Planted my Northern Whitetail Crabs today.

[H20fwler]

I’m looking for the same thing here for drop times, dropping into December is sure a plus for me here.
There is a lot to be said about different growing areas and soils, your trees from last year are almost as tall as the ones I planted three years ago. My dirt is heavy loamy clay and I think that some years you end up with close to two more months of growing season than I do.
I think that NWC is a smaller nursery that has been almost overwhelmed by how good it’s wildlife selection of trees has done. Terry is sure nice to talk with and is a hunter also.

 

[Native Hunter]

I’m looking for the same thing here for drop times, dropping into December is sure a plus for me here.
There is a lot to be said about different growing areas and soils, your trees from last year are almost as tall as the ones I planted three years ago. My dirt is heavy loamy clay and I think that some years you end up with close to two more months of growing season than I do.
I think that NWC is a smaller nursery that has been almost overwhelmed by how good it’s wildlife selection of trees has done. Terry is sure nice to talk with and is a hunter also.

Yes, I get the feeling they are a small business, and the fact that they sold out so quickly supports that feeling. I agree that Terry sure seems like a nice guy. I really enjoyed talking to him last year, and sharing emails this year. He told me to that they would be adding some new varieties in the future.

I might buy just a few more trees, but I'm honestly reaching the point of being full. Someday I hope to do an inventory of my fruit and nut planting and post it here. I think it would be shocking to everyone. I have three rows over 1,200 feet long that are mostly apple, crabapple, pear, persimmon and chestnut. There are a few shrubs scattered in that too. At another place I only started planting in 2014, I counted close to 50 trees when I was working there the other day. Really, it's too many trees for me to take care of, but when you love it, it's not a burden. However, both spots are full now except for an occasional open space.

PS: The above doesn't include another 10 acres of oaks and pines I planted, but those are getting close to taking care of themselves and needing very little intervention from me..... However, I do still need to do a little work in those for a few years too.

 

[H20fwler]

I know I’ve sure enjoyed reading through your posts and farm tour and seeing everything you have done, along with lots of the other members threads/posts that have been at it it for a long time.
My spots to plant new trees are filling up fast too, wish I would have been in position to get into habitat development years ago but as they say better late than never.
It sure is a labor of love and the results with the ripple effect sure benefits a wide variety of wildlife.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Native and H20 - What you guys have said is so true. Even though planting habitat trees, shrubs, and plots is work - it's more like "play" work. I never mind sweating, digging, pruning, etc. when it's at camp and it's for the habitat and critters. I like the fact that after I'm gone from this world, some of that stuff will still be feeding and drawing game animals and other critters. My sons and others will benefit from it. These crab apples, apples and nut trees that we all plant will be around for years.

 

[andrew bullard]

Some of the neighbors in my area bait (corn) during rifle season. In addition to providing a late season food source I'm hoping my selection from NWC will keep the deer busy on my property for a little longer and they'll just eat the neighbors corn at night! It's hard to compete with whole corn but I'm hoping candy crops like apples will help.

 

[Native Hunter]

Native and H20 - What you guys have said is so true. Even though planting habitat trees, shrubs, and plots is work - it's more like "play" work. I never mind sweating, digging, pruning, etc. when it's at camp and it's for the habitat and critters. I like the fact that after I'm gone from this world, some of that stuff will still be feeding and drawing game animals and other critters. My sons and others will benefit from it. These crab apples, apples and nut trees that we all plant will be around for years.

That fact tells us a lot about ourselves and the world we live in. We have everything, but it isn't as satisfying as sweating and getting dirty. There is a message there for us.....

 

[g squared 23]

How are the NWC trees doing? What rootstock do they use?

 

[Native Hunter]

How are the NWC trees doing? What rootstock do they use?

They won't reveal their rootstock, which has caused a lot of folks to not buy from them. I must admit that I didn't like it either, but if I'm trusting them with cultivars that I know nothing about, I guess I can also trust them with the rootstock.

All of my NWC trees are growing incredibly fast. All of the ones planted in 2017 are more than 8 or 9 feet tall and shaped nicely. I have them planted in two different places - around the low ground food plot area and the high ground jungle area. This year the food plot area got hit hard with Jap Beetles. They defoliated a lot of the NWC trees but seemed to bother the other named cultivar trees less - not sure if it was just coincidence or not. However, the NWC trees quickly rebounded and put out new leaves.

Why was the less maintained jungle area hit less with Jap Beetles?????? I ponder that question and wonder if when we keep things extra clean that we zero the Japs into our trees. Something to think about.................

One of the NWC trees that was hit by the Japs had formed apples. The apples already looked disfigured and misshapen because of a freeze that occurred just as they were being formed. At that same location, all of the other apples and pears got froze out this time. So then a little later the Japs came by and eat the leaves. LOL...yet the apples didn't fall off. They are still hanging on the tree, but tiny and ugly as heck. The trees seem to be very tough........

 

[chickenlittle]

We could try to guess rootstock if there are enough photos of them at planting. From the photo Native showed, you can rule out B118 which has reddish/purplish bark. And it isn't P18 which tends to be yellow/green bark. So if it is a clonal rootstock, MM111 would be a good guess.

 

[H20fwler]

How are the NWC trees doing? What rootstock do they use?

Mine are doing great also, I planted the first of mine in 2015 I think. Very vigorous growers and want to fruit quickly, I planted some whips this spring that featherd right out into branches and fruited. I picked the apples off and these new trees are seven feet tall after first summer in ground. My original ones are 9’-10’ tall now and hold fruit to first of year, I’ve had best luck with the DropTine it makes a green apple a little smaller than a ping pong ball.
I’ve talked to them on the phone and they won’t divulge the rootstock but say the mature trees should be 25’ plus? So I guess I’ll have to wait and see, I’ve got about twenty of their trees in the ground now and have been happy with all of them.

 

[MilkweedManiac]

We will continue to share information on this. My goal was to find some trees with a reliable drop in mid November here. Terry wasn't really able to tell me which varieties that would be for sure, because of the difference in geography, so I'm just trying several different ones. He did recommend what he thought some would be and felt pretty good about the Sheepnose Apple and some others.

I'm okay with some apples hanging on the tree nearly all winter, but that isn't really my goal. I'm more concerned with getting fruit drop from early October through late November, with mid November being significant.

Just combing through threads to glean more information about fruit tree plantings and ran across this one. Here in SW Indiana, I find that deer completely leave their feeding patterns in late October, or early November, especially does as they head to more thick cover to escape the young bucks that are running from thicket to thicket trying to find the elusive mistress. I too would like to see some fruit that drops in November on the farm here, but I couldn't help but notice on trail cameras and during a handful of hunts this year that does just didn't focus on food very much until it got really cold in early December. Do you ever see that sort of thing happen where you are, Native?

 

[Native Hunter]

Just combing through threads to glean more information about fruit tree plantings and ran across this one. Here in SW Indiana, I find that deer completely leave their feeding patterns in late October, or early November, especially does as they head to more thick cover to escape the young bucks that are running from thicket to thicket trying to find the elusive mistress. I too would like to see some fruit that drops in November on the farm here, but I couldn't help but notice on trail cameras and during a handful of hunts this year that does just didn't focus on food very much until it got really cold in early December. Do you ever see that sort of thing happen where you are, Native?

I see the chasing, but the way my place is designed, does have the food and cover in close proximity. Therefore, their pattern doesn't change that much. In fact, at that time of year is when I start drawing in more does from nearby farms, because my native grasses become better cover than the deciduous forests that aren't hiding them as well now that the leaves are falling. The food is also better, because of the plots and fruit trees.

Does can be feeding on anything they like and if bothered by a young buck, they can make one quick dash and disappear into acres and acres of native grasses that are extremely thick. BTW - deer prefer running in native grasses rather than thickets, because they don't get their eyes poked out. I've watched some good chases from my tower blind located in the middle of one of those fields. They can run full speed without fear of harming themselves, yet at the same time be completely hidden.

 

[MilkweedManiac]

I see the chasing, but the way my place is designed, does have the food and cover in close proximity. Therefore, their pattern doesn't change that much. In fact, at that time of year is when I start drawing in more does from nearby farms, because my native grasses become better cover than the deciduous forests that aren't hiding them as well now that the leaves are falling. The food is also better, because of the plots and fruit trees.

Does can be feeding on anything they like and if bothered by a young buck, they can make one quick dash and disappear into acres and acres of native grasses that are extremely thick. BTW - deer prefer running in native grasses rather than thickets, because they don't get their eyes poked out. I've watched some good chases from my tower blind located in the middle of one of those fields. They can run full speed without fear of harming themselves, yet at the same time be completely hidden.

Good info, thank you!