What is going on today 2017?

Levers101 2017-05-09 14:17:04 UTC #1224

Folks with lots of apples: How long does your bloom typically last from earliest variety to latest variety? It looks like I'm going to have blooms on apple trees for about 1 month.

My bloom seems really drawn out to me, but perhaps it is just because my trees are young and most of my bloom is on 1-year old wood?

BobC 2017-05-09 14:23:08 UTC #1225

I'd say you're pretty right thinking about a month. Most of mine are gone now, but started coming on about 1 April and I'd say for the most part other than the Pawpaw trees blooms are over for me.

ltilton 2017-05-09 15:02:09 UTC #1226

Most of my trees are way past bloom, but one apple is still at it - the last to bloom. I'm thinking it's been the cold rainy weather, but it sure is taking its time [and messing with my spray schedule]

warmwxrules 2017-05-09 18:40:48 UTC #1227

About right for me...i still have blossoms opening and i have another tree with apples forming...

warmwxrules 2017-05-09 18:43:16 UTC #1228

My brother spent 10 hours on a big tractor disking 75 acres of corn fields in central Wisconsin yesterday (he's retired/his buddy's has a big farm). No one is planting yet by the sounds of it...everyone is getting ready.

Levers101 2017-05-09 20:59:58 UTC #1229

Now I see that one of the major considerations for making grafts to existing trees should probably be blooming group. I put Williams Pride on Zestar to put early ripening varieties on one tree.

Having a later blooming and long blooming apple (WP) on a early blooming apple (Zestar) makes it hard to spray the whole tree at once. Lesson learned. I will have to sit down tonight and make a more informed decision about what to graft to what of the scions I have for this year. (I am super behind on getting to grafting.)

Johnnysapples 2017-05-10 00:10:34 UTC #1230

I put about six figs in the ground to soon. Frost got the upper leaves, but for some reason all the lower branches look fine. Raccoons are playing in my potato barrels. I just mounded them up six inches and they dug down to the bottoms! The plants for the most part are in one piece but some are completely topped. They left four barrels alone. I cut some 55 gal drums in half. My first time growing potatoes. I am trying sweet potatoes in a full barrel. I got three foot slips in three weeks in my eighty-five deg basement. I planted the barrel out except for the top layer. It's getting east sun in the morning but they love the heat. They grew roots on the slips in two days. I might have to give them a hair cut by the time June comes to go outside. I'll have to fence it off. Cherry trees leafed out and I had to spray them with soap. They all have black aphids! First for those.

speedster1 2017-05-10 00:26:14 UTC #1231

I just finished creating a handful of tree tags on my 3d printer. I started with a white base and switched to black for the text layer. They should be nice and durable. We'll see how they handle UV light.

subdood_ky_z6b 2017-05-10 00:36:54 UTC #1232

I wanted a Zestar when I was considering my tree purchases this winter. But I knew it was a pollination group 1 bloomer, so that's one of the reasons I ordered the Alkmene, which blooms in group 2. I have other group 2 trees, but they are in the back orchard, and the Z was being planted in the lower orchard.

I got all this info on orangepippintrees.com

BTW, yer WP belongs to group 2, so it should be blooming close to the same time as the Zestar. But, that info's on a web site, and the real world may be a different story.

speedster1 2017-05-10 00:41:53 UTC #1233

I planted Zestar late last year. I really didn't know anything about it's pollination group but I did know I wanted a good early apple. It's really taken off this year. Very dense growth habit.

Klondike_Mike 2017-05-10 00:49:24 UTC #1234

You'll like it, its my wife's favorite apple

subdood_ky_z6b 2017-05-10 00:52:02 UTC #1235

Didn't you get that one during a Stark Bros fire sale? I see they're starting their sales on various trees and berry plants. If they come up with some strawbs on sale, I may pull the trigger on some.

See, @thecityman, I said I wasn't going to buy any more trees!

My new Zestar is really putting out the leaves already, as are the other trees we planted.

Like your 3d tags, by the way, they look cool. I do wonder if they'll fade in the sun, tho.

speedster1 2017-05-10 01:09:04 UTC #1236

Indeed. I think I paid $5 for that tree. And if I remember correctly I didn't get it in the ground until June. Thats late for a bare root tree. It didn't grow much last year as you'd imagine but it survived and is looking good now. I also got Golden Russet and Pristine during that sale. GR is doing great too but Pristine died and was replaced.

Levers101 2017-05-10 02:26:31 UTC #1237

You are right. I was thinking WP was group 5! The Grandpa's Orchard chart has Zestar and WP in the same group - Group 2. Though WP blooms over a long season according to the PRI folks that bred it. So that is probably what I'm seeing. And it is a 1-year shoot, which I'm observing are blooming later on my trees that have the few spurs I have. (Mostly on my Liberty on G.935.)

Williams Pride -> Bloom is annually very heavy, with a much extended bloom period. When compared with standard commercial cultivars, the duration of bloom extends from very early season to mid- or late mid-season. This character may provide avoidance of spring frost injury. On 22 to 23 Apr. 1986, the minimum temperatures at the Purdue Horticultural farm reached –7°C and reduced subsequent yields of 'Delicious' by 80%, of 'Jonathan' by 75%, and of 'Golden Delicious' by 60% while 'Williams' Pride' in adjacent blocks were reduced by <50%.

subdood_ky_z6b 2017-05-10 03:38:29 UTC #1238

Good to hear that a couple of those trees are doing great, and although the Pristine died, you got a replacement. Do you know what rootstocks you got on your trees? What was your replacement tree?

I never bought anything from Stark's before this year, but ordered a Maxine pear and Blushingstar peach this winter and the trees seem to be doing well.I don't like them not listing the rootstocks on their site, but they told me when I called and asked them.

ltilton 2017-05-10 13:22:29 UTC #1239

Maybe if more people call Starks and bug them about rootstocks, they'll at least have the information on hand

Drew51 2017-05-10 13:25:37 UTC #1240

They may use various suppliers for the same tree and don't know till the physical stock makes it there.

thepodpiper 2017-05-10 23:06:22 UTC #1241

I took this week off to get some stuff done in the yard. I put some of the chicken wire on the enclosure and bought some compost, 8yds should be enough for this year.

I got all compost in the garden and tilled.

ltilton 2017-05-11 14:08:02 UTC #1242

That enclosure ought to keep them out!

JustAnne4 2017-05-11 14:43:18 UTC #1243

Holy cow. Went out to tend potatoes yesterday and was greeted by this guy.

Didn't think he would venture much from the creek but spotted him crusing past the hoophouse.

Don't you know I walk very carefully around the back yard now. He's nothing to mess with when on land. Scary.