When Do You Graft & Trim Apple Trees
Warmer temperatures are here, which means many of our activities we outdoors enthusiast love are upon us, such as; time to start tapping trees for Maple Syrup, cutting Scions, Pruning Fruit Trees (if not done in November), Cutting Firewood for next season, Clearing Downfall from Winter, preparing for the Spring Turkey Hunt, and well you get the point more activities then we have time for.
Today I find myself in the Apple orchard cutting new Scions for starting my own Apple Trees on the 64 acres of land I just purchased. The land needs some adjustments and one of those adjustments will be to plant a few hundred apple trees throughout. Yes since I have many different types of mature apple trees, which produce hundreds of new Scions each year (root-stock is less than $2), I will plant dozens of apple trees in selected areas. Down in the Valley I will plant mostly Connell Reds, with a few HoneyCrisp mixed in, since they do not require much work, are hardy to diseases & weather, and produce a lot of apples.
How to Create Better Deer habitat
In the pastures (fields) between the wooded areas I will only place a few trees (Conned Reds & HoneyCrisp) and let most of the pasture grow for deer bedding and the Pheasants. I will keep the grass trimmed around the trees, but only mow the field once every two years. All trees will require fencing, so I will buy 5ft Galvanized Welded fencing and make a 5ft diameter around the tree. I will use electrical fence post (3 post) to support the fence. Once the trees have been in the ground for 3 – 4 years I will cut the fence in half, double the circumference, wrap chicken wire around the tree’s base (very loose), add another electrical fence post (4 total), and move the fence up off the ground by weaving it on the 4 post. This will help protect the trees until they’re large enough to survive any damage the deer or rabbits my cause.
*Note; I put all my new trees (root-stock with sciosn) in a fenced off garden for two years before transferring them to the orchard or field. Currently I have just over 100 trees ready to be transferred from my garden.
On this new land I will start two different apple orchards, one close to the new home I’m going to build and the other on one end of the tillable. These two Orchards will include Connell Reds, Wealthy, HoneyCrisp, Sweet Sixteen, & Zestar. I will also plant White Spruce, Norway, & Blue Spruce in the deer crossing corridors to help reserve these crossing and to heighten the Deer’s sense of security.
When To Prune Apples Trees
Next weekend (Feb 18th) I will start trimming my apple trees in the orchard since the weather is warmer than usual. Typically I like to do this in November or the first of March, but with the warmer temperatures this year I will get an early jump on it. Once done with the Orchard I will get back out to the new land and continue to clean up the woods.
How To Improve Your Woods For Hunting
Another way to improve your woods, other than planting trees is to cut down some trees. By taking down dead trees, cleaning up downfall, cutting up trees that are leaning, and making brush piles you can improve the floor of the woods greatly. The brush piles will create cover for game such as rabbits and grouse, while cutting up the trees allows for more sunlight to penetrate to the ground/floor and improve vegetation and new tree growth. You can also thin out smaller diameter trees to allow for the larger and more mature trees to grow and develop faster. Both of these techniques will enrich your woods and make it cleaner and easier for walking and hunting.
*Note, be careful in sloped areas or areas of erosion. If you have questions or are concerned about Forestry Management consult your DNR Forestry Dept.
