind of tree also comes into play. An American persimmon seedling from a state nursery may take 10 years to produce a persimmon and that is only if it turns out to be a female tree. Buying a grafted tree may still take 6 years or more to produce, but you know it is female and will. If it was grafted with a named variety, you will know the general fruiting characteristics and approximate drop time.
Another example is Dunstan Chestnuts. They have a lot of really nice characteristics for wildlife but because they have been hyped so much in the hunting magazines you can really pay a premium for them. The difference in wildlife value between them and a much less expensive Chinese chestnut is probably tiny. Even better, growing your own trees from nuts and seed can be less expensive. Some trees like chestnuts are fairly true to seed, but others like apples can be grafted to produce the tree you want.
I like to start my trees indoors in the winter as a cabin fever project using lights and root pruning containers. It has some up front cost, but my cost per tree is low now. Others prefer to direct seed and have good success.
There are lots of strategies folks use to try to balance cost and tree quality.
Thanks,
Jack
chummer
5 year old buck +
Depends on how much room you have to plant. I love buying fruit trees in sale for $3, and I have planted a lot of them. I also have enough room where I have planted many grafted trees. If I wanted to do everything on a budget I would have no problem sticking to the sale trees. Honestly they have out grown the more expensive trees to this point.
Lot2Learn
5 year old buck +
I think a lot depends on the type of tree you're talking about.
For example, for apples, crabapples and pears, you can dramatically reduce your cost-per-tree by learning how to graft. The rootstocks themselves are very inexpensive (splitting a large order with a friend or forum-friend can help) and the scions are basically free when you trade with like-minded growers on this and other forums. The resulting trees will be every bit as good as the best trees you can buy from Cummins and the like, they'll just be a year or two younger.
I'd point you to Ed's Grafting Adventures thread for lots of interesting reading on the topic: http://habitat-talk.com/index.php?threads/2014-grafting-adventures-of-crazyed.123/
Having said that, I'm sure that Ed and others spend more on planting/protecting their trees than on the trees themselves. Some of the guys with poor soil have to spend a fair amount to amend their soil, and with any luck you won't have that expense. But, don't skimp on protecting your trees!
For example, for apples, crabapples and pears, you can dramatically reduce your cost-per-tree by learning how to graft. The rootstocks themselves are very inexpensive (splitting a large order with a friend or forum-friend can help) and the scions are basically free when you trade with like-minded growers on this and other forums. The resulting trees will be every bit as good as the best trees you can buy from Cummins and the like, they'll just be a year or two younger.
I'd point you to Ed's Grafting Adventures thread for lots of interesting reading on the topic: http://habitat-talk.com/index.php?threads/2014-grafting-adventures-of-crazyed.123/
Having said that, I'm sure that Ed and others spend more on planting/protecting their trees than on the trees themselves. Some of the guys with poor soil have to spend a fair amount to amend their soil, and with any luck you won't have that expense. But, don't skimp on protecting your trees!
Great info guys. Thanks. I wish I would have read up on the how to's of fruit trees prior to jumping in head first. As it stands, my trees are doing really well despite myself. I pruned last year and they put on a ton of great growth this year. Hoping for a bunch of fruit this year. (We had a few apples and enough cherries and pears to make a pie or two.). And yes, I found out the day after I planted the first apple trees that I needed to protect them. They're all surrounded by wire fence enough to prevent browse. I've multched them and need to do some more around the bases with all my trees (especially the tubed Chestnuts and oaks.) thanks again.
