What did you do in your orchard today?

[CrealCritter]

For those of us who have or would like an orchard, big or small doesn't matter.

Today I planted Starkbros Standard Supreme XL bare root Sunrise and Moonglow pear trees. They were on sale and couldn't pass them up. They should go nice with our mature Bartlet and Asian Pear trees.

Jesus is Lord and Christ 🙏❤️🇺🇸

 

[R2elk]

Picked cherries today.

 

[R2elk]

I cheated and bought a Contender peach tree. Planted it, it bloomed.

It probably won't survive the coming winter but at least I got peaches this year.

 

[Mini Horses]

Guys -- @-40° even I wouldn't survive!!! BUY peaches shipped in 🤣🤣🤷 stop killing trees.

 

[CrealCritter]

Well it's looking like we'll be having a grafting party in March. My favorite daughter in law is wanting to start a small orchard like the one I'm working on starting.

Wednesday evening I showed her how to air layer MM111 rootstocks. I did one as a demonstration, then kicked back sitting on a bucket and answered questions, while she did the remaining 9. When she was done she asked if I had more root balls 🤣. I said I'll show her how to harvest scionwood in February. I sent her home with a Fedco catalog so she can pick out some scionwood for varieties she wants to grow. Here's her handy work.
View attachment 23390

I also ordered year end overstock rootstocks from Fedco. 10 OHxF97 semi standard pear and 15 Lovell Peach rootstocks. They arrived last week bareroot, buds breaking and some leafed out. I potted them and am slowly hardening them off. I couldn't resist the hugely discounted prices. Lovell peach rootstock can also be used to graft, appricots, plums and almonds. Lovell is also interesting as it used to be the industry canning peach up until recently. I'll most likely plant 3 to 4 Lovell ungrafted rootstocks for canning peaches and for growing more rootstocks from the peach pits. View attachment 23391

I also want to graft cherries this March, so I'll be ordering Mazzard rootstock also.

Yep it'll be a bench grafting party come March alright 🥳

Jesus is Lord and Christ 🙏❤️🇺🇸

quoting myself...

so one of those air-layer attempts my daughter in law did the middle of May got broken off during the wind over summer (I don't recall the month). I cut it loose and opened the air-layer ball it had one root about 3 inches long. I decided to pot it anyways.

I trimmed all its side branches and said a prayer for it. It lost all its main stem leaves but one on the very top, which you can see in the photo. I set the pot in kiddie pool with the other apple grafts and cared for it the same as the others.

Well what month is it? who ever heard of an apple blossoming the end of September? first for me. It didn't even see winter and it blooms and growing some nice new spur leaves also 🤷‍♂️.

It looks like this will be one root stock that we will be grafting late winter/early spring.

Jesus is Lord and Christ 🙏❤️🇺🇸

 

[CrealCritter]

Picked up good Bartlett pears that got blown off the tree by thunderstorms last night. I left the not good so good ones for bees and wildlife. Pears are nice you can pick them a little early to ripen off the tree. I'll probably pick the rest of them off the tree in a week or so.

Jesus is Lord and Christ 🙏❤️🇺🇸

 

[JanetMarie]

Picked peaches! Enough to put some in the freezer. First year for them. Contender is the variety.

 

[R2elk]

Stuck an air layer on an apricot branch. If it works, great. If it doesn't work, the branch is still going to get cut off.

 

[the_whingnut]

Transplanted my free trees into larger pots! 2 black cherries and one pecan. I have a peach and 10 elderberry trees still to do.

 

[R2elk]

What zone are you in?

Reliance Peach is said to be good to zone 4. I have one planted, it seems to grow well. Not sure if it will flower this spring. But I'll know more when I examine the new growth for scions and have a look for flower (double) buds this february.

Jesus is Lord and Christ 🙏❤️🇺🇸

If you go by the lies spread by the zone group, it is zone 5. I don't know anywhere in this state that is an actual zone 5. I have an email from Arbor Day where they admit it is not zone 5 but a very cold zone 4. When I buy based on zones, the ones that survive the winter here are the zone 2 and 3 ones. This past winter the temperature hit -40°F. The ground here normally thaws by mid March. This year it didn't start to thaw until mid April.

I had a couple of Reliance peaches make it through 3 winters. The last spring they had a few blooms and produced 2 peaches. I had forgotten how juicy tree ripened peaches were. I had also forgotten how fuzzy peaches used to be. The newer varieties are being produced for minimal fuzz. The following winter killed both trees.

The low temperature isn't the killer. The real killer is the January thaw followed by sub zero temps followed by the February thaw followed by sub zero temperatures.