Where are you on spring preparation?

WTNUT

WTNUT

5 year old buck +
It always shocks me when I hear how late spring is for some of you. For me, all the trees have been pruned, and the younger ones have had training wires adjusted, all cages have been cleaned out and stakes adjusted, all trees that need fertilized have been fertilized and lime added to a few based on soil tests in the area, for the M7s some have gotten really large and produce a lot so they needed some T-Posts driven to help anchor them, and finally all trees have been sprayed with oil and copper once. So I am WAY ahead of last year mainly because my real job has been going at a manageable pace.

Where are you guys in getting the orchards ready? I will send some pics Thursday if it is not raining.


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All of mine are planted and most of this years grafts are made. Still waiting on scions from Steve Kelly, but he and his father have not been well.
I've got several more locust trees to cut out that I plan on doing this Friday weather permiting.

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Waiting for snow to melt so I can finish pruning a few trees. Lots of frost in the ground, yet.


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All trees are pruned and limb spacers have been placed. Still a little snow in shady spots. Ground is wet and sloppy. Like Sandbur ^^^^ frost still in ground.
 
Rain last night helped but still frost in ground here too, a few showers should help
 
I'm on schedule on my own property: new trees planted, old ones pruned. My in-laws's place where I have a dozen or so trees has not been touched. Yikes. Those have been neglected and need some serious pruning, weeding and cage adjustment. It's further away (1.75 vs 1.0 hours) so it's tough to commit to making the trek up there. If only I had more TIME!!!!


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Got six inches of snow at my place yesterday, on top of the foot that was already there. I had planned to spend Easter weekend up there this year, attend Easter service in a little rural church, and spend the rest of the time working. Staying home instead.
 
Tasks completed this spring so far:
  • Mowed around 6 acres of trees with DR walk behind mower. Lots of turning, backing up, etc. so good exercise.
  • Cut and stump treated over 300 sweet gums (ranging from 2 inches up to 12 inches). God made me to kill sweet gums.
  • The above includes cutting up and piling up brush.
  • Did some cage improvements and other work around the bottom of some existing fruit trees.
  • Set and caged the following: (2) Becton Pears, (2) Gallaway Pears, (1) Franklin Cider Apple, (10) Sawtooth Oak, (2) grafted persimmons, and (1) Arkansas Black Apple.
  • Moved a Northern Whitetail Crab to a new location. Changed my mind from last year.

Work left to be done:
  • 5 more Northern Whitetail Crabs to be shipped to me next week. Need to set and protect those.
  • Do some more mowing with DR that wouldn't have to be done that way, but will do it to get the exercise.
  • Continue sweet gum whacking and stump treating. Several more hours left to do. This job becomes less and less each year as the oaks and other trees I planted take control. Not much of this will be needed after this year.
  • Topwork about 7 persimmon trees
  • Topwork maybe 3 apple trees to better varieties.
  • Add some screening trees at one location.
  • Move 3 chestnut seedlings and a few hazelnut seedlings from my home to the farm.
  • Whack and stump treat a few cedars where I don't want them.
  • Considering adding some lime around apple trees but low priority and might not get done.
  • Topwork 2 apple trees at my home to better varieties.
 
I have tried to keep myself in check this year and not do too much.

I have completed my pruning, scionwood collecting and distribution. I have a a dozen more trees I might move out of the nursery this weekend to help make room for about 70 new grafts. Will start bench grafting in about 2 more weeks. Plant out those grafts in early may and do some top working of pear, apple, persimmon and paw paw. I am starting some apple seedlings indoors now. Need some topsoil brought in for the seedlings raised bed.

Then whatever else I get to, chainsaw, spraying, catch up to some trees with weed mat, screen, and some gravel.
 
I’m not doing habitat work this year, but in the garden to give you a weather reference....
Compost is top dressed, onions have been in for several weeks, lettuce mixes were direct seeded a couple weeks ago and are already coming up, tomatoes/peppers/squash/zucchini are all in already as well.

Also, we planted a pollinator bed this year. The concrete edging is new as of a couple weeks ago, just in time. The little seedlings (in the below pic) are native Texas/Oklahoma wildflowers, with a few Colorado ones thrown in that I harvested on last year’s elk hunt.

aee57df898b1704ead5a654d389da9a4.jpg


We just got 1.5” of rain today, so hopefully it all grows well!


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Light pruning is done. But the ground is still frozen here, with some snow in the orchard. Soooo ready for spring to arrive in NY.
 
g squared 23 said:
I'm on schedule on my own property: new trees planted, old ones pruned. My in-laws's place where I have a dozen or so trees has not been touched. Yikes. Those have been neglected and need some serious pruning, weeding and cage adjustment. It's further away (1.75 vs 1.0 hours) so it's tough to commit to making the trek up there. If only I had more TIME!!!!


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Click to expand...

Where did you get your trees. Most nurseries that I order from have not shipped.



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I had been making progress all winter and complaining about our drought. Then about three weeks ago it started raining and hasn’t seem to ever really stop. Right now there are rivers at or above flood stage on both sides of the county where our property is. Rain in the forecast virtually every day for the next two weeks. I’m expecting the road to wash out again this week -then I’ll clearly be behind. Fortunately our property won’t be reached by any flooding. The bright side is I’m in Missouri and we’ll be crying drought again in a couple months (sarcasm - true, but still sarcasm).
 
Two feet of snow on the ground remaining from 3 consecutive Nor'easters that came through in March. Got my snowmobile buried TWICE on Sunday trying to pack down trails to get to my sap buckets. Finally boiling sap right now. But when I'm not attending to the evaporator I'm in the yard starting some pruning.
 
WTNUT said:
Where did you get your trees. Most nurseries that I order from have not shipped.



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Click to expand...


6 pears from The Wildlife Group and 4 apples from Turkey Creek.
 
I plant most of my apple trees in the fall but have a few that I didn't get to so will plant them this spring. Start grafting tomorrow 20+ varieties of heirloom apples and wild apples & crabs I've found locally. Plus a few pears. Have 50 B118's , 20 MM160 and 10 G890 rootstock to graft to.
 
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