Wood pile "housekeeping"

[c5rulz]

You have a nice operation there man, it's downright pretty! Only thing I would do different is elevate the pallets up on something, cement blocks, rail road ties, etc.

I scrounge pallets where ever I can get them. Pallets vary in size and quality so elevating them would be difficult. After all they are pallets, the wood isn't on the ground.

 

[c5rulz]

I gone softy in me gettin older age, I can't shoot a tame one like that. I have all the meat I want anyway, heck, I have a hard time cutting up cluckers if they have been around long enough to turn into pets.

Here is the reason I get the deer. I took these pictures in the back yard at the same time I took the pics of the stacks. There are 27 standard apple trees.

These are fenced in:

This Honeycrisp is probably close to 3/4 of a pound.

 

[Erik B]

Here is the reason I get the deer. I took these pictures in the back yard at the same time I took the pics of the stacks. There are 27 standard apple trees.

These are fenced in:

This Honeycrisp is probably close to 3/4 of a pound.

What do you have in the container hanging on one of those trees?

 

[brenndatomu]

There is a Apple tree next to the driveway at work, the other day I seen a groundhawg standing up eating an apple, like actually holding it with both front paws and spinning it like eating an ear of corn, kinda funny

 

[c5rulz]

What do you have in the container hanging on one of those trees?

That is a 16 oz plastic cup full of cement with a loop of vinyl covered clothesline wire in it. With young trees it is extremely important to get the proper branch angle developed. When they are very small, clothespins are used. As they get bigger "spreader" sticks are used to get the correct angle but the ends of the branches want to grow vertical rather than horizontal. This branch will then compete with the central leader which is very bad. So this weight is used to bend the branch horizontal. Once horizontal the branch will put it's energy into setting fruiting spurs rather than wood.

After a couple weeks, the branch will just take a set after the branch is removed. Once they start bearing heavily, the apples do the same thing.

 

[USMC615]

That is a 16 oz plastic cup full of cement with a loop of vinyl covered clothesline wire in it. With young trees it is extremely important to get the proper branch angle developed. When they are very small, clothespins are used. As they get bigger "spreader" sticks are used to get the correct angle but the ends of the branches want to grow vertical rather than horizontal. This branch will then compete with the central leader which is very bad. So this weight is used to bend the branch horizontal. Once horizontal the branch will put it's energy into setting fruiting spurs rather than wood.

After a couple weeks, the branch will just take a set after the branch is removed. Once they start bearing heavily, the apples do the same thing.

Clever C5...interesting.

 

[zogger]

That is a 16 oz plastic cup full of cement with a loop of vinyl covered clothesline wire in it. With young trees it is extremely important to get the proper branch angle developed. When they are very small, clothespins are used. As they get bigger "spreader" sticks are used to get the correct angle but the ends of the branches want to grow vertical rather than horizontal. This branch will then compete with the central leader which is very bad. So this weight is used to bend the branch horizontal. Once horizontal the branch will put it's energy into setting fruiting spurs rather than wood.

After a couple weeks, the branch will just take a set after the branch is removed. Once they start bearing heavily, the apples do the same thing.

You are good! I need to work on my little grove, it's a mess.

 

[benp]

That is a 16 oz plastic cup full of cement with a loop of vinyl covered clothesline wire in it. With young trees it is extremely important to get the proper branch angle developed. When they are very small, clothespins are used. As they get bigger "spreader" sticks are used to get the correct angle but the ends of the branches want to grow vertical rather than horizontal. This branch will then compete with the central leader which is very bad. So this weight is used to bend the branch horizontal. Once horizontal the branch will put it's energy into setting fruiting spurs rather than wood.

After a couple weeks, the branch will just take a set after the branch is removed. Once they start bearing heavily, the apples do the same thing.

Awesome C5!!!!!

My sister is an Assistant Professor/ Plant Pathollogist at Penn State's Fruit Research and Extension Center in Biglerville, Pa.

She deals with the tree fruit diseases of local and regional orchards.

http://agsci.psu.edu/frec

I hear about apples quite a bit. For my birthday she sent me a couple of Gala's ready to eat from Penn State's orchard.

Pretty cool what she's involved with.

 

[c5rulz]

Well I am hijacking my own thread, but I digress as I often do.

Growing high quality apples is a very complex subject. Controlling fungus and bugs is one thing. Get into carbohydrate loading models for optimum thinning to maximize yield is really complex.
BenP, ask your sister about that.

 

[benp]

Well I am hijacking my own thread, but I digress as I often do.

Growing high quality apples is a very complex subject. Controlling fungus and bugs is one thing. Get into carbohydrate loading models for optimum thinning to maximize yield is really complex.
BenP, ask your sister about that.

Do mean ask her just in general or helping you get pointed in a direction or someone to contact?

ETA - It's your thread. You are allowed to hijack it.

 

[brenndatomu]

Do mean ask her just in general or helping you get pointed in a direction or someone to contact?

I think he's setting you up for a two hour ear bender...

 

[benp]

I think he's setting you up for a two hour ear bender...

Lol!!!!

My sister is very good at adjusting scientific discussions accordingly with her stupid brother. A couple years ago when she was monkeying with plant DNA I had the "general" grasp of what she was doing at the end of the conversation.

The area growers love her because she's able to communicate what's going on in a form that everyone can easily understand. A very good grasp of converting scientific to layman. apparently her predecessors were not so good at that aspect.

She knows her stuff.

 

[c5rulz]

A month ago I was at a seminar on high density planting systems. The orchard where it was held just planted 40,000 trees on the tall spindle system. FWIW, as soon as the crop comes off mine, the standards are going to the burn pile, the stumps will be removed with a mini excavator, an 8' deer proof fence is going up. In the spring 220 trees are coming in April, in 2017 & 2018 another 248 are on order.

 

[unclemoustache]

Well I am hijacking my own thread, but I digress as I often do.

Growing high quality apples is a very complex subject. Controlling fungus and bugs is one thing. Get into carbohydrate loading models for optimum thinning to maximize yield is really complex.
BenP, ask your sister about that.

We're having a heck of a time with our fruit trees. Lots of bugs and fungus. But then I suppose if we sprayed once in a while we might do a little better.

 

[Erik B]

That is a 16 oz plastic cup full of cement with a loop of vinyl covered clothesline wire in it. With young trees it is extremely important to get the proper branch angle developed. When they are very small, clothespins are used. As they get bigger "spreader" sticks are used to get the correct angle but the ends of the branches want to grow vertical rather than horizontal. This branch will then compete with the central leader which is very bad. So this weight is used to bend the branch horizontal. Once horizontal the branch will put it's energy into setting fruiting spurs rather than wood.

After a couple weeks, the branch will just take a set after the branch is removed. Once they start bearing heavily, the apples do the same thing.

Thanks, that looks like it does a good job.
Erik B

 

[c5rulz]

We're having a heck of a time with our fruit trees. Lots of bugs and fungus. But then I suppose if we sprayed once in a while we might do a little better.

Well mine got 8 cover sprays, (2 types of fungicide, an insecticide, Li-700 buffering agent, acidifier and non ionic surfactant, 10% calcium supplement, and Borosol) plus a shot of fungicide and dormant oil and then a thinning spray for a total of 10 sprays. Generally at least every 14 days. I am at the lazy end of the spectrum.

 

[benp]

Well mine got 8 cover sprays, (2 types of fungicide, an insecticide, Li-700 buffering agent, acidifier and non ionic surfactant, 10% calcium supplement, and Borosol) plus a shot of fungicide and dormant oil and then a thinning spray for a total of 10 sprays. Generally at least every 14 days. I am at the lazy end of the spectrum.

And you are going to ratchet it up to almost 500 trees?

Holy Schmolee!!!

Do you have good references for help/information through an extension program with the University or another AG program?

If you don't, I have zero qualms putting you in touch with my sister. I am sure she or she can point you in the right direction to get squared away.

 

[c5rulz]

And you are going to ratchet it up to almost 500 trees?

Holy Schmolee!!!

Do you have good references for help/information through an extension program with the University or another AG program?

If you don't, I have zero qualms putting you in touch with my sister. I am sure she or she can point you in the right direction to get squared away.

I have a very good grasp of what this entails and have put considerable time and planning into this endeavor. The two guys at the local CPS, (Crop Productions services office, where I get all my chemicals) have mentored me for years. The new way of growing apples is this trellis system. Amazingly enough, 300 trees will fit in the same area that formerly had 28 standard size as spacing changes from 25 x 25' to 3 x 14'.

As far as time. The new system won't take any longer than the old system and picking, pruning and spraying will be much easier. I no longer care for scampering around above the red step on my Stokes 10' orchard ladder. This will be safer.


Thanks for the offer regarding your sister.

This guy is excellent and has a whole series on this:

 

[benp]

I have a very good grasp of what this entails and have put considerable time and planning into this endeavor. The two guys at the local CPS, (Crop Productions services office, where I get all my chemicals) have mentored me for years. The new way of growing apples is this trellis system. Amazingly enough, 300 trees will fit in the same area that formerly had 28 standard size as spacing changes from 25 x 25' to 3 x 14'.

As far as time. The new system won't take any longer than the old system and picking, pruning and spraying will be much easier. I no longer care for scampering around above the red step on my Stokes 10' orchard ladder. This will be safer.


Thanks for the offer regarding your sister.

This guy is excellent and has a whole series on this:

It sounds like you are all set!!!!! Good deal!!

That was a great video. The trellis seems like an awesome system and makes sense.

I also watched his video on precision crop load management. Really good.

My sister received her masters and phd from Cornell. I would imagine she knows him.

 

[H-Ranch]

... an 8' deer proof fence is going up.

Deer proof or deer resistant? I know of a place with 10' fences that deer still get in.