Which grafts did you loose with Castleton? I remember you had a nice collection of Euro plums.
On that tree alone: mirabelle de Nancy, Valor, Vision, President, Ersinger, Bavay, Methley. Empress and may be one or two more varieties that slipped my mind.
Not answering for Scott but I believe his problem is more about squirrels than bugs. No Clemson bags are no match to those tree rats. In fact, almost no bags can protect against squirrels.
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That is sadā¦ I remember you had excellent fruit from your Valor, Empress and Vision. Are you planning on refracting them or planting a new Euro plum?
I have two other Euro plum trees. They are also multi-grafted. I have those varieties and more on those two remaining trees.
Yes, Coeās, Empress, Pearl, Valor and Vision are my favorite.
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No. No plum/pluot or nectarine producing. I never see insects on them either. The 2 plum/pluot (FlavorKing multi graft and Santa Rosa) are the only ones I have flowering. Honey Royale nect is the only nectarine blooming, the other small tree has a a few young grafts that will hopefully help with nectarine pollination issues. I do spray and bag with Clemson bags. The nectarine (about 12 ft tall) will hold a half dozen fruitlets for about a month but then drop them. Iām going to try hand pollinating but on these fully mature trees I wonāt be able to get all the flowers. The trees are also always fully loaded in blooms.
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Just removed a peach/nectarine tree that Iād grown from seed about 4 years agoā¦didnāt leaf out this year and itās never fruited but I intended to use it as a grafting base for other varieties.The branch ends were starting to die back and when I started pruning I could see the trunk was dead, pretty much solid woodā¦itās always sad losing a tree, but I planted another oneā¦
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Your nectarine should not need pollinating. Nectarines that age should be setting well, they rarely drop fruit later unlike plums. My guess is you have curculio. Even with bagging and spraying they can get in, especially if you have a lot of them. If the fruits drop this year make sure to cut open the drops and look for a winding trail through the fruit and possibly a worm.
Yes @mamuang and @Ahmad my problem is animals not bugs/birds. Well I do have a bird problem but it is usually possible to get under control. I have been watching my orchard after doing lime/sulfur sprays and it seems like the deer donāt like l/s. I had done about 80% of the spraying as of a few days ago, and I was only seeing deer where I had not sprayed. I might put a low dose of l/s in tanks as a routine thing. Maybe also deer repellant as part of regular orchard sprays.
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I removed 2 large Jefferson plums, and a large fake green gage from Willis Orchards. I almost think they were the same variety. These trees were vigorous and huge. They bloomed super early for euros and the plums were juicy but kind of bland. Iām really enjoying having the extra room. I also pruned about 10 other trees so hard that they possibly will be damaged, but I have to cut down on my spraying one way or another. As my multi grafts continue to grow, Iāll probably remove even more trees next year that. Hereās the before and after of a third Jefferson I hacked. It already had terrible form but last year I grafted various stuff to it, so instead of removing it I thought Iād see what I might get away with as far as hard pruning goes. If it makes it, fine, if not thatās okay also.
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I had about 10 nectarine trees, and all were very good to excellent producers. I was thinning a lot of fruits from them. My Flavor King was my second heaviest producing pluot after Flavor Grenade. So I feel you have a pest problem that is causing your fruitlets to drop. If not a pest problem, could be late frosts, you are further inland and probably are not benefiting from the somewhat maritime climate of eastern PA.
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Removed 8 trees (4 plum, 2 apple, sweet cherry and a wild cherry). Iām finished growing apples and plums (at least in ground, might try a good pluot like flavor king in a container again). Also would like to try a hardy peach again.
Poor location
Ugly trees (multi grafted trees have some pushing constant growth while others lag)
Squirrels are out of control. Fruit is under constant attack.
Bird damage (peck red fruit)
Curculio (late damage this year was heavy)
Cold winter (dieback)/fruit bud destruction
On the chopping block for me are:
3 apple trees on B9. Bad locations. Not enough sun. B9 grows lope-sided and ugly.
One multi grafted peach. 8 varieties. Nice tree. Nice location but we need space for veggie raised beds. The peach may need to go.
Two multi-grafted plums/pluots on prunus americana. All selected-varieties!! This rootstock cannot handle multi grafted plums that grow vigorously. Two branch breaking already. All grafted branches on both trees will break when they carry fruit.
Like you, I donāt care for more apples or J plums.
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Iām going to replace my Stanley plum with Montmorency cherry. The plum is covered with aphids every year and the plums arenāt ready to eat until too late in the season. Even when I got a few, they were only okay, but by September Iām ready for apples and pears. My local orchard got rid of their pie cherry trees and if it works I can have the cherries picked early enough in the season before things get real busy.
Iām also going to replace the Bartlett pear with a harrow sweet and a Seckle . Chopping the Bartlett will leave me enough room for two trees and the Bartlett has too many disease issues.
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I like both Harrow Sweet and Seckel but like HS more because it tastes sweeter, better and larger.
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Plums did not work for me here in SW PA. This past winter I removed 2 Euro plums - Green Gage ( over 12 y old) and a younger Opal. I cut down my 4 Japanese plums as well - they were 7y old. My property is next to a small wood lot with numerous native black cherry trees, and my plums were badly affected by black knot. Frosts in spring were an issue some years, and p.c. and fungal diseases hit my Green Gage when it looked like there was a chance of a potential harvest.
I also downsized my fig collection last fall from nearly 100 to about 40, most of which are now inground. Too much work with the potted fig orchard
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I noticed that even when i did get plumsā¦no one would eat them in the house and they would just rot away on the counter. I was giving away what i could but iād rather not mess with them.
Iāve been using my electric Worx (plug in) chainsaw. With a sharp chain it cuts nearly as good as my gas powered saw. Also using an electric wood chipper to chip all the branches up. Nothing goes to waste. Iāll save the trunk pieces for the woodstove (after they dry properly).
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I am going to remove my Honeycrisp apple tree. I am getting very little fruit off the tree for the last 4+ years. Over the years it produced 5 apples, 3 apples, 1 apple, and this year 3 apples. None were large apples like you see in the stores All were small to medium, mostly smaller in size. Not impressed with this Honeycrisp apple tree. The other different 4 apple trees planted at the same time around the Honeycrisp apple tree are very productive. All are on the same rootstock from the same nursery.
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I think Iāll do some tree removal this year as well. I have 2- 5 year old hazelnuts that have no leaves and havenāt even given me any pollinators activity at all. I have a peach that 5 years old and only produced one peach. And a fee chestnut crabapple that are 3 years old and produced nothing . I have good successe with plum and persimmon I think I can replace them with. Or maybe fig. My LSUās and Chicago do well here and I love the fruit. Iām about to plant two of these and need pollinators. Any pecan growers with good pollinator suggestions?
You will be happy you did!
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For me the J plums are the winners, I love the different tastes and they tend to produce a good number.
The Euros on the other hand I still have not gotten good production out of. They are pruned as dwarfs and the bugs, birds, wasps, diseases, etc etc etc clear them out. Bavay and Coes I will probably remove this winter. I keep saving them because they are so good, but this year all got stolen except for one Bavays (which was excellent). Middleburg has been really good but it has too much problem with green aphids. Plus it is crack prone. Golden Transparent Gage is a real bug-fest. I am going to grow out a couple as really big trees, probably French Prune and Green Gage, and just remove the other ones. I think this has more to do with my climate and the tree locations, Euro plums are generally a challenge here.
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Stanley on the chopping block. Produces well and somewhat PC resistant, but not impressive in taste.
One of two Green Gages on the block. Rot magnet and bad location.
Santa Rosa now designated as the tree to learn how to graft on. After many years of billions of flowers and not much fruit. Itās a freeloader.
Flavor Supreme going out as well. They have a bad reputation and it is warranted. Sets tons of fruit and drops almost every one.
Lapins cherry is gone. Deer damage. Growth was way to aggressive anyway.
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