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Post by binnylou on Jan 25, 2018 22:13:44 GMT -5
Our fruit trees got their dormant oil spray today. I hope we can do some pruning during the next couple of days. We have nice weather, for our area, in the forecast.
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Post by desertwoman on Jan 25, 2018 22:52:16 GMT -5
It sounds like a good window of opportunity to start pruning binnylou, Be sure the coldest part of winter is over and done with before you start pruning. The wounds from the pruning cuts won't heal well if the temps are still dipping into single digits or lower. Cold sensitivity lasts about 10 days after pruning, so be sure your nice weather is going to hold for those 10 days or so. Depending on temps, we usually prune our fruit trees early to mid February (unless we are having a brutal winter, which this year we are not). If you have to choose- prune later rather than earlier- even as late as when the flowers are just starting to bud. We've gone as late as mid-March, though that isn't very often.
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Post by binnylou on Feb 15, 2018 2:34:43 GMT -5
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Post by desertwoman on Feb 15, 2018 11:40:12 GMT -5
That's a good article binnylou, The only pests we had to deal with in our orchard were the coddling moths. We had great success with the pheromone strips and the trichogramma wasps. Never had to spray stronger products. The mature trees never got aphid infestations. The few newly planted ones needed to be monitored and sometimes got a light aphid infestation.
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Post by desertwoman on Mar 8, 2018 18:44:43 GMT -5
Who's started on their fruit trees?
We started pruning fruit trees today. It's a late start, around here, but it's not too late, as long as it's done before the buds break.
Also the best time to feed them is just before the buds break, so I'll be doing that in a couple of weeks.
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Post by binnylou on Mar 8, 2018 20:49:04 GMT -5
best time to feed them is just before the buds break What are you going to feed them? In the past, I have spread compost under and around the drip line of my fruit trees, but I'm out of finished compost. And somebody is eating my compost pile faster than I can add to it ???
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Post by desertwoman on Mar 8, 2018 21:21:30 GMT -5
binnylou, I feed them composted manure with some crushed leaves and/or leafmold.
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Post by binnylou on Mar 8, 2018 21:49:39 GMT -5
Is that purchased composted manure?
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Post by desertwoman on Mar 8, 2018 22:09:13 GMT -5
Yes- we no longer have a truck so I go and get bags (I can load them in my car). I buy a local brand that doesn't have wood products added, like so many bigger brands do.
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Post by binnylou on Mar 8, 2018 22:17:45 GMT -5
The reason I asked about "composted manure" is I think I have been buying a lot of weed seed, and the manure is really heavy. I think they add water. Maybe I need to go visit the cattle down the road.
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Post by desertwoman on Mar 8, 2018 22:38:55 GMT -5
The one I buy is weed free, wood free- just good pasteurized manure.
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Post by binnylou on Mar 12, 2018 21:25:56 GMT -5
Has anybody used "limb spreaders" on young fruit trees? It's one of the things I wish I had done, and if I just happen to purchase more fruit trees, I'm thinking about using them. any opinions?
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Post by desertwoman on Mar 12, 2018 22:43:01 GMT -5
Yes, we used them at the orchard. They work pretty well to shape a tree. And it's probably a quicker way to get a shape you want. It just doesn't look aesthetically pleasing while the spreaders are doing their job.
With the four young fruit trees we planted here, we achieved the shape we wanted with pruning. It takes a little longer to get the shape you're after but is every bit as effective.
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Post by deckman22 on Mar 13, 2018 7:47:39 GMT -5
I'm new to growing fruit trees so I've never heard of it before. What does it look like and do you make them or buy them? I'm picturing a thin board with a fork on each end.
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Post by desertwoman on Mar 13, 2018 9:39:46 GMT -5
We made our own deckman22 , You'll want a variety of lengths from 3' to up to 15' or so. We used mill end boards (any thin board will do). Make a strong angle crotch at each end- less than 90ΒΊ but not as deep as 45ΒΊ -this will be a good strong support for the limbs as they get heavier. You can also buy them, in plastic or wood.
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