Search found 9 matches

by sgbotsford
Mon Dec 01, 2014 11:40 pm
Forum: Fruit Trees and Orchard Maintenance
Topic: Old, badly neglected apple orchard
Replies: 3
Views: 9948

Re: Old, badly neglected apple orchard

Turn it around the other way: Where did your benefactor get his trees? Did he talk of one particular mail order house, or a local grower. By doing this, you may be able to find where he shopped, and then discover if they have a catalog from that era. You might add where you are. Apples tend to be ve...
by sgbotsford
Mon Dec 01, 2014 11:35 pm
Forum: Fruit Trees and Orchard Maintenance
Topic: Help identifying plum tree
Replies: 1
Views: 7347

Re: Help identifying plum tree

Do they taste good?

It's not brookred or brookgold, or pembina or toka or mount royal.

5 down a zillion to go.

Try Youtube for directions on pruning.
by sgbotsford
Mon Dec 01, 2014 11:32 pm
Forum: Fruit Trees and Orchard Maintenance
Topic: apple diseases
Replies: 2
Views: 8779

Re: apple diseases

I've heard that the ground fall apples are one of the reservoirs of scab. One easy way to deal with this is to run pigs after the thining drop and after the fruit harvest to clean up the apples. A cleaning of the orchard with a bagging lawnmower wiill get most of the leaves. Sheperd in "Restora...
by sgbotsford
Mon Dec 01, 2014 11:25 pm
Forum: Fruit Trees and Orchard Maintenance
Topic: Bird control-Advice please!
Replies: 2
Views: 8412

Re: Bird control-Advice please!

The problem with bird netting is getting it on and off the trees.

Do you know what kind of birds they are? Do you have pictures?

Disrupting the nests may help.

Shotguns work.
by sgbotsford
Mon Dec 01, 2014 10:00 pm
Forum: Fruit Trees and Orchard Maintenance
Topic: Growing Apples in Containers
Replies: 6
Views: 15273

Re: Growing Apples in Containers

While you can buy cheap containers from ebay, the transport kills. A better way to get nursery containers is to go visit the bigger landscape contractors. The most I've paid is $50/pickup load. Often they are free. Now the larger pots are harder to find. A #25 is about the biggest I've gotten. A pla...
by sgbotsford
Mon Dec 01, 2014 9:42 pm
Forum: Fruit Trees and Orchard Maintenance
Topic: own rooted apple trees
Replies: 6
Views: 14505

Re: own rooted apple trees

An option might be to hire a tissue culture lab to do a batch for you. If you can convince them that there is a market, you could get the price down to about $4/tree. Find a lab that already does something in malus. Try Prairie Tech in Bonnyville AB. I have bought thunderchild crabapples from them.
by sgbotsford
Sun Nov 30, 2014 2:14 pm
Forum: Apples, Cider and Variety and Other Fruit Questions
Topic: Cider press
Replies: 5
Views: 14184

Re: Cider press

Search the archives of Mother Earth News. They have ads for them, but they also have articles about how to make them. Also some good stuff on home made shredders. For the serious cider maker, it's worth converting an old washing machine. I've seen pics of one that both shredded and spun the apples, ...
by sgbotsford
Sun Nov 30, 2014 2:07 pm
Forum: Apples, Cider and Variety and Other Fruit Questions
Topic: root cellar
Replies: 8
Views: 18871

Re: root cellar

The gas given off by fermenting cider is CO2. This won't hurt your apples. My uncle stores apples in Controlled Atmosphere -- They replace all the oxygen in the warehouse with CO2, and drop the temp to just above freezing. That's how an apple in spring can taste like it was just picked. They don't a...
by sgbotsford
Sun Nov 30, 2014 1:52 pm
Forum: Apples, Cider and Variety and Other Fruit Questions
Topic: Cur (Kerr?, Curr?) variety info request
Replies: 2
Views: 8125

Re: Cur (Kerr?, Curr?) variety info request

Kerr is the name. I carry it, if you are in Central Alberta. Any garden centre that gets trees from Jeffires can get it in for you. "Kerr Applecrab Zone 2 Fruit: 4-5 cm Dark purple/red Ripens: Late September Storage: Good" Because of the zone 2 hardiness, it's a popular apple. Note however...