WTNUT
5 year old buck +
I thought I would make a list of things I have learned the hard way when it comes to growing fruit trees the last 10 years or so. I hope it will help some who are just getting started, and as a way of saying thanks to those on this forum who have helped me.
1. Take the time to read every thread on these forums and pay attention. just glancing over the threads really doesn't work. You are likely to
do as I did and just say "you don't need to do all that".
2. Plant your trees in a good spot ( plenty of light, areas where the sun dries the dew off early in the morning, avoid wet ground, good well drained soil, etc.). The best bare root trees in the world will not grow in a bad spot. I planted my first trees in the woods with a heavy canopy.
Those did not work.
3. Dig a bigger hole than you think you would ever need. Loose dirt is a tiny root's best friend.
4. You can grow great trees in fertile mounds. This was a little controversial when I first tried it but it has been great. I had one field with
okay soil and I decided to make it better. I took a few bucket loads of rich top soil from another location and made a mound for each tree. It
worked great and kept their feet a little drier.
5. Learn to train your trees! It will make your life a lot easier.
6. Learn to prune your trees and remember you are growing apples not wood.
7. If your trees are for deer, try to have your first row of laterals at 6 feet off the ground. It makes it easier to mow around and helps keep the
deer off them.
8. Cage your trees. Stake them with a 10 piece of conduit or other support.
9. You can fertilize trees that are producing apples too much. As some on here have noted, it is a balance between fruit production and overall health of the tree.
10. Disease resistant trees are a lot easier and try to avoid trees that are more prone to fall prey to fireblight.
11. fire blight can happen to you1
12 Learn all you can about fireblight.
13. For the hobby orchard, spraying with Captan and immiden (spelling) will work just fine.
14. Spray herbicde (gly) to keep the weeds and grass killed around your tree. They rob a lot from young trees.
15. Make sure you put window screen or similar guards around your trees mice, rabbits or something will eventuallly get your trees.
16. Personally I would keep pears in a pear orchard and apples in an apple orchard.
17. Do not over prune your trees in the winter.
I will probably think of some other things slash mistakes I have made but this is a good start. You can find information on just about all of these somewhere on the forum.
1. Take the time to read every thread on these forums and pay attention. just glancing over the threads really doesn't work. You are likely to
do as I did and just say "you don't need to do all that".
2. Plant your trees in a good spot ( plenty of light, areas where the sun dries the dew off early in the morning, avoid wet ground, good well drained soil, etc.). The best bare root trees in the world will not grow in a bad spot. I planted my first trees in the woods with a heavy canopy.
Those did not work.
3. Dig a bigger hole than you think you would ever need. Loose dirt is a tiny root's best friend.
4. You can grow great trees in fertile mounds. This was a little controversial when I first tried it but it has been great. I had one field with
okay soil and I decided to make it better. I took a few bucket loads of rich top soil from another location and made a mound for each tree. It
worked great and kept their feet a little drier.
5. Learn to train your trees! It will make your life a lot easier.
6. Learn to prune your trees and remember you are growing apples not wood.
7. If your trees are for deer, try to have your first row of laterals at 6 feet off the ground. It makes it easier to mow around and helps keep the
deer off them.
8. Cage your trees. Stake them with a 10 piece of conduit or other support.
9. You can fertilize trees that are producing apples too much. As some on here have noted, it is a balance between fruit production and overall health of the tree.
10. Disease resistant trees are a lot easier and try to avoid trees that are more prone to fall prey to fireblight.
11. fire blight can happen to you1
12 Learn all you can about fireblight.
13. For the hobby orchard, spraying with Captan and immiden (spelling) will work just fine.
14. Spray herbicde (gly) to keep the weeds and grass killed around your tree. They rob a lot from young trees.
15. Make sure you put window screen or similar guards around your trees mice, rabbits or something will eventuallly get your trees.
16. Personally I would keep pears in a pear orchard and apples in an apple orchard.
17. Do not over prune your trees in the winter.
I will probably think of some other things slash mistakes I have made but this is a good start. You can find information on just about all of these somewhere on the forum.