Kansas is very early on blooms this year. We have been hanging faithfully in the 70’s well over a week with lows in the 50’s. The buds will break any day now on everything besides apples. The plums, apricots, nectarines, peaches, cherries, pears, buffalo berries are all showing some bud color and swelling. Those yellow blooms you may not recognize are buffalo berries already open. You harvest those in winter after everything is frozen. Ready or not springs here
In the same boat here. I really hate early blooms but maybe we won’t get a late freeze.
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Buffalo berries! You’ve got me there! You have a lot of trees!!!
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Mrsg47,
The buffalo berries are not very common outside of Nebraska but that’s pretty close to here and they are a favorite pie there.
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I have never heard of these Buffalo berries you speak of! I have lived in Nebraska almost all of my life. I am sure it is something that I know of, we northerners must just call it something else!
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I wait until everything is frozen bend the bush over and wack them with a stick and they drop on a tarp. This is a video of a guy who does not do it that way https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu_vjWwLObQ. Here is a flickr page of a pie so you know I did not make it up buffalo berry pie | Flickr. If you want to try some I wont say they are common but here are some for sale on ebay http://www.ebay.com/itm/Buffalo-berry-fruit-shrub-edible-tree-seedling-Goumi-relative-LIVE-PLANT-bush-/121910979738?hash=item1c6275ec9a
Are they a variety of currant or goose berry?
They are their own berry not like either one.
Clark, I looked up Buffalo berries and they are really interesting. They look like currants and are sour until after a frost. They are their own berry for sure and are being touted as the next super fruit. Thanks clarkinks!
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mrsg47,
They come in male and females so you might get several if you decide to give them a try. Did I mention they fix nitrogen? I’ve grown them for about 15 years they are very hardy.
Did you get your spraying done?
I’ve been wanting to do a copper spray, but it’s been either breezy, very windy, or rainy for the past weeks. I need some calm and comfortable weather ASAP.
My trees, except for the apple, aren’t blooming early, or it would already be too late. Your buds might even open before them. If nothing else, it’s been interesting watching how the mild winter has affected the timing across the country.
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Muddy,
I finished my spraying just in time
You can tell I’m hopeful but I’ve never eaten an apricot off that tree in my life. The peaches, plums, nectarines and cherries are right behind them. It’s to early. The pears might make it but they are getting there quick
How is your orchard?
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We’re ahead of you but probably have less freezing episodes to look forward to. Maybe not though. My expectation is 3-4 freezes hard enough to damage our fruit still ahead down here. I’ve cut several trees down to one tarp trees, the size I can cover with a 20x20ft tarp. That’s a smaller tree than it would seem. I took 80-90% off one apricot.
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Great idea Fruitnut! A couple of my apricots are 30 feet+
No way that can be made one tarp size. Those big old apricots have advantages. It’s warmer 20-30ft high. And the leaves can protect some fruit after they get leafed out.
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Looks like we may get a repeat of last year in my area and most orchards lost their fruit last year. I was expecting I would lose mine in 2016 though fortunately had a decent crop.