The Sandbox

[outdoorstom]

Great pics Art....thanks for sharing. Too bad about the corn/bean field. I'm dealing with the same thing with my 1.5 acres of corn.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Bur - what was the pruning advice you got from George on that yellow seed-grown crab? Just to thin out some branches/ open up the tree? I ask because I've got one that's very full & thick like the one in your pic. I'm always lookin' to learn!

 

[sandbur]

Bur - what was the pruning advice you got from George on that yellow seed-grown crab? Just to thin out some branches/ open up the tree? I ask because I've got one that's very full & thick like the one in your pic. I'm always lookin' to learn!

I should not say a word, since I have much to learn.

Post a picture of the tree without leaves and let George give you some advice.

I take out what is growing upwards from any mostly horizontal branches (water sprouts). Remove a branch that crosses. Remove dead branches. Then post a picture for Maya or Stu to give you advice.

 

[sandbur]

Bur - what was the pruning advice you got from George on that yellow seed-grown crab? Just to thin out some branches/ open up the tree? I ask because I've got one that's very full & thick like the one in your pic. I'm always lookin' to learn!

Last winter, stu gave an apple tree pruning demonstration at my place.

 

[sandbur]

The tree now looks like this. Opened up like you said. stu said he could have removed a bit more, but he left some fruit spurs.

 

[sandbur]

Here is a late dropping yellow crab grown from seed-thanks to Grandma-in-law! They hold crab apples into Dec. and even later this winter.

View attachment 947

Here is a March 11, 2014 picture of my rootstock crab which we think is Columbia. It usually drops most of it's crab apples by mid Nov.

 

[sandbur]

Here is a picture of my daughter's 2012 buck from the



north sandbox. Aged at 6.5 by cementum analysis. Weight was 198 #'s.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Nice buck! I'm headed for camp to spray the trees. Have other business in the area, but I'm taking the digital camera to get some pix of the camp trees to post. I'll get a pic of the one " bushy " crab to show you.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Well, I went up to the camp and got all the trees sprayed. All trees are doing well. I took the digital camera to get pix to post ( see above post ). No go - battery dead! Another family member used it last and didn't re- charge it. Charger not in camera case. JUST WONDERFUL. I'll get up again in 2 weeks ( I'll charge the battery ) & get some pix to post. I know everyone likes to see pix.

On the plus side, the Sevin appears to be working. Very little munching on the leaves. No gypsy moth or other caterpillars or japs. The 2 trees that are going nuts growing are the Dolgo and All-Winter-Hangover crabs planted last year. Both from SLN on Antonovka.

 

[sandbur]

This is a Frostbite from Huls (Baileys) that was planted spring 2013. It never did well. Maybe too wet of a location.

It looks like the bark was chewed just above the window screen. I opened the window screen up for the picture. The new growth is above the graft so things might turn out for the best, yet.

 

[sandbur]

I've been trying to establish a tennis racket shaped bedding area and travel lane in some reed canary (RC). It has been a battle. I think the cuttings and trees have been in the ground for three or four years. The willows and spruce are finally starting to top the RC.

I planted the willows in black plastic. Some of the plastic was removed after one year. These willows are still in black plastic and seem to have done better.

I am not sure of the willow variety as it was growing nearby and I just grabbed the cuttings If I were going to try this again, I would use sandbar willow. Sand bar willow seems to compete better with RC.

Spruce are planted inside of the willows. They are just starting to top the RC. Many spruce were crowded out.

 

[sandbur]

Answer to another thread that I created for discussion.

Here is a picture of a browse line from up in Zone 1, a doe lottery area. Does stand in the field at mid day. Not so in the Intensive Harvest areas.

 

[sandbur]

T he above picture was taken on a recent trip up north. Caught my biggest sunfish in a few years, mainly because I have not been fishing in a few years.

 

[sandbur]

CAR is bad on the Sandbox this year. This is a seed apple from Grandma and they have been hard hit the last few years. Even one ofmy dolgo seedligns is showing some CAR.

 

[sandbur]

Swamp crab is about 12 feet high and it was grown from a root sucker. Note it is growing in the reed canary.

 

[sandbur]

The apples run small on it and drop in Sept.

 

[sandbur]

The nearby Morse Bunches Red will hold it's apples until Dec. or later. the apples are of a similar size.

 

[sandbur]

Here is my attempt at a thicket of crab apples and plums. some are growing well, and some are.....not.

 

[sandbur]

I added a patch of late planted beans along the edge of a flooded

out corn foodplot.

 

[sandbur]

A few of the broadcast beets are emerging. It looks like some of them died from
the last rains.