apple tree's

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Haven't done the grafting thing yet. Don't know if I need another vice.
 
You ever thought about doing espalier?
Takes pruning and praying much easier and more productive since they get more sunlight.
 
They have done some trials with bartlett, bosc, ect. On tall spindle and they produced really well. They said the fruit size was a little smaller but figured with better thinning it would increase. I have never heard of it done with asian pears but I'm gonna try. I bought a bunch of big mother trees ,7 foot well branched , several varieties. They were like $50 a piece. And I bought a bunch of rootstocks. I'm gonna make my own trees. The rootstocks are only $1.85 a piece and I can also manipulate the branches when they are small. I might start making my own apple trees as well. Bud 9 rootstock can be bought for $1.85 as well.
Good thing that you are using Bud 9 instead of M9. M9 is very brittle and disease prone.
One thing I can suggest you on the pear rootstock if you are doing both European and Asians. Stick with Pyrus betulafolia. It will work for both but a must for Asian pears.
You can propagate all of your rootstocks; piece of cake.
 
I bought all ohfx87 rootstock they say it's good to -20. Betulifolia is only -10 and more susceptible to fire blight. The 87 also will fruit faster, they say it will work fine with Asians. I guess I will find out. I'm gonna try to keep the trees on the smaller side. 4x12 spacing 10 foot tall
 
4 year old honeycrisp
Screenshot_2015-03-10-16-26-02.png
Screenshot_2015-03-10-16-26-10.png
 
The branches on these trees were tied down to horizontal or a little below, the first year. The years after that the fruit will weigh them down to below horizontal which is what you want. The problem was in the second year 90% of the blossoms froze and there was no fruit. So there are some vertical branches. Not a huge deal, if there's a 1 or 2 on each tree, and their not too big. If they look like they have good fruiting buds I keep them if not ,or they are too big they get cut off. When any branch gets as big as my thumb it will get cut off
 
I had a big drift by a few of my tree's. Maybe 3-4 foot deep. I kept watching for rabbit damage and dint see any. Now that some of the snow melted I was able to see some vole damage on 2 trees. 1 is a total loss . It had pretty substantial rabbit damage last year and I was letting it grow a new leader, but now it shot. I will have to start poisoning them in late fall to bring the population down. I had hardware cloth around these . Not sure if the black hose is better protection or worse for voles
20150311_151143.jpg
20150311_151148.jpg
 
I'm going to try bring the vole population down. I made some bait stations out of pvc. I figure I will put poison out in spring and late fall, maybe some in winter also. These will keep the poison dry and keep desirable animals from getting any. You just add poison from the top I have caps for the top.
20150312_121430.jpg
20150312_121436.jpg
 
I'm in the process of moving 100 or so tree that were heavily damaged from rabbits and deer. I had pretty much gave up on them but figured I might as well move them since they are worth over a $1000 dollars. I had cut some of them off below the damage and re grafted them.
20150331_100334.jpg
20150331_100350.jpg
 
I am digging the holes with my post hole digger. I didn't have the soil prepped very good and it's kinda rocky so it's the easiest way. I got 3 of my asian pear trees today I have 45 more ordered.
20150401_144832.jpg
20150401_144832.jpg
20150401_162017.jpg
Sorry for the duplicate pic.
 
I have voles too. My bait station is a simple half gallon grow pot and using Generation bait blocks. I cut out two 3" x 3" square at the rim. Then I drill two small holes on the bottom.
I use 10-12 gauge copper electrical wire, bent out one end to terminate the bait blocks, and insert the other end through the center hole on the pot and loop it back to the secondary hole.
The bait line is inside the pot and a couple inches higher. This station works great but the problem I have are the slugs. I live in the Pacific Northwest and the slugs are everywhere. They seem to consume all the rodent bait before the voles get to them. They would climb on the inner wall of the bait station and travel down the copper wire to get to the "Poison". At first I was using the insulated copper wire but my neighbor told me that slugs don't like to touch copper so I stripped off all the insulation. Guess what? They are wrong! Slugs don't give a damn about copper.
Now I'm ordering a large quantity of slug bait to sprinkle under the bait station. You got any slugs?

Also found out about the new Geneva apple rootstock that sounds very promising. The G41 is supposed to be superior over the B9 and M9 in all aspects. I'm having problems with crown rot and blight with the B9, M9, and M26.
 
Some years we have some slugs.. they ruin some strawberries but nothing major. The voles did some pretty bad damage to the strawberries this winter, they love it under the straw. I guess I'm only gonna put poison out late fall maybe winter and early spring. No slugs at that time.
 
Which varieties of Asian Pears are you growing?
hosui, chujuro, 20th century, Korean giant, and maxie red, and also some bosc and bartlet just kinda of a trial of all and then I can graft the ones I like and of course buy more nursery trees as well.
 
Working on the trellis for the trees I planted last year. From now on I'm going to run 3 wires. At 6, 8, and 9 foot.. no reason to have any lower wires with the conduit. This way you can walk from one row to the next without having to walk yo the end of the row.
 

Attachments

  • 20150501_084048.jpg
    20150501_084048.jpg
    3 MB · Views: 28
If your area requires extra heat for ripening, then lowering the wires will help a bit.
You can use the lowest wire to mount your drip irrigation if watering is required.
It will allow the hose to be off the ground for grass and weed management.
Just a thought.
 
If your area requires extra heat for ripening, then lowering the wires will help a bit.
You can use the lowest wire to mount your drip irrigation if watering is required.
It will allow the hose to be off the ground for grass and weed management.
Just a thought.[/QUOTE


I've just been leaving the drip line on the ground. I use one line for 2 rows..I water 1 row and then move it across the Isle to the other row and water that one. I use the house well to water my trees because I don't have enough drip line to run it off our irrigation wells.. When you turn them on you have to have somewhere to go with all the water. I think I would need 1500 foot of drip line to handle the water. Or it will blow everything apart. I don't have to irrigate that often since I mulch them good.
 
I just received my order of Geneva 41 apple rootstock this afternoon.
I can't wait to do some budding this summer.
My area is has a high water table and I'm getting a lot of collar rot from my Bud9 and M26 rootstock.
I'm really excited with this new rootstock and hopefully it will give me better results.
 
20150506_155304.jpg
I got some honeycrisp on nic 29 this year.
I'll see what happens. .. I'm really nervous about fire blight this year. I think some of the trees I got last year had it it and spread it to some of my older trees. I bought some streptimicin spray. I guess I'll spray a few time while their blooming. My zestar
20150506_155254.jpg
are blooming
 
Back
Top