My little slice of Heaven

[Troubles Trees]

I didn't have my phone with me last night when I toured my property so I don't have any pictures, but damn. We had 24 degrees overnight and a heavy frost last Wednesday the 17th and everything that was busting buds but not quite leafed out looks dead today. Every single Oak tree, Chestnut, Heartnut, Persimmon and Allegheny Chinquapin I have in the ground turned brown and wilted. I can only hope that they push out new growth and recover. Between all of the above it is roughly 300 trees feeling a bit defeated today but holding on to hope. To stay positive, everything that had already leafed out seems unaffected, the Knotweed turned all brown and crispy too so that is a plus.

 

[Troubles Trees]

Every Oak tree, Persimmon, Chestnut and AC look like this still

Will they eventually leaf out again?

 

[Bill]

Yikes!
Hopefully they do bounce back

 

[buckdeer1]

Did you get a late freeze

 

[H20fwler]

That sucks, sorry to see that.

 

[Troubles Trees]

Did you get a late freeze

Yea unfortunately on May 17th we had 24 degrees when I woke up and the lawn was frosted so heavy it crunched under each step. I will post a couple pics on break of random larger trees that are showing a 2nd leafout. Still holding on to hope, a couple of the oaks are showing a few spots of new green buds but the Persimmon's look cooked. This will be my last shot at Persimmon's if these don't live.

 

[Troubles Trees]

It was supposed to rain on Sunday so I threw out the Vitalize seed on the foodplot. Foodplot has WR and clover growing that I planted last fall but it’s all pretty thin, looks good looking across at eye level though.

It didn’t rain and it’s been dry so I hooked up my watering hose setup and spent the night watering trees.




My Chestnuts have scattered new leaf growth from the frost kill a couple weeks ago, I would guess 25% are still brown. None of the Persimmon have any green on them so that looks like a loss. Oaks look about like the Chestnuts at 75% showing new green. Nearly all of the AC’s have new growth and the BH pears I planted last year already have 6” of new growth I should have taken more pics but I needed to water everything I could. A huge relief seeing new green on everything killed by the frost so I’m staying optimistic.

 

[Troubles Trees]

A bonus to Ninebark, I had 2 hummingbirds working the flowers. The bees and small butterflies were all over it too.

 

[Troubles Trees]

I planted a row of Arrowwood (Viburnum?) along the road for curb appeal about 4 years ago. It was very slow growing but nearly doubled in height this year alone.




My BH Pears really jumped this year too, the Chestnuts are finally tall and bushy enough to spot from my house so things are starting to make substantial progress. I thought I took pictures but didn’t so I’ll try to add them tomorrow.

 

[Troubles Trees]

My BH Pears are again putting on phenomenal growth this year! Lord knows I wish I had half this much growth on everything else and these got the same water and fertilizer everything else got. These are located 30-40’ away from a drainage ditch that carries runoff water from the AG fields above my property so maybe why the difference.




This one is pushing 10’ tall, this is only their 2nd year in the ground and the cages are 4' tall so might be more than 10' tall

 

[Buckhunter10]

Looking awesome!!

 

[Bowsnbucks]

The pic at post #150 shows a lot of shade around the pear tree. Maybe the tree is growing upward rapidly to get more direct sunlight. Any chance of opening up the surrounding area a bit?? A few of our camp apple trees get shaded by some taller pines, and those apple trees shot to the sky WAY more than other apple trees planted at the same time in the same area (that aren't shaded). Those apple trees took on a "bean-pole" appearance for us - the majority of the canopy is up high on those trees. Maybe that's why the lower sections of trunk on your pear have no branches of any size??

As for BH trees ......... they're GREAT, IMO. We have a number of them planted at our camp.

 

[Troubles Trees]

Maybe the tree is growing upward rapidly to get more direct sunlight. Any chance of opening up the surrounding area a bit??

From the perspective of the last picture in #150 the sun rises from the hill you see across the valley so they are all in full sun except the last hour or so of the day, but I caught what you were throwing. Eventually I will have to trim back the Maple trees behind them though.

 

[Troubles Trees]

This is the 3rd year I’ve tried to get rid of the Vetch in this spot. A few years prior I sprayed, raked down to the soil and planted several random “wildflower” packets I bought. Only the vetch took and I have ran the weedeater through it, mowed it, sprayed it 2 years now and this year, manually pulled it and packed it around the bases of the 3 Hazels planted here. I guess next spring I’ll just nuke the whole area at green up with Gly? Seems like I just piss it off IDK.



First year getting Hazelnuts, that puts a smile on my face

 

[b116757]

I have no experience with vetch but a fall application of herbicides often has more potent kill because the plants are shutting down and storing nutrients from the top growth in the roots.

 

[Troubles Trees]

I have no experience with vetch but a fall application of herbicides often has more potent kill because the plants are shutting down and storing nutrients from the top growth in the roots.

It has been a crazy thing, I see people planting Vetch in their food plots and it makes me cringe. The problem with waiting until fall is they have already formed and dropped seed. This area I dosed last year with Gly and Polaris AC Complete when I was spraying the Knotweed next to it. I was told to just weedeat or spray Vetch when it is in bloom so you can see what you are spraying to stop seed production and it stops the next cycle. It is possible I didn't spray the smaller stuff underneath and it went to seed, but when I ran the weedeater the year before I cut down everything to the ground so IDK. When I saw all the blooms from a distance I knew it was back.

 

[b116757]

Johnson grass is my nemesis I don’t get to excited about the seed it drops because if I herbicide it early in the year with glycophyte it just comes back from the roots if I use glycophyte in the fall just before or just after the Johnson grass starts to yellow a bit on its own I get an excellent kill on it but may have to re-apply herbicide like that for several falls to deplete the seed bank same goes for sericea lespedeza it’s a multi year process to eliminate it from an area because of the seed bank.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

You have regular hazelnuts AND beaked ones?? Nice to see crops of them. I can't offer any adv. on the vetch - sorry.

 

[Troubles Trees]

You have regular hazelnuts AND beaked ones?? Nice to see crops of them. I can't offer any adv. on the vetch - sorry.

All my Hazels came from Z's Nutty Ridge, he crosses strains and propagates them and he is right across the valley from me so I know they are good for my zone. Great guy, very down to earth and passionate about growing stuff like us. Like Blue Hill he sells out quickly particularly in the spring, he also sells Chestnuts, Walnuts, Heartnuts and a few others but he started out with just Hazels. Check out his stuff :)

WELCOME TO Z’S NUTTY RIDGE NURSERY - Your Native Nut Tree Store

Hazelnut trees for sale, Chestnut trees for sale, tree nursery, growing trees, native trees, New York, layered trees, tissue cultured trees, sustainability nut

znutty.com

 

[Bowsnbucks]

^ ^ ^ ^ Thanks for the link about Z's Nutty Ridge Nursery. Good stuff they're doing and good stock too.