I don’t know anything about hazels, but elders and peach should be fine.
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No need to move them somewhere warmer?
Full speed ahead on jujubes. I’ve planted them several times in January/February whenever the ground wasn’t frozen and they did as well or better than the stuff I planted in March/April.
I’m not sure on the others, but would be most worried about the fig given how early we are into the winter (could get top-kill from winter lows).
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I’ve read that sometimes pruning trees too early in the fall can lead to reduced cold hardiness and winter damage. Has anyone experienced this issue?
Does anyone know if pruning now in middle of December is ‘late enough’ that this is no longer an issue? Or, is there a reduction in cold hardiness any time after pruning cuts are made, even in the middle of winter? I’m in MI, we’ve already had some 10F days, but obviously there is a lot of winter to come yet.
I have a lot of pruning work to do this winter and spring, and it sure would be nice to get a head start, but not if there is significant risk of inducing winter cold damage. Any thoughts/experiences with this are appreciated!
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Scale infestation on overwintered indoor tree.
I was out for couple of months and noticed scale infestation on my rose apple tree that was being overwintered indoors. Any idea what works to reduce/eliminate them from this tree and prevent it from spreading to other trees in the same room.
Treat the ones you can see along with the entire plant if you can.
Then remove the top few inches of soil and sanitize the pot side area/wipe it down as well. The larva and eggs hang out in the soil and if there’s no millipedes or other predators to eat them, they go wild.
Worst comes to worst, repot.
Don’t forget to wipe down the trunk as well as branches if you can.
treat with what?
Cannabis growers usually knock them loose with h2o2. Then hit the soil with a few good bt drenches. Followed up with broken bt dunks or bits mixed into the top inch to make sure.
Qtips dipped in isopropyl alcohol work well for cleaning the stems too, alternately to h2o2. I think the h2o2 is easier because you can drench it. The alcohol is going to burn it if you drench it. At least on cannabis it’s no bueno.
Never had scale on fruit trees before. Just annual Cana.
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I want to plant a single row of trellised grapes.
- Given 24 feet of space and 4 varieties, would planting each 6ft apart be appropriate? Each would get only about 3 feet on its left and right side.
3ft Grape1 6ft Grape2 6 ft Grape3 6ft Grape4 3ft
I plan to use a simple trellis system similar to this:
- With 24 feet, would it be better to only grow 3 vines in this space? Therefore each would get 4 feet on either side?
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i use 4’ x 8’ cattle panels tied to 5ft. t posts. its easy, cheap and will outlast any wood. if you don’t like the looks of it, just spray paint it black or green Rust oleum which will further extend its life. takes me 15min’ to install one.
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Thank you. BT and IPA on the stems should take care of most the bugs. I don’t see many on the leaves.
Treat the tree for scale 
Either three or four vines in 24 ft will work; it’s up to you how much pruning you want to do versus how many varieties you want to grow. Grapes tolerate quite close spacing if you want to grow many varieties in a limited space.
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I’ve wondered about this as well, being in a cold area. I want to prune earlier because spring is busy with planting. I do some pruning in fall because my trees are wrapped in hardware cloth and chicken wire to keep deer out… and I frequently hit the stakes holding the chicken wire with the tractor/UTV/etc and have to replace them before winter (and have to prune the tree to slide the loop of chicken wire back over it). Also the deer help out with pruning.
I have been continuing to do most pruning in spring because sometimes I loose a bit of a tree during the winter and need replacement branches. If I cleaned the tree up too much I would have fewer options and may have to re-graft. Also scions are best stored on the tree till spring. Some plants send out new (weak) growth if you prune them in early fall that wont make it, but that doesn’t happen if dormant.
I would think if winter damage is not a problem for you, and your trees are dormant that it is fine to prune.
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I grow some pretty vigorous grapes (i.e. northern hardy stuff with little vinifera genetics). They are planted 6 feet apart. Canes on the hardy vines can grow 20ft in a season. I’m adding a top wire at 8ft to keep that growth off the grapes. I believe 6ft is the most common vineyard spacing. I have my bottom wire at 42" and train the cordons to that so I don’t have to bend to harvest (also helps keep air flow). The trellis in the picture will work but you may want a higher bottom wire so you can mow around the vines.
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Thanks for the thoughts. I mostly have chestnut and kiwi that need some pruning work this year, I think I’ll prune some of each and leave the rest as an experiment. Come spring I’ll see if I notice any difference!
What can be grafted onto Loquat rootstock? I mean besides Loquat, obviously.
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Would lowbush Blueberry survive rabbits in winter without fencing?
I am in Minneapolis area, Zone 4b. We are west of the great lakes and it is actually pretty dry here in winter, with only 4" to 24" of snowpack depth. We have a rabbit infestation problem.
I was considering ordering a 7 pack of wild Michigan Lowbush Blueberries. To plant on an embankment of sandy soil, most of it shaded by trees. I cannot water and I cannot fence the area and I will not be harvesting. I’m wondering if lowbush Michigan blueberry is likely to survive rabbits in a low-snowfall region?
I thought maybe because much of the plant is underground. But maybe not because it is from a place where I’m told snow is 10’ deep and fully buries it. In this area, half the above-ground plant would be exposed above snowpack all winter.
(Honestly, I need something rabbit resistant to try to control erosion on this embankment.)
I don’t think blueberries is the way to go (rabbits, sand, no irrigation). Vinca is tough.
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Below is article that lists a bunch of great native plants for Minneapolis that are good for erosion control, as well as some additional techniques for achieving that (fiber blankets that seeds can germinate and grow through). You might not need the fiber depending on just how steep your planting area is, but it’s worth knowing about. Pennsylvania Sedge might be a great choice because it likes dry conditions and is rabbit resistant.
https://www.wildflower.org/expert/show.php?id=3068
I would not plant vinca anywhere since vinca is usually invasive in the United States. Native plants are the way to go. Sorry none on the list are edible, but since you said you wouldn’t be harvesting anyway, I’m guessing that’s fine.
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