Removing cages on Apple trees? And lack of production?

[4wanderingeyes]

Do you guys remove your cages after a certain amount of years? If so, about how long, or how big for the tree?

I have some trees I planted about 10-12 years ago, and about 20 trees planted about 7-8 years ago, I would like to repurpose the cages, but I also dont want the deer to rub the trees, or the beer to think they now have an easy access monkey bars to play on if I take the cages off. Do you just keep the cages on for ever?

This past season, I only had about 4 trees out of 30 that produced. I know it was a very dry year, but I would think the trees would have at least set apples, and lost them as the dry year went on.
My soil is good, ph about 6.5, I do apply 1 cup of triple 10 in the spring to each tree. The trees arent in full sun, but more then half the day in sun. I am going to work on that this spring. I am hoping for a break out year for apples this year, but I wont hold my breath either. I dont have any bee hives yet, but there usually are many bees around early spring. I prune every other year. Any tips that can boost these suckers into producing?

What is your experience after a dry year, more apples the following year? Or less apples the following year?

 

[H20fwler]

After the trees are 7-8 years old you can either just leave the cages on the way they are or make them smaller leaving plenty of room for trunk to get bigger.
They should always have some kind of protection, with the investment and time in them not worth it if a buck would ever try to rub on it even if they are really big.

 

[TreeDaddy]

After the trees are 7-8 years old you can either just leave the cages on the way they are or make them smaller leaving plenty of room for trunk to get bigger.
They should always have some kind of protection, with the investment and time in them not worth it if a buck would ever try to rub on it even if they are really big.

Feral hogs use my trees for hair brushes.......

Some type of cage is required in east texas

bill

 

[Diesel5610]

After about 5 years I put a smaller cage on to just protect the trunk from rubbing by bucks. I would never leave them unprotected here, they would absolutely get rubbed at some point.

 

[chummer]

I go to a 3’ high cage once the tree outgrows the original. I will leave those on until they out grow rubbin size.

 

[Native Hunter]

I start with a 5 foot cage to stop both browsing and rubbing. After the tree gets big, I trim the cage down to 3 or 4 feet to continue to protect from rubbing.

 

[Prof.Kent]

Do you guys remove your cages after a certain amount of years? If so, about how long, or how big for the tree?

I have some trees I planted about 10-12 years ago, and about 20 trees planted about 7-8 years ago, I would like to repurpose the cages, but I also dont want the deer to rub the trees, or the beer to think they now have an easy access monkey bars to play on if I take the cages off. Do you just keep the cages on for ever?

This past season, I only had about 4 trees out of 30 that produced. I know it was a very dry year, but I would think the trees would have at least set apples, and lost them as the dry year went on.
My soil is good, ph about 6.5, I do apply 1 cup of triple 10 in the spring to each tree. The trees arent in full sun, but more then half the day in sun. I am going to work on that this spring. I am hoping for a break out year for apples this year, but I wont hold my breath either. I dont have any bee hives yet, but there usually are many bees around early spring. I prune every other year. Any tips that can boost these suckers into producing?

What is your experience after a dry year, more apples the following year? Or less apples the following year?

I took my cages off AT 15 years. Bucks then started to rub on them.
The tree doesn't know in the spring that it will be a dry year, so did the trees have apples in the spring or not? A dry year will have more pressure from critters eating the fruit before its ripe. Fruit trees without full sun will tend to be biennial bearers --or worse. Biennial bearers may be worse bearers, also. Annual fertilizing can't hurt.
In my opinion, apple trees planted for deer should have the following qualities:
1. Vigorous Grower
2. Late dropper
3. Holds long on tree
4. Semi- to Full sized
5. Open growth pattern (Tip bearers like Rome & Golden Russett do not require pruning as often)
6. Green/Yellow fruit (less attractive to birds)
7. Did I mention Vigorous Grower?

 

[cavey]

I am taking the cages down - some what reluctantly around that 7 year mark'ish (tree size dependent). I now try and do a couple things, I try to leave some of those pain in the butt low branches on and once the cage is pulled I leave at least 1 t post in the ground a foot out from the tree trunk (that alone has discouraged the rubbing for some magical reason - two post eliminates it.)

Without the enclosure the deer often come in and browse up the lower branches but I have to many other trees that need protecting. I go with standard RS for that reason (taller trees) One other problem I have is that I have had to make my cages a bit smaller in overall diameter which has made it more difficult to have some of those lower branches coming out at the base. Im doing this solely for economics other wise I would keep the cages on for a lot longer.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

How does everyone feel about using chicken wire as a cheaper alternative to the remesh cages when the trees get bigger than 5 or 6" in diameter? It would still protect against bucks rubbing and provide some help against rabbits.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

Out of 30 trees, with the majority being 7-10 years in the ground. Most of the trees are 15-25’ tall and I usually am only getting a handful to produce each year. It probably is the lack of sun. Which I am going to work on this winter and spring. I don’t think any of the trees that didn’t have apples on them, had them and lost them.

I want to still protect the trees, so leaving the cages on will probably be best. I would like to make the cages smaller so when the apples drop, they drop on the outside of the cage, rather then the inside.

I am pretty sure opening it up to more sun will help.

 

[wooduck]

Fruit buds that will bloom spring 2022 are already formed , the hot dry last year here could impact the blooms available spring 2022, the health of a tree will be represented the following year , Good growing season one year make more potential for the following year , poor one summer can be poor the next year ,, we had extreme dry here last summer ,, we watered alot there maybe lots of winter kill because of stress from summer dry


Keep some protection on um , cheap insur .

 

[Diesel5610]

One thing I have learned is that apple trees need sun. My trees that get it all day are 1/3 bigger and produce bigger and more consistent crops vs trees that get limited sun and were planted at the same time.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

We leave our cages on - bears. If cages make it any more difficult or miserable for a bear to try to climb a tree - they're worth every nickel. Keeping deer off is easy .......... bears .......... a P.I.T.A.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

We leave our cages on - bears. If cages make it any more difficult or miserable for a bear to try to climb a tree - they're worth every nickel. Keeping deer off is easy .......... bears .......... a P.I.T.A.

This was one of my big concerns, even with cages, they damage about 3 trees a year. Most years they just snap off some side limbs/branches and they just prune it for me. I just need to clean up their work when they are done. Sure they arent pretty trees, but usually they arent killing them, or snapping them off completely. I have had them break off a 4 inch thick main leader a couple times, and I have had to replant, but most times they dont break the main leader yet. I have had one fall inside the cage, and the cage thrashing around and rubbing the tree while the bear was trying to free himself did a lot of damage as well.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

This was one of my big concerns, even with cages, they damage about 3 trees a year. Most years they just snap off some side limbs/branches and they just prune it for me. I just need to clean up their work when they are done. Sure they arent pretty trees, but usually they arent killing them, or snapping them off completely. I have had them break off a 4 inch thick main leader a couple times, and I have had to replant, but most times they dont break the main leader yet. I have had one fall inside the cage, and the cage thrashing around and rubbing the tree while the bear was trying to free himself did a lot of damage as well.

Usually they just break the lowest limbs here too - but occasionally they snap a young central leader. Had that happen on 2 or 3 trees, and they just pushed out more limbs. Younger bears seem to be the ones that like to climb. Old bigger bears seem to save energy and just collect the drops and lowest fruit without climbing ......... at least from what I've seen at camp. A 40 to 60 lb. young bear on a young fruit tree = destruction.

 

[gunfun13]

I've been taking large diameter 5' cages off at 4-5 years, and putting on small diameter 4' cages, basically just rub protectors. By then the tree is 10'+ and can tolerate some browse on the lower limbs.

I do it mostly because I'm recycling the cage to put on a new tree. But I also want any fruit available to the deer and not dropping inside the cage.

 

[BuckSnort]

I posted this picture in one of the other threads, my brother scored a bunch of cheap snow fence. I’ve been pruning the lower branches off the trees as well. Either way, I think you have to keep some sort of smaller fence on for protection against bucks rubbing on them.

 

[cavey]

How does everyone feel about using chicken wire as a cheaper alternative to the remesh cages when the trees get bigger than 5 or 6" in diameter? It would still protect against bucks rubbing and provide some help against rabbits.

Are you talking a full sized cage or something that wraps the trunk? The nice thing about remesh is you can make cages with only one t post if you want, with multiple t post you can hold the remesh off the ground a foot or so and predators can get in tighter to the trunk area control mice and you can have better mechanical weed control by also holding it off the ground.

You could do the same with chicken wire it would just take 3-4 t posts. So no reason chicken wire wouldnt work but I think it will be the same price ish per foot well the old prices of remesh anyways now that could be a cheaper option.

If you are talking about a tight diameter cage to protect the trunk from rubbing that would work for rabbits and bucks but, if its on the ground you will get weeds back there and more importantly/disaster wise you will make a safe haven for mice nest behind the chicken wire ( I learned that the hard way).

 

[Apple Junkie]

Are you talking a full sized cage or something that wraps the trunk? The nice thing about remesh is you can make cages with only one t post if you want, with multiple t post you can hold the remesh off the ground a foot or so and predators can get in tighter to the trunk area control mice and you can have better mechanical weed control by also holding it off the ground.

You could do the same with chicken wire it would just take 3-4 t posts. So no reason chicken wire wouldnt work but I think it will be the same price ish per foot well the old prices of remesh anyways now that could be a cheaper option.

If you are talking about a tight diameter cage to protect the trunk from rubbing that would work for rabbits and bucks but, if its on the ground you will get weeds back there and more importantly/disaster wise you will make a safe haven for mice nest behind the chicken wire ( I learned that the hard way).

I tried remesh for the first time this year. It seemed as though the lower branches of my young trees were browsed off by deer sticking their heads right through the larger openings. Does anyone else have this problem? Also, does anyone see rabbits squeezing through in the winter? I do put screen on the trunk to protect from mice, but only 12” to 18” up and deep snows can reduce that height quite a bit, exposing the trunk to rabbit appetites.

 

[homerj1]

I do put screen on the trunk to protect from mice, but only 12” to 18” up and deep snows can reduce that height quite a bit, exposing the trunk to rabbit appetites.

Always use at least 3' high aluminum screen in areas with winter snowpack