apple tree's

[066blaster]

Just planted this tree this year. Got seven apples on it. It should pay for itself this year. I tie down the branches with wires. It stops the growth of the branch and sets up fruiting buds. Also gets the leader to grow more. I want 2 foot of leader growth this year. I planted 100 of theese

 

[066blaster]

3 year old zestar tree theese are ready around August 15.

 

[066blaster]

Mulching my new trees.

 

[066blaster]

I got a new post hole digger. I should have got one years ago. Works great I have to put alot of posts in for the apple tree trellis system.

 

[066blaster]

Just about ready to pick

 

[Rudedog]

Do you have to spray apples??

 

[066blaster]

Yes ,all the time. Insects will eat the leaves as well as ruin the apples and the entire tree. Also fungicides are a must. I gave a couple trees to my nephew, he didn't spray, and they were gone in a few months. Not to mention deer and rabbits. I put up a 6 foot wire fence around mine also.

 

[Rudedog]

Yes ,all the time. Insects will eat the leaves as well as ruin the apples and the entire tree. Also fungicides are a must. I gave a couple trees to my nephew, he didn't spray, and they were gone in a few months. Not to mention deer and rabbits. I put up a 6 foot wire fence around mine also.

Its a wonder how you guys make a living.

 

[066blaster]

Plus the weather is always against us. Frost, drought, hail, too much rain, too hot. I sell at 2 large upscale farmers markets. I get $3.25 a pound for zestar. $3.50 for honeycrisp. It averages out to about $1.15 per apple.

 

[066blaster]

Here is a pic of 100 trees I abandoned because of rabbit damage. They had chewed many of them completely off. I had them growing again last year and the rabbits got them again this winter. I am thinking of moving them in spring to my fenced in main orchard. These are 3 years old an should be producing about $50 per tree. I paid about $1000 for these plus many hours of labor.

 

[066blaster]

The snow was about 4 feet around these last winter. Taller guards wouldn't have worked either. Now I use 6 foot wire fence. Keeps deer and rabbits out. Deer have also been eating the trees in the pics above

 

[chuckwood]

Here is a pic of 100 trees I abandoned because of rabbit damage. They had chewed many of them completely off. I had them growing again last year and the rabbits got them again this winter.

I used to have problems with groundhogs and rabbits that would do a lot of damage to my garden. I trapped and killed them but it seemed like more were coming in from other areas to take their place and the damage continued. Raccoons were also involved, and they are difficult to deal with because they do their damage at night. Then mother nature suddenly gave me a lot of help. Foxes and bobcats appeared and started eating up the groundhogs. The bobcats are really cool to listen to when they scream at night. Why people hunt and trap bobcats and foxes doesn't make any sense to me - but I guess those fools don't have gardens.

 

[cat-face timber]

I have tried to grow fruit trees here and Jack Rabbits just attacked the trunks and girdled the trees..

 

[066blaster]

We had alot of coyote ' s around but a guy down the roads been killing them all. I don't see any reason to kill them. The rabbits have just been crazy around here. I've been trapping and blasting alot of them. We wouldn't have seen this a few years ago. I took it today . 11 pheasants

 

[066blaster]

It's been weird around here the last few years. The wildlife is so tame. They are like pets including deer. I drive up on them with the fourwheeler and they actually start walking towards me.

 

[Ash_403]

It's been weird around here the last few years. The wildlife is so tame. They are like pets including deer. I drive up on them with the fourwheeler and they actually start walking towards me.

Wear some hunter orange. You won't see any at all.

 

[066blaster]

Pic of the fence I put up. $1 per foot plus the steel fence posts. Plus gonna have to move it next year when I add more trees. I figured it out and it costs roughly $16 per tree to plant these. Not including the fence. Or labor

 

[066blaster]

Cumulative income per tree over the first 5 years should be about $350 . And about $150 a tree each year after that. That's at $3.50 a pound. I may have to sell some cheaper as I produce more. Also that is honeycrisp prices. Other varieties might be 2/3 of that.

 

[Iska3]

Nice looking trees, very interesting project. Seems like a good idea to me...

 

[066blaster]

Here's a couple 4 year old honeycrisp trees. Definitely not the best ones I have but the one has about 75 apples on it. Also they are a little crooked. I didn't get the conduit in till year 3. Needs to be done first year or at planting. These have more growing to do , those apples will be big. Some will get knocked off as they get bigger. I should have hand thinned a little more.