What did you do in the garden today?

[Swiss]

The did that on the Big Bang Theory. Sheldon was studying the % of caterpillar that could go into a smoothy before his room mate would be able to taste it, unbeknownst to him.

That sounds like Sheldon! I don't think we ever got far enough to see that episode.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

Good info! I get the rain and snow (turns to melt water in early Spring) here to make due for the most part. I do water trees on the summer though with the hose or duck pool water. I fertilizer with fruit tree spine that push into the ground. Is this like what you use? I think Jobes makes the ones I have.

I use Gurneys fruit tree fertilizer, it gets expensive for all of the trees I have. I'm hoping to find a more economical fertilizer that works as good as it does. Even if I have to mix it myself.
I also have 3 Pear trees, 3 Plum trees, 3 Peach trees and 2 Cherry bushes. I have 8 small blueberry bushes, along with black raspberry and blackberry bushes. So yeah super expensive.

 

[igorsMistress]

Yours look like they will be delicious! I ordered 1 packet of Prescott Fond Blanc (warty skin with orange flesh) and 1 of Yamato Silver (green striped with white flesh). Can't wait to see how they do!

Nice how you did that! Easy to picture how your long bed will look when everything's blooming.

I saw a video of someone who built a frame - it was a large piece of plywood with pieces of 2x4 attached to it in strategic locations to hold the PVC into the shape he wanted. He turned it upside-down so the bottom ends of the PVC would be up when attached to it, then poured boiling water into the PVC, worked it into the frame, and by the time it cooled, it was in the shape he wanted. It's definitely a way one person could do it by themselves, and making the frame could be pricey and a lot of work, but worth it if you have many pieces to do in the same shape.
I'll try to find the video, since I'm probably not explaining it in a way you can really picture it.

I love Territorial. They're pricey and take longer to ship than some others, but their seeds have never failed to produce for me. Even leftover seeds that were two or three years old had a decent germination rate.

I won't be ordering from Gurney's again - last year they had such good prices on trees that I ordered 6 or 7, and I doubt a single one has survived. We did have a terrible heat wave last summer that killed a few of the native baby trees and shrubs as well, but the Gurney's trees never had a chance because they shipped so much later than they should have.
That reminds me - maybe I can save one or two of them if I get out there now while it's still winter and prune them back to almost nothing? Worth a try, I guess.

Good to know thank you! I’m going to put the apple tree in a pot in the shade garden until fall rather than put it in the ground. I’m hoping the lilac will be ok, it’s supposed to like heat.

I’m getting some night blooming jessamine from Territorial and that goes in the shade garden anyway. It’s so frustrating when a supplier is not up to par! Good luck with your trees!

 

[TJAnonymous]

I had a 6 ft Granny Smith that I purchased from a nursery and planted back in 2020. It did well for the first year, but late last fall all the leaves suddenly started dying. I should have tried harder to do something back then, but being sick with Covid and busy with work, I just didn't get around to it. I'm REALLY hoping it buds out this spring. If it doesn't, I'm going to be really bummed out. It did have a live sucker from the base so maybe that's an option to keep it going if the main part of the tree doesn't come back.

I do need to get out there and spray my apple and peach trees with some neem oil.

Should I prune them too even though they are only 1-2 yrs old?

 

[vall]

Grafted my pluot and apple today - both need to be cross pollinated by another variety. Also got my first gopher of the year.

@TJAnonymous I already packed my pruning book away, but you do want to prune the first couple years to shape the tree. Ideally the scaffold branches should be low so the fruit stays within reach.

 

[WthrLady]

Mom and pop lumberyard in the village, which is usually very competitive with town wanted $12 for a treated 2x4x8
town is $9, which is also a no go. I MIGHT have enough scrap in the shop to go forward on the next step to at least keep moving forward while I wait.

 

[WthrLady]

I'm just wondering (don't get offended please) If all the people who have fruit trees know this:
You have to give your fruit trees a 5-gallon bucket of water every week unless you get 2 inches of rain that week. All spring and summer, for 2 years.
You also need to fertilize twice a year. I did twice for the first 4 years and now I do it only in the spring now that they're 10 years old.
Also, if you lose trees from Gurneys, call them and tell them. You could get replacements or money back. They have new owners now, but I think they still stand by their policy.

Absolutely true. We have drip irrigation to each tree. The amount young trees need is REMARKABLE!

 

[WthrLady]

That sounds like Sheldon! I don't think we ever got far enough to see that episode.

 

[BReeder!]

It did have a live sucker from the base so maybe that's an option to keep it going if the main part of the tree doesn't come back.

The sucker may not grow true to the variety of tree since the root stock is likely a different tree than the grafted stock.

 

[WthrLady]

The sucker may not grow true to the variety of tree since the root stock is likely a different tree than the grafted stock.

Agree.