Maine

[TheGreenManFarm]

@lazy gardener & @HoopyFrood
Hey hey you two, I want in on this cutting or seed swapping. I'd happily trade heirloom apple tree cuttings (two different types), black locust tree root shoots (or seeds), lilac cuttings, sugar maple cuttings (or seedlings), birch cuttings, cherry cuttings, and more!

 

[HoopyFrood]

@lazy gardener & @HoopyFrood
Hey hey you two, I want in on this cutting or seed swapping. I'd happily trade heirloom apple tree cuttings (two different types), black locust tree root shoots (or seeds), lilac cuttings, sugar maple cuttings (or seedlings), birch cuttings, cherry cuttings, and more!

He's back!! Hehe, knew you had to be busy. Since I'm halfway between you and LG, if the timing works, I'm happy to be a go-between. Unless you want to trek out that way, of course! It's on the way to checking out the Downeast coast anyway, which is something I'd highly recommend to anyone!

I'm definitely interested in heirloom apple. I wish I could find some nice pear cuttings, though. Oh! I'm such a sucker for pears! I MAY have my random Mr. Old Apple to offer, should know in the next couple of weeks (or in the fall if he hangs in there and puts on a few new shoots before winter).

Thanks for the PM! More coming soon! BTW you might be just down the road(ish) from @OpalSecret. Perhaps there can be some synergy there too?

 

[buckabucka]

We have 2 kinds of pears, "Luscious" and "Stacyville". Stacyville is a monster. We were never successful growing fruit here, so when we planted it, we weren't expecting much. A couple years ago, we chopped off the whole top, as it was shading our garden. Last year, we had 450 pounds of pears (from just 2 trees!).

 

[lazy gardener]

Awesome, Bucka! Waiting to see if Hoopy has success with rooting his cuttings. My June berry lost it's center branch during the winter. So, I brought it in, and sliced it into 3" cuttings, dipped 2 in hormone powder and left two of them untreated. I doubt there will be any growth, but... time will tell. The cultivar on that one is Regent.

If any one wants hatching eggs, I have Buck Eye over an assortment of birds including BE, Dom, PBR, Ameraucana, and EE. $4.00/doz for BYC members.

 

[OpalSecret]

I have two apple trees on my property, but I believe they are dying. Last year I got apples but they were all nasty looking. I went to trim about a month ago or so and could see a lot of dead branches and the one tree has a hollow in the middle and so I believe is rotting inside. I was told they are Cortland apples. The people before me didn't take care of them at all beyond putting a few fruit spikes in the ground and couldn't figure out why they didn't give them many apples.
I looked it up and they needed pollinators. I planted 3 more apple trees last year, Lodi apple trees that will be good for the Cortlands and they can pollinate each other only to find out the Cortlands are probably going to die.

I plan to plant a lot more fruit trees down there in the field this year. More apples, pear, peach, cherry and I want to get them a lot larger than the ones I got from the Arbor Foundation.

AND! I will be fencing in the whole area. I have the 3 new ones fenced individually so that the deer could not munch on them but I am thinking of fencing in the whole (soon to be) fruit orchard.

If anyone wants to take any cuttings from these Cortlands, please drop me a line.
Oh and I will have fiddleheads I am sure here soon that no one in my house eats. I'll have to pop on down to the woods to see if they are coming up or not yet, not sure when they do or are suppose to.

 

[HoopyFrood]

We have 2 kinds of pears, "Luscious" and "Stacyville". Stacyville is a monster. We were never successful growing fruit here, so when we planted it, we weren't expecting much. A couple years ago, we chopped off the whole top, as it was shading our garden. Last year, we had 450 pounds of pears (from just 2 trees!).

That's amazing!!

We make trips to Waterville periodically. If you're looking to get rid of pear cuttings, please let me know Though I might want to put it off until next spring... Our apple trees are already budding out; not sure if your trees are, too?

EDIT: Oh and @lazy gardener, the buds have continued to develop, but I haven't seen any new cuttings waking up. I'll keep the thread updated!

 

[HoopyFrood]

I have two apple trees on my property, but I believe they are dying. Last year I got apples but they were all nasty looking. I went to trim about a month ago or so and could see a lot of dead branches and the one tree has a hollow in the middle and so I believe is rotting inside. I was told they are Cortland apples. The people before me didn't take care of them at all beyond putting a few fruit spikes in the ground and couldn't figure out why they didn't give them many apples.
I looked it up and they needed pollinators. I planted 3 more apple trees last year, Lodi apple trees that will be good for the Cortlands and they can pollinate each other only to find out the Cortlands are probably going to die.

I plan to plant a lot more fruit trees down there in the field this year. More apples, pear, peach, cherry and I want to get them a lot larger than the ones I got from the Arbor Foundation.

AND! I will be fencing in the whole area. I have the 3 new ones fenced individually so that the deer could not munch on them but I am thinking of fencing in the whole (soon to be) fruit orchard.

If anyone wants to take any cuttings from these Cortlands, please drop me a line.
Oh and I will have fiddleheads I am sure here soon that no one in my house eats. I'll have to pop on down to the woods to see if they are coming up or not yet, not sure when they do or are suppose to.

Sounds like at least one of your Cortlands is more-or-less having the same problems my apple is having. A shame. Glad you're tending to fruit trees, though! Maybe you can try propagating cuttings from them as well? BTW the heartwood that's rotted out is the tree's structural fiber, it doesn't perform any metabolic function. So a hollow apple like that can be more-or-less perfectly "healthy" but it's going to be structurally week.

As long as it isn't physically injured it should limp along and produce new growth for cuttings each year

Speaking of fencing to protect the trees, are you intentionally protecting against voles? They are notorious for killing orchard trees. UMaine extension recommends keeping litter and debris three feet clear from trunk in fall and over the winter. They also recommend installing a fence to block voles buried... I forget... I think they said 2 inches? But I'm burying mine to 6 inches. I believe @lazy gardener plants garlic (and perhaps daffodils?) to repel them. They definitely seem to dislike all alliums (all rodents dislike them as far as I can tell). I'm going to try a combinations of garlic, walking onions and chives around each tree to see what happens

We love fiddleheads! It's hard to imagine folks not liking them I don't know the exact timing, but I'd guess it's when the snow goes away and things start warming up, so now-ish? I forget when I started seeing them around last year. I have a few in my flower bed and they are greening up at the base. Exciting!

 

[combatfuzzball]

Thanks combatfuzzball! Oh that sounds great!! Have pics of them?

Here's the older ones and 2 of around 4 that for some reason aren't growing fast.

 

[OpalSecret]

Sounds like at least one of your Cortlands is more-or-less having the same problems my apple is having. A shame. Glad you're tending to fruit trees, though! Maybe you can try propagating cuttings from them as well? BTW the heartwood that's rotted out is the tree's structural fiber, it doesn't perform any metabolic function. So a hollow apple like that can be more-or-less perfectly "healthy" but it's going to be structurally week.

As long as it isn't physically injured it should limp along and produce new growth for cuttings each year

Speaking of fencing to protect the trees, are you intentionally protecting against voles? They are notorious for killing orchard trees. UMaine extension recommends keeping litter and debris three feet clear from trunk in fall and over the winter. They also recommend installing a fence to block voles buried... I forget... I think they said 2 inches? But I'm burying mine to 6 inches. I believe @lazy gardener plants garlic (and perhaps daffodils?) to repel them. They definitely seem to dislike all alliums (all rodents dislike them as far as I can tell). I'm going to try a combinations of garlic, walking onions and chives around each tree to see what happens

We love fiddleheads! It's hard to imagine folks not liking them I don't know the exact timing, but I'd guess it's when the snow goes away and things start warming up, so now-ish? I forget when I started seeing them around last year. I have a few in my flower bed and they are greening up at the base. Exciting!

HoopyFrood, yea, I need to learn to take cuttings from those trees, that would be good!
I was looking to fence them to keep the deer away from them. I have a lot of deer that wander about here a lot and they love those apple trees! When I trimmed the trees, I left the branches down on the ground for the deer, tho' probably not such a good idea lol
I haven't seen any voles? Not sure what evidence they would leave behind?
I will be checking out the apple trees I had planted last year tho' to see how they are doing. They were fenced in but it was just to keep deer from munching on them.

That sounds nice tho' to plant some daffodils down there.

We've not ever had fiddleheads, and tho' I'd give them a try, my family would have a hard time with it I think lol
If I am up to it, I'll see if I can get down there on the trail to check on them.
Looks like we are to get some more snow this weekend, so might have to wait til the weekend after.

 

[OpalSecret]

Here's the older ones and 2 of around 4 that for some reason aren't growing fast.

Thanks! They are very cute!