This likely isn’t a tool most folks will go out and buy since it’s about $300 new but if you can find or borrow one from an alternative energy business in your area (or find a used one) it can be real handy. It’s great to fine tune or find that best sun spot if you have to contend with shade from surrounding trees or buildings. Or to decide if a tree might best be moved. It’s surprising sometimes the results. It shows by month and hour how much sun a particular site will get. Didn’t know if it was very familiar so thought I’d share the idea. I remember reading instructions for building your own many years ago, and might likely be something online now. It’s a simple instrument in a way but doesn’t seem real easy to duplicate. The Solar Pathfinder website is: www.solarpathfinder.com/PF?id=dzmACSxQ
Solar Pathfinder
Can I fit another tree in here with that west woods so close?
Is that chokepear really a problem? Or should this guy be moved?
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Ive never heard of one of those, looks neat on the website. But yes, it’s a bit expensive for my cheapskate tastes. I found a good app called Sun Position Map developed by Greg Miller. It’s free in the Google Play App Store.
It takes your position and tracks the sun and moon’s path over your position. Of course it shows sunrise/set and moonrise/set times, moon illumination %. Also shows the actual sun/moon trajectory across the sky for the day indicated.
I used it to figure out how much sun my fruit trees are getting. Very useful.
Just wondering, what time is the sun now setting there? It’s amazing how soon it’s setting now, about 6:30. I know it’s late oct, but it just seems like I was out there working until 10:00 a couple months ago.
One last question, just what is a choke Pear?
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Thanks, I’ll have to look into that Sun Position app and try it out. Be nice to have a less expensive alternative, even though we do have the Solar Pathfinder (from the alternative energy side of our life). Yes, the sun sure is setting early, but seems we work pretty intensly this time of year outside getting things done before winter sets in so it’s probably just as well. Our sunset time is the same as yours.
I forgot to answer your last question. This is a pear we planted about 40 yrs ago that died fairly soon and grew from the unknown rootstock. It’s maybe 35 ft tall now. Beautiful but the fruit is small and decidedly “choke pear” quality! I guess it’s a Pyris communis. I’ve heard of wild pears having reasonable quality but this one doesn’t. The deer, and probably birds, like the fruit though.
A good site for people to see the path of the sun (any time of year, just plug in the date) is suncalc.net . It can be helpful if you are new to a property/area and want to see the suns trajectory there.
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