This winter's damage to fruit trees?

[sandbur]

What areas of the country have seen cold enough temperatures that you suspect damage to fruit trees?

Were temps well below normal or more like a USDA zone to the north?

In central Minnesota, our temps have not been as cold as last year, but snow depth is 1-3 inches.
I reached -22 this week, but just to the north about 30 miles was -31.

Several of my apple plantings from sln did not do well last year. I hope the lack of snow cover does not kill them. I am not real impressed with the trees I received from sln, but do like the variety. Hopefully they were putting on root last year as there was very little top growth.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Bur - If it's any consolation for you, SLN uses Antonovka rootstock, which is supposed to be the most cold hardy of all rootstocks. The trees I have here at my camp didn't do much the first year either ( also from SLN ). But from what I've read & researched, Antonovka builds roots first as opposed to top growth. We saw greater growth in years 2 & 3 once root system got going. Year 3 - last year - we got 2 to 3 ft. of top growth. I hope you see the same up there. I know you're more sandy up there, here - we're more clay / loam. Not sure what the difference in soil would make.

 

[sandbur]

Bur - If it's any consolation for you, SLN uses Antonovka rootstock, which is supposed to be the most cold hardy of all rootstocks. The trees I have here at my camp didn't do much the first year either ( also from SLN ). But from what I've read & researched, Antonovka builds roots first as opposed to top growth. We saw greater growth in years 2 & 3 once root system got going. Year 3 - last year - we got 2 to 3 ft. of top growth. I hope you see the same up there. I know you're more sandy up there, here - we're more clay / loam. Not sure what the difference in soil would make.

Thank you. My sln trees are on my better soils. Maybe 130 + bushel corn ground if that helps.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Bur - If you have yours planted in 130 bushel corn ground, that's a lot better than where we have our SLN trees planted !! Un-tilled wild grass and dewberry ground here. You ought to be in good shape.

 

[sandbur]

My neighbor just told me he was upgrading his parcel to 130 bushels from the old estimates.

The sln trees are on good ground by my standards. I also have ground that would not grow 15 bushels of corn. Red cedar like that and maybe jack pine if you have a wet year after planting.

 

[sandbur]

Now I hear we will have the coldest weather of the winter on Sunday morning. You guys to the east and south better hang on to the pack boots and choppers!

 

[Maya]

-21 a week ago and a lot of -10-15, but I'm not worried. We had a good gradual cool down this fall, we'll see.

 

[bueller]

As of a couple weeks ago the lowest temp I had on the property was -22 but I think we got down to around -25 this past week, won't know until I get back up there to check. I have a handful of pears from SLN planted and last year I had one die back to base. I thought it was a goner but I had several sprouts above the graft show up during the summer. I trimmed it back leaving the best one. I'm not sure this tree is going to make it. Most of the others I planted grew well the first year but they seem to have slowed down. Could be a product of my infertile soil. Can't wait to spring to see if the pears that have been in for 3 years now start to take off.

 

[chummer]

As of a couple weeks ago the lowest temp I had on the property was -22 but I think we got down to around -25 this past week, won't know until I get back up there to check. I have a handful of pears from SLN planted and last year I had one die back to base. I thought it was a goner but I had several sprouts above the graft show up during the summer. I trimmed it back leaving the best one. I'm not sure this tree is going to make it. Most of the others I planted grew well the first year but they seem to have slowed down. Could be a product of my infertile soil. Can't wait to spring to see if the pears that have been in for 3 years now start to take off.

I had the same thing happen to all my pears. They all sprouted 5-6 new shoots above the graft and put on 5' of new growth. I am not pruning them because I don't know where to start with them. They basically turned into bushes. I am going to give them a couple years to see if they live and what happens, maybe eliminate some of the shoots later. This will be their third year in the ground.

 

[Maya]

Maya, It looks like a couple more colder days then typical February weather into March. Ok to start pruning? We were -18 yesterday.

Hey NH, Ya we've been pruning for a couple weeks, but we have a lot to do. We normally start somewhere around now. We've never had any problems. If you have established healthy trees I'd go for it. One of my friends that has an orchard up towards Burlington had his migrant workers prune his big trees in late November before they went back to Jamaica for the winter. He said they always do and no problems. I talked to Appleman last week, he's been pruning for a while. Most orchards around here are pruning. If your worried just wait. I got started on this block and some bigger trees.

 

[Maya]

What have you got to prune?

 

[sandbur]

We had a few trees that did that exact same thing last spring from winter injury , I would chose one leader and prune out all the others train that one leader to a support and let the new tree develop fruit trees do best on a central leader system , besides isn't the goal to make a tree you can remove the cage from well it will have to get tall then . With the established root system under it will grow fast and if you remove all the junk it will put all the growth into that central leader tree . Good Luck

Are you growing any pears and what luck have you had?

 

[Maya]

Some older ones I've been releasing but, I'm also wondering when to get scion wood? I was afraid to get it too soon when it's been this cold.

I wouldn't worry about them. For scions though, I'm never in much of a hurry.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Maya - What should I do with young trees as far as pruning goes?? They've been in the ground 2 and 3 years - 1" to 1 3/8" caliper on the biggest ones. O.K. to prune now, or wait a couple weeks?? Obviously not a bunch of wood to deal with per tree.

 

[Maya]

I can't imagine you have much to do Bows, it certainly won't hurt to wait a bit.

Boy were the pups happy to get out in the orchards yesterday. It got up to 36 here and the snow settled quite a bit! Back to reality today though I just noticed the thermometer drop 12 degrees in the last hour or so. :(

 

[sandbur]

`Many years ago played with some and it did not turn out well , Lots of winter damage here and had bad fireblight flairs and that was their demise , Have since learned a lot and would try again but would separate them from other fruit trees to lessen vectoring fireblight between the two . There are very few pear trees in this area and it has been tried by many .

The few pear trees I have tried are pretty much a failure. Just like you say, fireblight and winter damage.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Thanks, Maya. I just picked up a copy of the Penn State book " Fruit Production for the Home Gardener " for pruning, training, and pest control info. I'll be doing some reading.

 

[Maya]

Thanks, Maya. I just picked up a copy of the Penn State book " Fruit Production for the Home Gardener " for pruning, training, and pest control info. I'll be doing some reading.

Excellent! Glad to see you mention, "for pruning, training, and pest control info." pruning and training should be done in concert w/ each other. Tak a look around Adams County Pa.. There are some very good orchards and nurseries to get some info from. I love it down there!