OrionWhitetails
New Member
Letemgrow,
First, I really like your website name! That name spells out what is most lacking in deer management across the U.S. - people killing yearling bucks without realizing they are... yearling bucks!
We've had great success with all of our fruit tree plantings (apple, pear, & crabapple) by doing exactly what you did - take the time to plant, fence & prune each one individually. We also hauled water to each seedling soon after planting.
Mick
First, I really like your website name! That name spells out what is most lacking in deer management across the U.S. - people killing yearling bucks without realizing they are... yearling bucks!
We've had great success with all of our fruit tree plantings (apple, pear, & crabapple) by doing exactly what you did - take the time to plant, fence & prune each one individually. We also hauled water to each seedling soon after planting.
Mick
letemgrow
PMA Member
I never understood why a lot of people do not try to figure ou what age the animal is they harvested, what they were eating etc. You are right, they shoot yearlings partly because they do not know what they are shooting, but it has horns so it's legal??
Luckily I have not had to water any of mine thus far. It has been so dang wet I cannot get into even get the beans planted beside them so they should have all the moisture they need. The soil is very well drained as I check it by digging holes and within an few hours the holes were not holding any water.
letemgrow
PMA Member
I just checked mine and there are still not any aphids on any of the 20 trees that I checked. When I do get them I thought about turning loose the green lacewing to combat the aphids with a natural predator instead of more chemicals. Anyone else tried this??
dbltree
Super Moderator
Good advice Randy! :way:
SouthernIowa
PMA Member
how long does it take for an apple tree to mature and bare fruit?
Looks great Phil, I am going to mimic your trees!
There's a few variables on that last question of how long it takes apple trees to mature and bare fruit...
1) quality & size of trees you bought. If you are getting 6' trees that are 1" in diameter VS 2-3' trees that are 1/2" in diameter: maybe a 1-2 years difference in fruit bearing.
2)Rain, weed control, pest control, soil site, growth, etc, etc.
3)Type of apple trees you plant. (some trees require 2 trees to cross pollinate eachother- I always order 4-5 of any variety SO it's a non-issue anyways) (I also order something like an apple tree called WINTER BANANA or Muncharian Crab Apple that are great POLLINATORS and they obviously produce fruit)
4)Luck (ok, most of this is controlled & a lot is weather related- cold frosts, rain, etc BUT some is for sure luck!)
Ok, so I promise, I had good amount of fruit on several of my trees the 1st summer they were in my soil. I had other trees where the 4th year- NOTHING so far. I would say from MY EXPERIENCE it averages 3 growing seasons to get fruit. If you plant high quality trees, a variety of trees, keep weeds GONE, fertilize/lime 2nd year & going forward, prune, etc, etc - you should have SOME fruit in 2-3 years for sure.
Now, I'd say it's 5+ until you have LOTS of fruit. You're not going to take the fence down before then anyways for sure- likely 6-8 years. 6-8 years in tree terms is QUICK & in hunting seasons and LIFE- 6-8 years goes by FAST! Plant the trees, do the work, take care of them and they'll take care of you for years!!!!!!! Apple trees are great and I'm so thankful I planted them!!!
There's a few variables on that last question of how long it takes apple trees to mature and bare fruit...
1) quality & size of trees you bought. If you are getting 6' trees that are 1" in diameter VS 2-3' trees that are 1/2" in diameter: maybe a 1-2 years difference in fruit bearing.
2)Rain, weed control, pest control, soil site, growth, etc, etc.
3)Type of apple trees you plant. (some trees require 2 trees to cross pollinate eachother- I always order 4-5 of any variety SO it's a non-issue anyways) (I also order something like an apple tree called WINTER BANANA or Muncharian Crab Apple that are great POLLINATORS and they obviously produce fruit)
4)Luck (ok, most of this is controlled & a lot is weather related- cold frosts, rain, etc BUT some is for sure luck!)
Ok, so I promise, I had good amount of fruit on several of my trees the 1st summer they were in my soil. I had other trees where the 4th year- NOTHING so far. I would say from MY EXPERIENCE it averages 3 growing seasons to get fruit. If you plant high quality trees, a variety of trees, keep weeds GONE, fertilize/lime 2nd year & going forward, prune, etc, etc - you should have SOME fruit in 2-3 years for sure.
Now, I'd say it's 5+ until you have LOTS of fruit. You're not going to take the fence down before then anyways for sure- likely 6-8 years. 6-8 years in tree terms is QUICK & in hunting seasons and LIFE- 6-8 years goes by FAST! Plant the trees, do the work, take care of them and they'll take care of you for years!!!!!!! Apple trees are great and I'm so thankful I planted them!!!
Last edited:
Sorry for the short novel- you can post in Apple/Pear tree thread if you want.
*SUPER-DUPER BASICS on planting the trees to bare fruit ASAP!!...
-Order from reliable high quality sources.
-Order varieties of trees, varieties of ripening dates, at least 2 of each type of tree.
-Prepare area and plant with care
-Weed control!!!! Herbicides and/or Mulch (stone or something else- careful of rodents- keep area clear)
-I stole Paul's idea for stapling screen window material around trunk area- I'll get pics up. Get that trunk PROTECTED or rodents and deer will kill trees. Tar tape, tiling tube, etc, etc. Some you can put up in Sept/Oct and take off in spring.
-Fence the heck out of them and fence them in SOLID!!! I fence whole area, many fence each tree seperately. Doesn't matter as long as rabbits, deer, etc are kept out!
-Keep the pests off & disease away! I use general fruit spray & many use a fruit tree oil when dormant. Many options, some organic options as well. Pests/disease can easily kill trees. I spray bi-weekly, takes me 10 minutes.
-2nd growing season, lime/fertilize.
-Prune yearly or bi-yearly
They are NOT as difficult as you think, actually quite easy, plant them!
*SUPER-DUPER BASICS on planting the trees to bare fruit ASAP!!...
-Order from reliable high quality sources.
-Order varieties of trees, varieties of ripening dates, at least 2 of each type of tree.
-Prepare area and plant with care
-Weed control!!!! Herbicides and/or Mulch (stone or something else- careful of rodents- keep area clear)
-I stole Paul's idea for stapling screen window material around trunk area- I'll get pics up. Get that trunk PROTECTED or rodents and deer will kill trees. Tar tape, tiling tube, etc, etc. Some you can put up in Sept/Oct and take off in spring.
-Fence the heck out of them and fence them in SOLID!!! I fence whole area, many fence each tree seperately. Doesn't matter as long as rabbits, deer, etc are kept out!
-Keep the pests off & disease away! I use general fruit spray & many use a fruit tree oil when dormant. Many options, some organic options as well. Pests/disease can easily kill trees. I spray bi-weekly, takes me 10 minutes.
-2nd growing season, lime/fertilize.
-Prune yearly or bi-yearly
They are NOT as difficult as you think, actually quite easy, plant them!
Crimson Arrows
Well-Known Member
Good stuff Skip! I have 20 trees that I need to do better with. They are alive but not producing any fruit. I need to drive down and prune, clear the bases up etc. They are fenced in well but need to be free of weeds at the base from what I am learning on this site and from those who have helped me. I need to work harder on them. Good post.
dbltree
Super Moderator
I'll probally add this thread to the Apple and Pear thread eventually...lots of great pics and information here and it's nice to be able to refer back to it...
letemgrow
PMA Member
5 out of the 15 seedlings I planted last fall from Century Farms had blooms this spring. I did not want them putting on any apples just yet so I plucked all the blooms off. The Hewes Apple Crab has at least 50 blooms. Some others only have 5-10. I will let them fruit in a couple years so they grow faster.
letemgrow
PMA Member
That is correct Skip!! I thought the pruning, fertilizing, herbicides etc would be a lot of work, but I can take care of 20+ apple trees within 30 minutes or less for each one. Spraying weeds takes the most time. Lime and fertilize is easy with a bag of triple 13 and a cup. Pruning takes no time at all once I knew what I was doing.
This will be a plot that I have every year with very little upkeep on it after 5-6 years. Then I will hopefully get to enjoy them for the next 50!!!
JNRBRONC
Well-Known Member
This is exactly why I think mast (fruit/nut) trees are underrated/under utilized. Maybe labor intensive at first, not that much money (when compared to fertilizer/seed/herbicide/equipment/etc needed for row crop food plots) and once established, the costs and maintenance drops to almost nil. :way: I just can't justify "ag" like food plots due to the time/effort/cost and the amount of ag in the area.
letemgrow
PMA Member
Exactly my thoughts, with the money it takes to fertilizer, lime, spray and plant an acre or two of food plots. I can plant 20+ apple trees and have a dynamite draw that does not need to be replanted every single year.
I am working with native shrubs that have good masts crops every year now to make a 1-2 acre area that has great cover, and lots of food all in one spot. My mainstays in this plot will be dwarf chinkapin oak, allagheny chinquapins, wild plums, hazelnuts and wahoo. With this I would never even have to fertilize, just plant, spray a couple years and be done with it!!