Loading
What fruit trees should I plant?
Habitat Improvement
Messages posted to thread:
ShakeAndBaker 25-Mar-16
flyingbrass 25-Mar-16
Medicinemann 25-Mar-16
Whip 26-Mar-16
spike78 26-Mar-16
LKH 26-Mar-16
Treefarm 26-Mar-16
southernbeagle 26-Mar-16
t-roy 26-Mar-16
willliamtell 26-Mar-16
Medicinemann 26-Mar-16
r-man 30-Mar-16
t-roy 31-Mar-16
zummy 31-Mar-16
Olink 31-Mar-16
Catscratch 31-Mar-16
Mad Trapper 31-Mar-16
CAS_HNTR 31-Mar-16
elkstabber 31-Mar-16
t-roy 31-Mar-16
njbuck 31-Mar-16
Medicinemann 31-Mar-16
t-roy 31-Mar-16
Catscratch 31-Mar-16
t-roy 31-Mar-16
Medicinemann 31-Mar-16
t-roy 31-Mar-16
CAS_HNTR 31-Mar-16
t-roy 01-Apr-16
ArthurBow 01-Apr-16
joshuaf 01-Apr-16
CAS_HNTR 01-Apr-16
jmiller 01-Apr-16
Catscratch 01-Apr-16
Treefarm 02-Apr-16
Medicinemann 02-Apr-16
jerry 02-Apr-16
t-roy 02-Apr-16
Treefarm 02-Apr-16
t-roy 02-Apr-16
Treefarm 03-Apr-16


Date:25-Mar-16
ShakeAndBaker's Supporting Link

I am looking to spend around $150 on some fruit trees for our property in Trempealeau county Wisconsin. I attached a link to the nursery I am considering buying from as they have a wide enough selection and I have a gift card there. With this limited budget I am wondering if it is better to go with variety or with a bundle of specific trees. I was wondering what others have planted and any pros/cons to their plantings. Any advise would be appreciated.

Date:25-Mar-16

I would go to www.nativnurseries.com and order some wild deer pears from mossy oak. I think most all the local mom and pop nurseries are out of pear trees now. Hardware store for sure are out of pear trees now. Take a look at the mossy oak website and you will see it makes a lot of sense. I planted some of their pear trees a couple weeks ago and they are really growing great. Take a look at the paw-paw trees as well as crab apple. I promise you will have a great conversation piece if you plant the paw-paw tree. Its like an over ripe banana tree and we got several in Arkansas.

Date:25-Mar-16

Before you buy any fruit trees, I would like to suggest that you check to see what can survive your winters. Trempeleau County is on the western edge of the state as I recall, and you are probably going to be in hardiness zone 4a or 4b. You are probably going to need trees that can withstand -25 to -30 degrees in the winter.

Additionally, take a soil sample of the area where you want to plant your trees to your local county agricultural extension. They'll be able to give you additional, useful suggestions.

You'll want to research your specific trees regarding amount of direct sunlight per day that they will require for optimum growth (fruit trees don't tend to do well in wooded areas with a dense, heavy canopy)...as well as what secondary trees you want planted nearby to assist in the pollination process. I would guess that only 5%-10% of the fruit trees are capable of self pollination. So, if you don't get trees that self pollinate, be sure to get multiple tree varieties that are compatible with each other.

I would suggest getting trees with root balls....from my personal experience and research, bare root trees don't seem to "take root" and survive as well as those with a root ball.....but a lot of that will depend on tree type, and the soil composition for your area.

As far as what TYPE of fruit to consider, I'd ask your local conservation office.

By: Whip
Date:26-Mar-16

Whip's embedded Photo

Definitely consider at least two different varieties for a couple of reasons. First, apples need variety for proper cross pollination. Secondly, I want trees that will drop their apples over as long of a period as possible throughout the season. Some varieties drop early while others will hold their apples will into October. As was mentioned, you need to choose varieties that will survive your hardiness zone.

Also, be sure to protect the tree from deer, rabbits, and mice. Any of them can and will destroy your best efforts. Wrap the lower trunk with window screen to stop mice from girdling your trees. And fence each tree with a circle of woven wire or snow fence to keep the deer from eating them and the bucks from rubbing them. You might end up with as much money in protection as in the trees themselves, but if you don't project them you will lose most of them.

Here is a great link with a ton of good info about pollination and details of different apple varieties.

http://www.starkbros.com/products/fruit-trees/apple-trees

The trail cam picture above shows the fruits of a good stand of apples. Arrow was released about 30 seconds later.

Date:26-Mar-16

Try Fastgrowingtrees.com. They ship trees and have all the info you need in regards to climate and pollination.

By: LKH
Date:26-Mar-16

You may be putting the cart in front of the horse. Have you prepared the soil for at least one year?? (kill off other growth) Are you going to put fabric mulch down? Will you fence them?

You may be better off spending the money and time getting ready and planting next year after you know better what will work for your area.

Date:26-Mar-16

With apple trees, protection from deer browsing is paramount. However, Tremp has a lot of bluffs with Red Cedar. Red Cedar and apple trees don't mix...Cedar Apple Rust will kill apple trees.

Date:26-Mar-16

Since you live in WI you should be mindful of the weather before you pick the trees. Many apple trees will live just fine in WI, but will never have any fruit!

What it comes down to is when the trees blossom in spring.

If you pick varieties that blossom in early spring, a late frost will zap the apples before they ever get started.

You are better off with late blossoming apples ( Northern Spy?) that are more hardy and will have apples on the trees until late fall.

You don't want summer apples if you wanted to attract deer in fall. The apples will be gone long before hunting season.

Just stop and think before you choose the trees.

Crab apples attract deer really well, and partridge love them too. Crag apples will hang on all winter and feed animals.

By: t-roy
Date:26-Mar-16

There are a ton of apple orchards in Wisconsin. It may well be worth your time to go visit with one of the owners in your vicinity & pick his brain a little bit. He could surely tell you which varieties would work best in your area, which trees hold their fruit the longest, etc.

I would also highly suggest planting at least a few Honeycrisp apples & keep them all to yourself & family! My Dad had a 5 acre orchard here in Iowa for 20+ years, & out of all the different varieties we grew, the Honeycrisps were almost universally preferred by everyone. They are good in the stores, but right off the tree they are awesome!

Date:26-Mar-16

Agree with the suggestion to make sure the species and variety will be dropping fruit around hunting season. Too early and the plot will not attract animals when you want them attracted.

In addition to fruit trees, consider a conifer or two that (in time) can provide a decent tree stand location relative to the fruit trees.

Date:26-Mar-16

t-roy,

Not only are Honeycrisp apples REALLY good to eat....they are also very hardy. What type of apple tree did you father had next to the honeycrisp trees for pollination?

My dominant wind direction is from the west, so I am placing the pollinating tree(s) upwind....especially with the bee mortality that we have been seeing around here over the past few years.

Shakerandbaker,

I am actually experimenting this year with multiple grafts on one or two trees. I'd like to have a tree with some lodi/transparent apples (really early apples), as well as some Empire/McIntosh/Cortland/Honeycrisp (midseason stuff for NYS), as well as some Northern Spy/Granny Smith/Winesap (late season apples)...so that deer could visit a single tree and possibly expect to find fruit from August to early November. The problem will be one of yield....

The difficult part is getting the various bloom dates to overlap for sufficient pollination to occur. Planting clover near the fruit trees, and maybe having a crabapple tree upwind might help....I hope.

I have noticed that many of the websites initially seem to have contradicting information regarding when the trees bloom, when they ripen, etc.. I am hoping that the variation is due to different temperature profiles as you head north...so I looked up information online for orchards in my state....hoping that their data would be most applicable for me.

I am also considering planting a couple pear trees. They'll ripen before the apples. If my early season grafting idea doesn't pan out, the pears should do the trick....I am favoring the European varieties over the Asian varieties, as the required chilling hours match up better for my locale. Pollination will be more of a consideration (even thought they are self fruitful, pollinating them will improve yield), since the pear blossoms don't seem to attract the bees as well, and crabapples won't be able to help. Bartlett's are really common where I live, but they are prone to fire blight.

By: r-man
Date:30-Mar-16

deer love pear , apple , and most nuts, persimmon , they love to eat my strawberry plants to the ground. My first choice is the pear tree , and seems to be the deer's first as well .

By: t-roy
Date:31-Mar-16

Jake

He had 7-8 different varieties plus there was a local beekeeper that put out several hives near his orchard so pollination wasn't a problem. You might check with an apiary in your area. Sometimes they are looking for places to set hives. Are bears a problem in your area?

Honey crisps are a great apple but they can be a PITA too. He would spray all varieties of his trees every 7-10 days or so, & the Honeycrisps he would have to spray calcium (I believe) on the foliage a few times during the growing season or they would often get "bitter pit". The flesh would get brown spots & the core would sometimes be rotten as well. They would not all ripen at the same time either, so we would have to selectively pick them vs picking the entire tree at the same time.(lots more time consuming) It's a good thing they are so good!

By: zummy
Date:31-Mar-16

I planted persimmons last week. 25 bare root seedlings for $20. I put tree tubes from forestry suppliers around each tree with a 4' stake supporting them. I also put down weed barrier but the wind has already torn it up. I figure I am around $4/tree with them protected.

By: Olink
Date:31-Mar-16

I've been planting on my property for 25 years. I've found the best trees to plant are pears, chestnuts, and sawtooth oaks. Apples are low on my list.

Date:31-Mar-16

#1 - Make sure you find trees that are resistant to diseases found in your area! Nothing worse than buying, planting, and protecting a tree just to cut it down or fight fireblight the next 20yrs!

#2 - Protect them. Wire cages to keep deer from browsing AND rubbing them. Window screen to protect bark on the trunk from mice/rats/voles. They will girdle your tree in the winter.

Everything else like drop dates and whatnot is secondary in my opinion to choosing varieties that will survive with minimal care.

Date:31-Mar-16

What Catscratch said. I would not use tree tubes for apple or pear trees and I would particularly not use tree tubes if bears are in the area. Bears are attracted to the tubes. Cage them. I also use crushed limestone gravel instead of mulch around them. Mulch can attract mice and voles. Get some aluminum window screen and cut a length to protect the trunk. Make it big enough to accommodate trunk growth. I get a roll of screen and just cut off what I need with scissors. Then I wrap it around the trunk and secure the two ends with a line of staples. You will probably need to spray around them for weed control. I have planted several on my property that are now producing and I have several more coming. I try to add a few each spring.

Date:31-Mar-16

CAS_HNTR's embedded Photo

As others have stated, I think the health of the tree and maintenance should be #1.

I am choosing trees that are know for disease resistance and minimal care as I don't have time to spray and treat weekly.

Drop times when you want are also a good thing to consider as you don't want all them to be off the tree before season starts.

I have been planting some of everything on our Ohio property......oaks (6-8 different species), apple, pears, persimmons, chestnuts, paw paw, hazelnuts, plum, etc, etc. Most are too young to produce, but should be great in a few years!

No matter the tree you choose, protect them!! Here is one of 12 that I planted a week ago....Enterprise on M111. Still have to get some type of weed mat or gravel down, but I used a 5' tall fence with PVC "posts" plus window screen at the base.

Date:31-Mar-16

+3 Catscratch. Fruit trees are very high maintenance. Even if you work hard they can still die. I avoid apples. Pears (native), persimmons, and plums for me.

By: t-roy
Date:31-Mar-16

I 100% agree with putting cages around them. I put a bunch of chestnuts in tubes to protect them & the stinkin deer rubbed on a bunch of the tubes plus voles/mice girdled several of them. All of the trees that survived are now in cages with hardware cloth around the bases. I used some old hog wire(woven wire fencing) & stacked it 2 high. that makes the cage 66'' high & they are at least 4' in diameter. I also like Mad Trapper's idea about the limestone instead of mulch. I put down a weed barrier fabric & mulch over that, & the coons tore all of that up looking for grubs. A least we don't have bears here!

I'm going to put this year's trees in tubes plus cage them & this fall, pull the tubes & wrap the bases with hardware cloth/screen. Hopefully the tubes will get them up in the air further. Will probably need to brace the trunks somehow to keep the wind from really whipping them around.

I've also read somewhere that you can take paint & mix sandblasting grit with it & paint that mixture on the trunks to keep rodents from chewing on them. Has anyone tried that method?

By: njbuck
Date:31-Mar-16

I planted a dozen trees or so on my property last year. They came with tree tubes and I put a cage around them. I was told not to fertilize the trees the first year so I just watered them and let them be. I did add lime to the general area the trees are in. The trees hardly grew at all last year, maybe 6" or so but did sprout some more limbs. I see there are buds on them already but am really anxious to see some leaves sprout and know that all the trees made it through the winter. I plan on fertilizing the trees this weekend and hopefully. From what I have read, the first year most of the growth takes place in the roots and it is the second year where the trees can take off. How much have you seen your guys trees grow in a year when they are young? My trees were 2 year old trees last year so they are starting their third year and they are about 4' tell.

Date:31-Mar-16

What variety of pear tree still has fruit on the tree during hunting season?

Is any species of persimmon hardy enough to survive in hardiness zone 5a or 5b? I would love to plant some, if they could survive our winters.....I am interested in the Meader variety, which can supposedly tolerate zone 4, which will easily work for western NY. Curious about their blossom dates and when the fruit ripens/drops.

I should also mention that this has become a "project" for me. If someone is looking for maintenance free options, some of my suggestions won't be applicable. I don't need to visit the area so frequently that my scent will be a factor for visiting deer....but I keep finding "ideas" that I want to experiment with....it can be addictive!!

By: t-roy
Date:31-Mar-16

Jake

Look at Kieffer pears. Self pollinating(better yields if cross pollinated even if it's with another Kieffer) zones 4-8. Very blight resistant. Matures in late Sept.-mid Oct. I ordered some from Summerstone Nursery. I also ordered some Collette Everbearing pears from Stark Bros. Nursery. Says they are partially self pollinating. zones 4-8. ripen in late Sept. into early-mid Oct.

njbuck

I planted several 4'-5' chestnut trees 2 years ago & they grew very well.Many of them grew another 3'-4'. I put them in tubes & they were in pots when I planted them.

Date:31-Mar-16

Kieffer, Moonglow, and Pineapple pear are some of the one's that have traits that pass my sniff test for deer trees.

I also like crab-apples.

By: t-roy
Date:31-Mar-16

Catscratch

Are there any particular crab-apples you would recommend?

I don't think the Moonglows or Pineapple pears would do very good for me here in Iowa.(zone 4)

Date:31-Mar-16

t-roy,

I have a Bartlett and a Keifer tree in the garage right now. They are calling for 3"-5" of snow on Saturday. I'll probably plant them next week.

By: t-roy
Date:31-Mar-16

That sucks Jake. Kind of takes some of the fun out of it when you have to bring a shovel AND a snow blower to plant trees!

Mine haven't shipped yet! Hopefully they will be here by next week. Probably a good thing. I just finished planting 25 Dustan Chestnuts this evening. Gonna need a couple of days to recoup!

Date:31-Mar-16

Troy......look into Dolgo, centennial, chestnut, and Whitney crabapple varieties.......also have read about Manchurian too as being good. I plan on getting several varieties next year.

By: t-roy
Date:01-Apr-16

Thanks Craig.

Kinda leaning towards some Dolgos, Doziers, & Callaways. Haven't read anything on the Centennial, Chestnut, or the Whitneys yet.

Date:01-Apr-16

I would suggest apple, crabapple and pears considering the climate and the landscape. Also you should check for the fact if there is an sort of wildlife in that area that may harm your trees. It need not be big animals smaller wildlife like squirrels, bats etc can also eat your fruits. My apple plants were under constant attck from bats so I had called a bat removal team ( http://removethewild.com/services/bats/ ) to get rid of them. So keep in mind these facts.

Date:01-Apr-16

It depends on how much time you will have to maintain your trees. If you won't have a lot of time, I would definitely recommend pears over apples, as pears are much, much less prone to disease than apples. I've got 70 apple trees and 1 pear tree. The apples take a lot of spraying to turn out nice fruit, the pear doesn't.

If there are pears that can stand your Winter, I'd go with pears. That said, one variety I would be wary of is Kieffer, which is one that is frequently sold at Lowe's and other type places. I had a Kieffer, and it got Fireblight nearly every year and I eventually cut it down 2 years ago. My Seckel pear, on the other hand, has never gotten Fireblight, and produces a lot of fruit. Wouldn't be great for deer season, though, as the pears ripen in August.

Date:01-Apr-16

Those also look like good ones Troy!

Date:01-Apr-16

Up here in North Dakota and Minnesota I like to plant crabapples for deer. Like was said above, I prefer to use weed barrier fabric and cage the trees over tree tubes. I'm going to be planting some Dolgo crabs this spring, as they are a bigger apple than the others. Pears don't fruit very well in this climate.

Date:01-Apr-16

t-roy, cashntr gave you a good list. Research some of those to make sure they fit your needs, but overall they are good names.

joshuaf points out that Kieffer on his place is susceptible to fireblight even though locally (for me) they are know to be resistant. I think local climate and weather patterns effect a trees resistance.

Also know that big box stores can have great trees, are easy to get, and usually cheap. But, I don't always trust that they are labeled correctly or exactly what you think they are. Whenever I buy from Walmart or a similar place I take the label with a grain of salt. Their quality control isn't always as strict as when purchased from a nursery.

Be careful, planting trees is addicting! Once you start you may have a tough time stopping :)

Date:02-Apr-16

Like others have mentioned about trees getting girdled in the winter, I found a way to protect trees in large numbers. Rather than tubes or wraps, I tried spraying rubberized undercoating (3M brand). I sprayed the ground up 2 feet or so. The voles won't chew it, and the undercoating continues to protect while the tree grows. Works great when a large number of trees need to be protected.

Date:02-Apr-16

Treefarm,

Cool idea.....the spray doesn't hurt the trees, and it "stretches" as the tree grows? I assume that it works great when small numbers of trees are concerned as well....you are simply referring to the ease of application for a large number of trees, right? Is this spray fairly common to find and purchase?

Does it seem to prevent rabbits from hurting the trees as well.....or do you address that challenge differently?

By: jerry
Date:02-Apr-16

Natural occurring trees to the area, both hard and soft mast trees: persimmons, pawpaws and some of the newly reintroduced chestnut that are blight resistant

By: t-roy
Date:02-Apr-16

Treefarm

I'm curious about that spray on coating too. I know they paint tree trunks white for several reasons, protection from rodents, insects, sun scald, etc. The spray is black, at least that's the only color I'm seeing. I wonder if the dark color has any negative effects. Have you used this process for several years? Did you see any negatives from using it? Does it need to be reapplied every year? Any other insights on this you can provide, would be appreciated!

Date:02-Apr-16

Here is my story of using the undercoating. I like "3M Rubberized Undercoating" for trailers to guard against rock chips. I also spray the underside of vehicles with it, best stuff ever. Well, I was losing a lot of sugar maples to meadow voles. I was fit to be tied. I thought I would try the undercoating idea. I had a control row ( no treatment) and the row I sprayed with undercoating. To this day, the control row has no trees and the sprayed row has all trees, and healthy.

I sprayed one time and it stretched with the tree as it grew. The bark got jagged then the voles didn't bother. I now use it on apple trees, but reapply every 2-3 years as apple trees seem to be vole favorites.

Give it a try, worked great for me. Try it on your trailer fenders too. Awesome product.

If tree is in direct sunlight, I would overspray the undercoating with white paint so tree doesn't overheat. All my trees are quite shaded.

By: t-roy
Date:02-Apr-16

Thanks Treefarm! Thinking I'm gonna have to give it a try!

Date:03-Apr-16

What Randy says about sun-scald is a very problem in colder climate areas. When that sun warms that cold tree trunk (mainly affects smooth bark trees that can't dissipate heat), you get a rapid expansion in the form of a vertical crack. Sometimes it sounds like a .223 report. Anyway, these frost cracks can reduce the value of a tree significantly as well as lead to decay. This is more for those of us growing veneer, but also, those with smooth bark trees in your yard. If you have smooth bark trees that get direct sunlight during the winter, you can take precautions to avoid these cracks from forming. It can be avoided by several means. Physical barriers like wraps, placing a vertical piece of lumber between sun and trunk, white paint, window screening, use your imagination once that crack starts, it is like a crack in the windshield of your vehicle. Damage to a veneer quality tree can cost thousands of dollars. Veneer or firewood! I like trees. A good tree provides a good tree stand (but don't use screw-in tree steps).


Bowsite.com DeerBuilder on FacebookYouTube Channel Contact DeerBuilder
Registration
Facebook Page
YouTube Channel
Advertise
Bowsite.com
Copyright © 2012 Bowsite.com. No duplication without prior consent.