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Apple Trees/Pear/Fruit

at1010

*Supporting Member*
4,944
139
How many of you try to plant apple/pear/peach trees on your farms every year?


I try too, I normally pick up trees all over place. I noticed Walmart had some trees out already, I thought about buying a few and getting them in the ground this weekend. Is it too early, to plant trees?
 

Milo

Tatonka guide.
8,184
157
How many of you try to plant apple/pear/peach trees on your farms every year?


I try too, I normally pick up trees all over place. I noticed Walmart had some trees out already, I thought about buying a few and getting them in the ground this weekend. Is it too early, to plant trees?

Planted some saturday..im up to 10 now
 

themedic

Junior Member
755
0
OHIO
I need to order some more fruit trees, it's been on my to do list. I also need to prune my current stock. I've been reading and watching video but I'm still a little confused. Promote central leader, good crotch angles and prune above outward facing bud. That's my plan. Anyone have a good knowledge of pruning?
 

Milo

Tatonka guide.
8,184
157
you dont prune pear trees and apple trees need fewer branches and light in the center of the tree. drive by an existing orchard and you will see what i mean. they dont need tons of limbs on them to produce and the trees energy is best used by a few rather than many.
 

CJD3

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
14,630
201
NE Ohio
Planted 4 apple trees a few years back. The deer tore up 3 of em.
I should have asked for crop damage permit based on 75% loss ...
 

LonewolfNopack

Junior Member
1,503
127
The woods
I am not planting until at least April. If you plant now, make sure they are still dormant and not budded out yet. Otherwise you will be getting frost damage or maybe complete loss, especially with the type of spring we are having so far. I wouldn't buy walmart trees either. I plan on planting 25 white pine, then a mixture of apples, sawtooth oaks and some other native trees/shrubs depending on what they have at the auction.
 

Milo

Tatonka guide.
8,184
157
I am not planting until at least April. If you plant now, make sure they are still dormant and not budded out yet. Otherwise you will be getting frost damage or maybe complete loss, especially with the type of spring we are having so far. I wouldn't buy walmart trees either. I plan on planting 25 white pine, then a mixture of apples, sawtooth oaks and some other native trees/shrubs depending on what they have at the auction.

why? i buy from there all the time. they have good trees I would nto be worried about frost damage too much. the deer do more damage than frost...i have to cage all mine...they run out of food this time of year because the farm equipment is so efficient....
 

Mike

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
15,840
223
Up Nort
why? i buy from there all the time. they have good trees I would nto be worried about frost damage too much. the deer do more damage than frost...i have to cage all mine...they run out of food this time of year because the farm equipment is so efficient....

Milo, please explain how you cage your trees.
 

themedic

Junior Member
755
0
OHIO
here's one of my walmart caged trees
 

LonewolfNopack

Junior Member
1,503
127
The woods
why? i buy from there all the time. they have good trees I would nto be worried about frost damage too much. the deer do more damage than frost...i have to cage all mine...they run out of food this time of year because the farm equipment is so efficient....

I have never seen a good tree from walmart. Not saying they wont grow and make fruit, but compare their trees side by side to a tree from a quality nursery and you will see the difference instantly. If you want to buy them from walmart go for it though, I personally try not to support the place. If you planted trees that were already leaves out, and you planted them last week, you will have frost damage. At least if your weather has been anything like it has been here in SW ohio. Usually new leaves will grow where the old ones were frosted, but I wouldn't take the chance. Again, to each his own, but I perfer not to have frost damage. Just take a walk out in the woods and tell me how many trees have already leaved out. I would guess zero or almost zero. I haven't even seen the honeysuckle leaf out yet. That's because the trees in your woods are native to this area and know it is not safe yet. The tree you purchased already leaved out was obviously raised somewhere down south or in a greenhouse. If you plant dormant, its a complete different story.

I do agree on caging. I would not waste my time to even plant a tree if I didn't put a cage around it. I found that out the hard way too.The pic medic posted is similar to the same simple setup I started using last year, T-posts and woven wire at least 5 foot tall. Except mine don't look near as scraggly as that walmart tree.:smiley_crocodile: Only takes one deer and one night to ruin an other wise good tree that you put a lot of work into.
 
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