A small rant regarding my husband

[Quail_Antwerp]

Ok my husband is the green thumb around here and part of my issue is my own fault, because I completely rely on him to care for the plants for decor/food/etc on our property. Hey, I'm the Chicken Lady, he's the Green Thumb!

Well I have the chance to order a fruit tree package for what I feel is a reasonable price. It has 3 standard apple trees in it plus 7 other fruit trees. I really want this package, but my husband doesn't want me to keep the apple trees out of it Normally he is a real tree buff! He has potted and sold many different kinds of trees that he has grown up from saplings/seeds.

We have had several small go arounds about this. When I asked why, he said he wants dwarf apple trees so he doesn't have to worry about pruning a standard apple tree. That's his only reason! un

So today I just said, fine, I will learn how to prune them and do it myself. He laughed at me and said good luck do you know how hard pruning it will be?



I don't care how hard it is, I am looking at it as another food source for us. When I told him I am ordering it anyway he just shrugged and said whatever. UGH how unsupportive is that??

He'll be changing his tune when in a few years I get a nice yield of apples and I make apple pie, applesauce, etc out of it. :bun

 

[Zenbirder]

Hi Quail;,
I do all the pruning, DH can't bring himself to "harm" the trees. It is work, you can do it, and be confident. Get a good resource and be ready with the lopers in the winter! Good luck!

 

[enjoy the ride]

Standard apple trees will be a few years in starting production- dwarf and semi dwarf will be much faster. And standard apples, depending on the variety, can be very big- though probably not in your lifetime. Look at how the eall the expected height is- if it's 40 feet, are you sure you want to do this too?
You can prune to keep smaller usually summer pruning and standards are frequently more drought tolerant. But it is hard to lose a tree you have already waited years to get into production.
Heck, you can always tuck the apples against a windbreak or something- if they grow fine, if they don't, OK.
I personally like semi-dwarf.

 

[k0xxx]

We have found that dwarf trees are great... unless you have a lot of deer. Sure, they are easier to reach for pruning and picking, but the smaller trees mean that the deer can reach more of it and they end up getting more apples than you do.

We have had to fence each individual apple tree, and we have 18 (not to mention all of the other fruit trees). As our trees grow, the entire orchard will end up having to be fenced, instead of the individual trees. That will be a pretty good expense. Fencing each tree, you can use a lower fence (5 - 6 ft.), if you plan it right. Fencing the entire orchard will require an 8 - 10 ft. fence.

We have been discussing replacing all of the dwarf trees with standards, but we would lose four years of growth. So we may replace every other tree and then later, once the standards are producing, replace the remaining.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Maybe I can work a compromise with him, because I really just want the Jonathon Apple out of the package...get him 2 drawf apple trees, and I keep the Jonathon Apple. I am sure my mom would take the other two standards.

 

[patandchickens]

It is possible your husband is right -- there are probably a lot more situations where a dwarf or semidwarf apple is appropriate than a standard. You cannot just keep them small with pruning, either.

OTOH I'd rather have a disease-resistant variety of apple on standard rootstock than something really pest-prone on semidwarf rootstock.

Just something to think about,

Pat

 

[Cassandra]

Here is a link to a guy who makes regular size fruit trees small with close planting and pruning. Apparently he has some kind of organization to promote the planting of orchards in small spaces (kind of like square foot gardening for trees.)

Could be worth a try if you are going to get the trees anyway... rather than not do anything with them, I mean.


http://www.crfg.org/tidbits/backyardorchard.html

Just a thought

Cassandra

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Thank you! I am checking that link out now!!

 

[roosmom]

Quail_Antwerp, I just wanted to let you know that there are lots (lots) of apple trees out there that produce bushels and bushels of fruit with out any help or interference from us humans. Yes I know it means they could produce better, more apples if they were taken care of but these trees are 50-60 yrs old and still going strong. Remember, even tho he can prune today doesnt mean he will always be able to. That goes for you too. SO, if you want reg size trees then do it. There are no guarantees either one of you will be able to or want to prune in the future. I plan on buying apple and peach trees. But I want dwarf or semi dwarf because it DOES take a long time to see fruit in reg size trees.

 

[Beekissed]

So today I just said, fine, I will learn how to prune them and do it myself. He laughed at me and said good luck do you know how hard pruning it will be?

I think I would have demonstrated my prowess with the loppers.....on his neck!