fruit trees

[Windy_Acres]

Weve planted around 50 trees, most of which came from bighorsecreekfarm. All but one survived, but they where watered regularly. They where all whips, and doing well.

The bulk are apple, but we also planted pear, and peach. This year I plan to irrigate them. Been using a pickup with a 350 gallon tank, that is getting old.

[kwendt]

Wow, Windy, lotta work! Part of my site prep this summer is hugal mound creation, windbreak and airflow screenings, deer fencing and drip irrigation for only a test portion of the orchard. I've got a vernal pond not 50' away from the site, but the land slopes up. I'm hoping the NRCS will award me some cost share $$ for 2016-7.... So I can put in the rest. For now, I'm thinking an industrial pump/filter in the farm pond (not the vernal pool), and essentially a firehose sized main line to tree sized drip emitters.  Roll it all up in the winter.

What sort of system are you thinking to install? Do you have to worry about spring freezes like we do here in zone 4a? Some orchards south of me use overhead crop row sprinklers  to keep early blooming trees from freezing in a snap. I'd love to see a plot plan, how you laid out your various trees for pollination.....

I take it you were happy with the whips?

[drobertson]

I'm glad this came up,  and have to ask a simple question, having two dwarf peach trees, which came from Georgia, and having fruit on when we bought them, the last two years have been poor.  I've read on pruning dwarfs but still not sure on the exact timing to do the pruning,  any thoughts would be appreciated..

[kwendt]

I'm not an expert... But there is dormant season pruning in late fall, winter, early spring... And summer pruning. Growing up in northern Maine... We only "summer" pruned our various trees lightly, to remove new damage (bear got at the cherries...), or to lightly rub out soft shoots before they got big. Most of our hard pruning, for shape, for rejuvenation... Was done early spring, before breaking dormancy. With no leaves on the trees it's much easier to see to prune out old wood, crossing branches or canes, winter wind kill, etc.

Storeys book on "growing organic orchard fruits" (eBay find) has a whole chapter on pruning, with drawings, tools, how to's including a section on pruning and training peach trees.

[mesquite buckeye]

If you can find this information, it will help you. Try to find out how many chilling hours are typical for your locality and match varieties based upon that and the many other conditions mentioned previously here.

[reswire]

The only problem I had with fruit trees on a small lot in Southern Maryland, was the "Horse" Hornets that would gather on the fallen fruit, and then swarm my home at night.  I believe the correct term is Japanese Hornet, but whatever they were, I had to remove the trees to get rid of the hornets.  Whenever a light was left on, or a blind wasn't completely pulled shut next to our exterior door, the hornets would be sure to gather there.  After my wife and six year-old were both stung, I decided to remove the trees altogether.  If you can find a way to keep the hornet problem under control, a small lot with fruit trees is great.  If not, use a sacrificial light in the area of the trees.  It will save a world of problems later. 

[Corley5]

kwendt,  Is this what you're referring to as hugel mounds  ???
http://www.richsoil.com/hugelkultur/
Looks interesting 8) 

[Roxie]

Reswire, look up information on Eastern European Hornet.  It sure sounds like them to me.  They do fly at night and are attracted to light.  We lost a birch tree to them, and a lilac bush. 

When they fly towards you, they look like yellow jackets on steroids with red eyes. 

[beenthere]

I looked again to see where reswire was from, to better relate to "horse" hornets. Never heard of them around here before.

But alas, reswire doesn't have where he is located in his bio.  :

Anyone else have "horse" hornets ??

[curdog]

Like roxie said I've had European hornets here at the house. They built a nest in a hollowed out spot in a water oak in the yard. I wasn't aware of their attraction to light ( @ the time). So I took my coon hunting light and some hornet spray outside.  When I cut it on and they started coming towards me, I dropped everything and ran like a little girl, and I would do it again if it happened today.  I hate those things. So I drove my truck through the yard and barely cracked the window and gave them a good dose of spray. I'll take yellow jackets any day over those hornets.

[kwendt]

@Corley5 , yes that's it. Hugel Kulture. The site of the new orchard is an abandoned 3 ac field. It's carpeted right now with young saplings and brush. It'll take me a year to clear and chip Ramial mulch .... and create the alternate rows of hugel beds, soil prep... Before planting a single apple. But once done, it should be a lasting organic, intercropped small orchard. I got turned onto hugel mounds while reading up on soil health, in relation to ag and tree farming, and wildlife needs. The farm is in zone 4a, that particular field has ThB soil...Thorndike silt loam with an 8 to 15% slope, on a glacial till ridge.... Excessively well drained, erodible soil. There are five different soil classes on our 80 acres, each one visibly different.

Side note in case someone doesn't know: use deciduous wood chips (Ramial mulch) around things like apples, or crops that like neutral soil. Use coniferious chips or pine needles around acid loving crops and trees... Blueberries, cranberries and the like. The one tends to naturally bring soil pH up slightly, the latter will acidify your soil. At least it does in Maine.

[kwendt]

I've heard of Horse Flys, but not horse hornets. Sounds dang scary. I'll keep an eye out... !!!!!

[Roxie]

I looked again to see where reswire was from, to better relate to "horse" hornets. Never heard of them around here before.

But alas, reswire doesn't have where he is located in his bio.  :

Anyone else have "horse" hornets ??

He said southern Maryland in his post.  He also said the correct name was Japanese hornets, and if you goggle them, they look remarkably similar to Eastern European hornets.  Very scary, very large hornets. 

[beenthere]

I looked again to see where reswire was from, to better relate to "horse" hornets. Never heard of them around here before.

But alas, reswire doesn't have where he is located in his bio.  :

Anyone else have "horse" hornets ??

He said southern Maryland in his post.  He also said the correct name was Japanese hornets, and if you goggle them, they look remarkably similar to Eastern European hornets.  Very scary, very large hornets.

My bad.

[kwendt]

It occurs to me that building hugel mounds in an area prone to termites.... Might not be a good thing. 😳 adding an underground wood pile might be inviting trouble! Whoops...

[kwendt]

Sorry..... Northern Maine we don't have them.... But lots of other states and countries do.

[beenthere]

(edit) .. didn't see last post that there are no termite problems in ME.

[kwendt]

Re Termites in Maine... To clarify, I'm not sure, maybe southern Maine has em? I don't believe zone 4a does, at least my family has never run into them here.

[Windy_Acres]

What sort of system are you thinking to install? Do you have to worry about spring freezes like we do here in zone 4a? Some orchards south of me use overhead crop row sprinklers  to keep early blooming trees from freezing in a snap. I'd love to see a plot plan, how you laid out your various trees for pollination.....

I take it you were happy with the whips?

We are installing 3/4 poly flexible pipe (not sure the actual name of it) and then smaller drip lines on surface of the ground. Probably just for a couple years until the trees are well established. The better half is in charge of the orchard, Im just the labor that makes it happen.

Yes, happy with the whips, our soil is very good (black dirt, no rocks), and with watering them, dont know what else to expect.

Our orchard is a large square, Seeing how its been months since I mowed it, I dont remember exactly how its laid out, I will ask her is she drew up a plot plan. She laid it all out for pollination and what not, all I did was plant them. We have a large skid loader, and one of the attachments is a hydraulic post hole digger, makes planting whips rather simple. I also over dug the holes so the whips have an easier time getting their roots established.

We are susceptible to spring freeze/frost, Im not sure how exactly wed handle that. I happened here in 2014, and the fruit trees in this area bore almost no fruit at all. The retail apple orchard where importing most of their apples to sell in the fall from nearby Michigan.

Anxious for the orchard to bare (sp?) fruit !

[kwendt]

We are installing 3/4 poly flexible pipe (not sure the actual name of it) and then smaller drip lines on surface of the ground. Probably just for a couple years until the trees are well established. The better half is in charge of the orchard, Im just the labor that makes it happen.

Yes, happy with the whips, our soil is very good (black dirt, no rocks), and with watering them, dont know what else to expect.

Our orchard is a large square. I will ask her is she drew up a plot plan. She laid it all out for pollination and what not, all I did was plant them. We have a large skid loader, and one of the attachments is a hydraulic post hole digger, makes planting whips rather simple. I also over dug the holes so the whips have an easier time getting their roots established.

We are susceptible to spring freeze/frost, Im not sure how exactly wed handle that. I happened here in 2014, and the fruit trees in this area bore almost no fruit at all.

What zone are you? Re: spring frosts... Well, the best way I know to save an apple crop from spring frosts... is to not plant in frost pockets, and have windbreaks if you're on a ridge (but you don't want a woodlot edge too close, cause apples NEED good airflow and insects to pollinate). Best of all, not plant early blooming varieties, choose instead mid season varieties (it's the fruit buds that get killed by freak spring frosts). Up here in zone 4a it's highly recommended that the trees be on standard stock or seedlings (own root). The winter cold and spring frosts kill off the dwarf and semi-dwarf grafted fruit trees. I've never tried sub standard sized stock... I've always believed the 'experts'... lol. 

If she's willing to share her plan, ideas, etc.... I'd love to see them. I'm always trying to learn. Feel free to message me here... or email.

Augers: My tractor only has 20hp at the pto and no hydraulics... so I'll be renting an auger for both the fence post digging and the orchard tree digging later in the fall if not sooner. Might be sooner, cause I have a lot of wild apple seedlings growing in my fields, that I'd like to transplant. Some of them apples are wonderful, Ben Davis or Duchess sports... good for eating and wildlife. And certainly would be good pollinators. Save me some $$$, too... if I can use them instead of buying.