New tree plans/Order help

Rally1148

5 year old buck +
Hey all,

So I'm finding more room for trees! I'm planning on putting in 8 on my one property/one side of the road, depending on your feedback! They'll all be DR varieties or varieties that are suitable for low/no spray. Basically I'll keep the japanese beetles off of them and then do a dormant spray. The first picture here shows what I have now, and what I plan to put in. All that I'm puting in have a red tack. I want to buy a bunch (5 or so) from SLN, since it's under new management and I'd love to help the business out. From SLN I'm thinking at least 1 of the Violi and the Winter hangover. I'm also going to peruse the catalog and pick out some other varieties (or get ones that people suggest). I have some trees grafted and in the ground already, as well as a few wild trees, so I'm not worried about production in the next few years. I'm also going to get ~8 antonovka and B.118 rootstock from Cummins, and then bark/rind graft those in a few years. I'm mainly looking for later dropping varieties, just because November-December is when apples are in short supply. The green is native prairie, The YELLOW is a blind I will put up next year, the WHITE is my current blind. I will get my other side layout on here during the day at some point.

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I'm assuming what appears to be crop field will no longer be in crops?

It will remain in an LC type mix for the next few years. Eventually I'll put about half in clover/chicory, and then do Rye and Brassicas in selective spots in front of my bow stands. It's about 1 acre TOTAL (including native prairie), so It's about 0.5-0.75 of an acre.
 
Just keep in mind that spraying that field will require extreme care and attention to the weather to prevent spray drift onto your fruit trees
Yessir! I most likely won't do much spraying, other than spot treating some vetch. I'm pretty much planning to do mechanical methods for weed removal. I'll disc in the spring, and then summer for buckwheat, and the fall for brassicas and rye. I'll need either a calm day, or a N or E wind. I'm by no means a "clean freak" when it comes to my plots, so I'd even be ok with weeds around the trees (outside of the lumite).
 
I've had good luck with both the crabapples you mentioned as well as chestnut crab from SLN. It seems that generally the crabapples seem to be a little tougher and they've started to produce fruit faster than most of the standard apples that I've planted. But I do think that adding an early dropping apple like Yellow transparent and a late dropping tree like black oxford would be good as well so you have options for the deer.
 
I've had good luck with both the crabapples you mentioned as well as chestnut crab from SLN. It seems that generally the crabapples seem to be a little tougher and they've started to produce fruit faster than most of the standard apples that I've planted. But I do think that adding an early dropping apple like Yellow transparent and a late dropping tree like black oxford would be good as well so you have options for the deer.

I'm planning to do that, at least with the late dropping (goldrush). Early dropping I might go with Priscilla or Pristine ( I can't remember which is the early drop), or a Williams Pride. I'll probably throw in some centennial, Kerr, and other crabs as well, if not on a whole tree at least a limb. The only ones I really need to worry about this (next) year are the SLN ones since I'll be planting the rootstock from cummins and then grafting onto them in a few years.

I'll be about out of room after this, but I'm sure I'll still keep grafting and getting multi-variety trees. If I get the 100 feet between my good neighbor and I, I'll have room for another 20 (at least) since I have access to his back/side 40 that he doesn't hunt. Fingers crossed I get that in the next 5 years!


So the general layout looks good? No major foreseeable problems other than the spraying issue? Some will be on a bit lower ground but with no standing water, and others will be in some sandier soil other but I'll mulch that ground heavily with leaves every year and use lumite.
 
don't get so set on disease resistant because I think insects are a bigger issue than disease from what I have experienced so far. Especially if you are grafting try a bunch of varieties and see what happens. I have Freedom highly disease resistant and the insects kill it every year
 
don't get so set on disease resistant because I think insects are a bigger issue than disease from what I have experienced so far. Especially if you are grafting try a bunch of varieties and see what happens. I have Freedom highly disease resistant and the insects kill it every year

Well then maybe I should be focusing on ones that are better with insects! This fruit is for the most part not for me, so as long as the tree is living and producing, it'll be ok with me.
 
Yea true but I am weird one here I like to eat my apples and don't only plant for deer. All things in perspective lol
 
Rally - To address your ? of which one is the earlier variety .... it's the Pristine - not Priscilla. If you want a good DR tree, go for the Priscilla. There's a good description of Priscilla in the SLN catalog.

As far as other varieties from SLN, beside the All-Winter Hangover crab, the Winter Wildlife crab is a good one. I have a Trailman planted at camp & it's growing real well for us. I also planted a Sherry and a Minnesota 1734 for the annual heavy crops they produce. The Sherry is said to have fruit hang all winter - a good trait for periodic dropping for months. Both those trees are doing well for us. These varieties are all in the SLN catalog. ( I have the last 3 yrs. of the SLN catalog that I keep for a reference guide !! ) Good luck with your trees.

Edit: The Pristine is a good DR tree as well. I knew the Priscilla was, but a quick check of the ACN catalog shows Pristine in their DR section. Pristine is a good EARLY DR choice !!
 
Yea true but I am weird one here I like to eat my apples and don't only plant for deer. All things in perspective lol

People eat apples too?!?! I think I've been doing this wrong! ;)

Rally - To address your ? of which one is the earlier variety .... it's the Pristine - not Priscilla. If you want a good DR tree, go for the Priscilla. There's a good description of Priscilla in the SLN catalog.

As far as other varieties from SLN, beside the All-Winter Hangover crab, the Winter Wildlife crab is a good one. I have a Trailman planted at camp & it's growing real well for us. I also planted a Sherry and a Minnesota 1734 for the annual heavy crops they produce. The Sherry is said to have fruit hang all winter - a good trait for periodic dropping for months. Both those trees are doing well for us. These varieties are all in the SLN catalog. ( I have the last 3 yrs. of the SLN catalog that I keep for a reference guide !! ) Good luck with your trees.

Edit: The Pristine is a good DR tree as well. I knew the Priscilla was, but a quick check of the ACN catalog shows Pristine in their DR section. Pristine is a good EARLY DR choice !!

I'll just try my luck with moderately DR varieties and hope for the best! Do you all think that only 2 sprays a year is doable? One dormant and then one fungicide? When they're younger, I'll spray them for Japanese beetles so that they don't get completely defoliated.


Thanks for all of the help, everyone! I'm excited to take "the plunge"!
 
Rally - To address your ? of which one is the earlier variety .... it's the Pristine - not Priscilla. If you want a good DR tree, go for the Priscilla. There's a good description of Priscilla in the SLN catalog.

As far as other varieties from SLN, beside the All-Winter Hangover crab, the Winter Wildlife crab is a good one. I have a Trailman planted at camp & it's growing real well for us. I also planted a Sherry and a Minnesota 1734 for the annual heavy crops they produce. The Sherry is said to have fruit hang all winter - a good trait for periodic dropping for months. Both those trees are doing well for us. These varieties are all in the SLN catalog. ( I have the last 3 yrs. of the SLN catalog that I keep for a reference guide !! ) Good luck with your trees.

Edit: The Pristine is a good DR tree as well. I knew the Priscilla was, but a quick check of the ACN catalog shows Pristine in their DR section. Pristine is a good EARLY DR choice !!

For the record Priscilla was the number one tree recommended to me by SNL. He said it is fool proof and will produce fruit even in years with late frosts.
 
For the record Priscilla was the number one tree recommended to me by SNL. He said it is fool proof and will produce fruit even in years with late frosts.

What is Chevy Chase doing skits now on apple trees......what? Ohh, it's not Saturday Night........Churchlady says "Nevermind":D
 
Chemicals wash off and don't go into the apples. If you want to eat a non bug Apple spraying is a fact of life
 
Chemicals wash off and don't go into the apples. If you want to eat a non bug Apple spraying is a fact of life

This is a serious and non-argumentative question... Do you have a source for that? I've always wondered whether they stay on the skin, or if they are absorbed.
 
If you read the msds sheets that come with whatever chemical you are spraying it will give you all the facts about how the spray effects the apple and the time before consumption and last spraying. Most insecticides work on the surface of the apples or leaves of trees or else would be a moot point if the chemicals were in the apple and the insects needed to break the skin to be killed or repelled. Even with spraying you will get apples that have insect damage but a hell of a lot less than without it. I don't sell my apples but love to eat fully ripe bug free apples
 
If you read the msds sheets that come with whatever chemical you are spraying it will give you all the facts about how the spray effects the apple and the time before consumption and last spraying. Most insecticides work on the surface of the apples or leaves of trees or else would be a moot point if the chemicals were in the apple and the insects needed to break the skin to be killed or repelled. Even with spraying you will get apples that have insect damage but a hell of a lot less than without it. I don't sell my apples but love to eat fully ripe bug free apples

I'll look into that! I just didn't know if you had/where I could look to find out if it entered the apple itself. I know neonics like imidacloprid and acetamiprid would enter them because they're systemic, but I would think that others would be less/if at all.
 
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