Search found 52 matches

by Chuck Rhode
Wed Apr 03, 2013 12:46 pm
Forum: Archives
Topic: What pest prevention/treatment should I do in Seattle
Replies: 2
Views: 8189

Re: What pest prevention/treatment should I do in Seattle

The nylon mesh you mention is called Maggot Barriers: http://www.groworganic.com/maggot-barriers-tan-144pk.html I've used these and believe they work well. You wait for fruit set and then go through the orchard, thinning by hand. If you thin your apples chemically, then probably Maggot Barriers are ...
by Chuck Rhode
Wed Apr 03, 2013 11:50 am
Forum: Archives
Topic: Planting Garden Delicious Apple Dwarf
Replies: 8
Views: 16590

Re: Planting Garden Delicious Apple Dwarf

I grow my trees hydroponically. :D Not really. They are on a sandy bluff near Lake Michigan so the soil is poor and irrigation a necessity. They produce a little fruit but grow slowly. I don't use a lot of fertilizer: a double handful of a granular formulation (approved for gardens in your watershed...
by Chuck Rhode
Fri Feb 08, 2013 11:52 am
Forum: Archives
Topic: Plan for 2013?
Replies: 4
Views: 11632

Re: Plan for 2013?

Ok everyone! It's about time to get working on our orchards! So, what is YOUR plan for this spring? ... shoveling snow off the driveway this morning. I did my winter pruning on Wednesday, and, boy, are my hands sore! ... but it was a beautiful, sunny, warm day before it clouded over and began to sn...
by Chuck Rhode
Fri Dec 21, 2012 9:05 pm
Forum: Archives
Topic: Book of Ours
Replies: 18
Views: 31837

Re: Season Summary

I finished my root cellar this summer and have stored a few Firesides, Golden Russets, and Idareds down there at about 45° and 50% humidity. I used the Golden Russets and Idareds early -- the ones that were not worm-eaten, and they were good. I had more of the Firesides. I brought them all in at onc...
by Chuck Rhode
Sat Oct 20, 2012 4:52 pm
Forum: Archives
Topic: Hopeful Apple Grower with Questions
Replies: 11
Views: 21286

Re: Hopeful Apple Grower with Questions

Culture : Your best bet IMHO is a two-year-old feathered tree, which is a step up from a one-year-old whip. All trees available commercially are going to be scion grafts on dwarfing rootstocks. B9 and M26 rootstocks are the most prevalent. Ceteris paribus , M26 grows a slightly larger tree than B9....
by Chuck Rhode
Sat Oct 20, 2012 2:35 pm
Forum: Archives
Topic: Crows!
Replies: 14
Views: 27284

Re: Crows!

Here's what I do: I split one square sheet of bird netting in two. This is horrid stuff. It's nearly invisible when spread out, but it gets tangled up with everything near by. It has an affinity for hollyhocks. Birds can't find their way out of it and get strangled in it. Lovely! One sheet makes two...
by Chuck Rhode
Sun Sep 02, 2012 10:24 pm
Forum: Archives
Topic: Book of Ours
Replies: 18
Views: 31837

Re: Book of Ours

Well, it's been a long, hot, dry summer, and I didn't have to spray Captan more than once. However, the maggots got ahead of my deploying Maggot Barriers , and I've had major fruit loss from them. I had one apple from a branch graft of Summer Treat a couple of weeks ago and four or five from Ellison...
by Chuck Rhode
Sat Jul 21, 2012 2:08 pm
Forum: Archives
Topic: New growth turning upwards????
Replies: 4
Views: 10004

Re: New growth turning upwards????

Why is it that on all my apple trees the most growth is upright. Should I straighten out these branches or allow them to mature hoping they will become more parallel to the ground? Received knowledge has it that the best angle is 60° from the trunk (30° from the ground). Indeed the strongest growth...
by Chuck Rhode
Wed Jun 20, 2012 7:58 pm
Forum: Archives
Topic: Cider Varieties
Replies: 3
Views: 9016

Re: Cider Varieties

I know Tony Dembski grows a few of these in Zone 4 -- look him up at Maple Valley Orchards. Tony lists many varieties on his Web site . He says the following may be used for cider making. He raises them and can usually provide scion wood to order in the early spring: Ashmeads Kernel Baldwin Bramley...
by Chuck Rhode
Thu May 24, 2012 9:49 pm
Forum: Archives
Topic: No Blossoms
Replies: 6
Views: 12686

Re: No Blossoms

Both trees are about 10 feet tall and 6 feet or more in diameter. Just a thought: These are supposed to be dwarf trees, aren't they? ... because full-sized trees take a number of years to bloom. Yet, yours are plenty large already. Dwarfs, on the other hand, are precocious in terms of blooming youn...
by Chuck Rhode
Sat May 19, 2012 9:02 am
Forum: Archives
Topic: Book of Ours
Replies: 18
Views: 31837

Re: Irrigation

My backyard hobby orchard is in town on a sandy bluff by Lake Michigan. The house was built in the late 19th century, so cultivation of the sand has been going on for 120+ years. Maybe three inches of organic matter on top is all there is. It's not ideal land for apples. I'm raising them hydroponica...
by Chuck Rhode
Mon May 14, 2012 7:55 am
Forum: Archives
Topic: Book of Ours
Replies: 18
Views: 31837

Re: Limb Positioning

Well, it's warmer, and my trees are in flower. It's finally dry enough to barge around in the backyard and do some limb positioning. I use heavy jute twine (I think green works best. Growers who can find it prefer paper twine.) and plastic tent pegs. If you have limb spreader sticks, now is the time...
by Chuck Rhode
Thu May 03, 2012 7:38 am
Forum: Archives
Topic: Book of Ours
Replies: 18
Views: 31837

Re: Book of Ours

You can never tell if he's joking or dead serious, and I get the feeling that somehow he is able to do both at the same time! He's a phenomenon. Not many have the knack of getting others to accept them on their own terms. For what it's worth, I, too, have tried to divert his classroom presentations...
by Chuck Rhode
Wed May 02, 2012 12:17 am
Forum: Archives
Topic: Book of Ours
Replies: 18
Views: 31837

Re: Book of Ours

This world is way too small. Chuck, here I am in Two Rivers, WI, and I must be as much of an apple nut as you are. I first tried notching last year and it worked wonderfully. I liked your video and your learning from observation of dog damage. I recommend Tony Dembski's (Maple Valley) course, which...
by Chuck Rhode
Tue May 01, 2012 6:26 pm
Forum: Archives
Topic: Book of Ours
Replies: 18
Views: 31837

Re: Notching Trees

I located my trusty, cheap hacksaw blade in the plastic handle and sallied forth into the orchard, so called, to see whether I needed any extra branches. I thought I might notch some trees. Notching above a bud on the trunk in early May before bloom will stimulate vegetative growth. On young trees y...