Who's working in the woods this weekend?

[Bowsnbucks]

4Wandering - I just pruned in basically the same method you did. I cut off competing leaders, inward-growing branches/shoots, water sprouts, and low branches. That's what I've been doing for the last 3 years and our trees look really good. Credit goes to the guys on here that gave me / us advice. I sure wasn't born with apple tree knowledge !!

From what you describe, your trees should put on some good upward growth this year.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

Thanks, that does make me feel better. Every time I would cut off a branch, I would be thinking, this doesnt seem right, a few of the 4 year old trees had looked like they really should have been done a couple years ago, but I tried not to go crazy, I think I remember once reading, to only trim no more then a 1/3 of the tree, so the bad ones I didnt get trimmed as well as I think they should have been, but I figured it is a start, and I can always trim more next winter. The younger 2-3 year old trees seemed like they came out looking pretty good, and the ones I planted last spring, looked like I trimmed to much, but I didnt take more then a 1/3.

One tree had some bear damage this winter, and the branch he tore off, peeled down a ways, and where the branch broke, it took about half the diameter of the tree with it. I cut the rest of the branch off, and trimmed that tree more then 1/3. My thinking was less tree to grow, maybe it would allow the tree to heal better. This was one of the few trees that had fruit last summer, and a decent amount of fruit as well. I hope I didnt do it wrong by trimming it back, I would say by half. If I did, I guess a learning lesson for me. If it turns out good, then all the better.

 

[Northbound]

I went up, and accomplished a few minor things in the woods this weekend. I swapped out some camera batteries, pruned the apple trees, and cut one large pine down that was in the middle of my apple tree plot. I originally left it there so the plot wasn’t so wide open, but now it is just shading out the trees, and the plot. This was my first real pruning experience, and I had second guessed every cut I made. I felt like I left the trees to bare, even though there was a lot left on them. Basically I just removed any competing central leader, any inward growing branches, and most of the lower branches that were under 3 feet high. Also anything that looked dead. I know some of the trees should have been pruned a few years ago, as some had 2-3 main leaders about the same size and height. But I cut them back to just one. I just hope I don’t stunt them to bad, being last year was the first year I had apples. I have 20 apple trees in the ground now, and have a few on order to plant this spring.

Getting around in the woods was difficult, being we had a good 2 feet of snow still on the ground.

On a side note, Last year my property taxes went up a quite a bit, and I was meaning to ask why, and I ran into the commissioner, I asked him if it was a county wide thing, he said no. So I went about asking what could cause mine to go up, and he asked if I had made any changes in the past few years, I said I built a enclosed deer stand and planted a few apple trees, and he stated that both of them things could have caused my taxes to increase. I guess having some apple trees for deer, can be taxed for land improvements, because an apple orchard makes the land more valuable. Fricken government! They will dream up anything to take your money.

You should ask the commissioner how many junk campers and boats you need to park to bring those taxes back down

 

[trampledbyturtles]

Not quite the weekend but what the heck, still relevant.

Decided to make some apple training weights
Little tip for anybody about to do the same,
Skip using egg cartons, go straight to the plastic garden seed pots, the six pack variety. Just feel the paper egg cartons absorbed the water out of the concrete to quickly. Not sure how they will turn out. Plus the seed pots are a little narrower an deeper. Made setting the wire easier.

Also, the snows an blues r starting to pack in now. The giant Canadians r not pleased they are having to share.

 

[ksgobbler]

Put the kids to work. They were a big help. Half the bare roots are planted. Did golden currants and choke cherry today.

 

[ksgobbler]

Finished them off today. I go back to work tomorrow.

 

[H20fwler]

Three boxes of trees on the porch this week!
Have my cages pre-made for some of it, will be planting a bunch of highbush cranberry, hazelnut, white pine along with a half dozen chestnut and a few crabs tomorrow and Saturday. In a couple weeks the rest of my white pines/white cedars and Norway's should be here. I am ready to get at it, love getting them in early to catch some of the spring rains.

 

[Knehrke]

The winds hit 70 mph here on Wednesday and we're predicted to have 50+ mph late today. With a couple inches of snow. What a "spring". The wife and I walked our trails yesterday evening and there's a bunch of stuff come down, but nothing huge that impacts travel.

As for planting, I didn't order much this year so that I could focus on invasive control and some other projects, which was brilliant in hindsight given the weather. Most of my planting will be in the fall from stuff I'm growing under the lights now. I also delayed my crab/apple trees from Cummins for two more weeks. The plan this weekend is to open up around a few volunteer wild apples that have shown good characteristics and to put some box elder on the ground. And to repair stakes/tubes that were damaged over the winter, of which there's more than a few. Conduit stakes don't break like oak, but the wind tends to push them around more easily and the tubes end up crooked. It's a good chance to clear them of last year's leaves, too.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I got tree shipments from SLN and Cold Stream this week. 1 each - Goldrush, Chestnut crab, Priscilla, and Trailman crab from SLN. ROD and Chinese chestnuts from Cold Stream. Planting around the 27th & 28th of April. Still frost in the ground at camp now. Norway spruce and balsam fir still to come.

 

[SwampCat]

Got two five acre plots disked for eagleseed soybeans - probably plant in two weeks. Got one five acre sunflower field disked. Will plant mid-May. Another six acre sunflower field still to wet to disk.

 

[alldaysit]

I still can’t get out in the woods. We have several feet of snow in the woods yet. Last year I was a month into hinge cutting and done with my “new” travel corridors at this time in April.


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[H20fwler]

I planted trees this past weekend and cut some wood yesterday....and wouldn't you know it, today I have poison ivy! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr......thank God for Hydrocortisone.

 

[nateb440]

Finally made it out for a good day’s work. I had let the fields grow for a couple years but decided to bush hog them and work the ground for some buckwheat forthcoming. This is the flattest place on the farm believe it or not. Super clay and super rocky. Buckwheat does well. . Pruned my fruit trees a bit and plowed and disc ed the long plot. Felt good.

 

[alldaysit]

Finally made it out for a good day’s work. I had let the fields grow for a couple years but decided to bush hog them and work the ground for some buckwheat forthcoming. This is the flattest place on the farm believe it or not. Super clay and super rocky. Buckwheat does well. . Pruned my fruit trees a bit and plowed and disc ed the long plot. Felt good. View attachment 17710View attachment 17711View attachment 17712

Looks good!


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[H20fwler]

Finally made it out for a good day’s work. I had let the fields grow for a couple years but decided to bush hog them and work the ground for some buckwheat forthcoming. This is the flattest place on the farm believe it or not. Super clay and super rocky. Buckwheat does well. . Pruned my fruit trees a bit and plowed and disc ed the long plot. Felt good.

Orchard looks sweet Nate.
Looks like your trees are budding, I am so ready for that!

 

[H20fwler]

We have a nice warm up forecasted for the next few days into low 70's and next week looks like 50's. Going to direct seed some Dunstan chestnuts into the shrub strips in the next couple days, wife will like to see them out of the crisper drawer.

 

[scott44]

My trees from MDC showed up yesterday, rained all morning so I waited till noon and it cleared up and was decent. I ended up getting 48 oaks planted and tubed but it was work, most of the areas where I wanted to plant was still frozen. Most these were planted in a 3-4 acre area that was hay field a couple years ago.

Overcup, Shumard, SWO and Chestnut oaks.

 

[bueller]

I kinda thought your ground may have thawed already Scott, bummer.

 

[Jim Timber]

Looks like Brainerd might get missed by the incoming blizzard tonight. Been itching to get outside and get at cleaning up after the loggers, but there's been snow, more snow, and more snow after that.

 

[scott44]

I kinda thought your ground may have thawed already Scott, bummer.

We didn't get all the snow everyone else did but we still had the cold temps, the rest of the trees are in the polebarn waiting for this storm to pass. Maybe they'll get planted next week.