Hi All, One of my pear trees was planted a few feet from a guinea fowl coop. It did fine for several years and then last year up and died. It was on irrigation and treated like all our other trees. I’m thinking it might have been excess nitrogen from the coop. It certainly had roots running under the coop. The other factor was we had a brutal Summer, but everything else did fine. If it was an excess of nutrients are there other types of trees or fruiting bushes that are hungry enough to thrive in that spot? tia, D
Elderberry.
I saw an elderberry that is turning into an elderberry tree last week. It is growing in my neighbors old pig pen. Its on year 3ish now.
Good thought. I have an elderberry stand that is on a quest for world domination about 40’ away already 
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Marge is a wild cross of American/ euro elderberry. its got hybrid vigor and grows to 20ft with huge cymes and 1/4in berries. sounds like i would do well there. i got a bunch planted and got about 20 cuttings sitting in water making roots right now. if you want i could send you one or a couple once rooted and dormant this fall.
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Does it pollinate with native American varieties? Or does it need another European one?
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I think that the notion that Marge is a hybrid was just an early hypothesis that has not been borne out by the evidence. This article claims:
Because ‘Marge’ is an open-pollinated seedling originating in Kansas (USA), we cannot be certain that it was pollinated by a European parent; however, it is most likely a self-pollinated ‘Haschberg’. […] While the TRAP analysis herein was not exhaustive, these DNA marker results, combined with the phenological and morphological factors described above underscore our assertion that ‘Marge’ is indeed S. nigra subsp. nigra.
Nurseries claim that Marge is partially self-fruitful. I have one that I planted this winter that flowered and is producing fruit this year, and I don’t have any other European elderberries. My guess, though, is that it is not being pollinated by my Americans.
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Nutrients do not usually kill trees in themselves, it is the salt, which is not a factor once manure has mellowed. It has to concentrate around the roots to the point of dehydrating the fine roots and damage and even death tends to be immediate.
Fresh chicken shit is high enough in salts to kill a plant, but you can’t make too much of a single tree dying and the rest surviving. This often happens without apparent explanation or any relevance to specific variety or even species (sometimes).
Run-off from the coop could certainly kill any tree in excess. Was the pear situated to receive this more than other trees?
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There is a lady on youtube that planted a IE Mulberry right next to her chicken coop… many years ago and it is thriving and producing lots of good fruit…
She picks it daily when it is bearing and gets lots of nice berries. The excess falls into the coop and the chickens and ducks eat every berry that drops… they love the fruit.
It privides good shade for the coop and run too.
You might try a mulberry there next.
Food for you and your chickens…
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Hi Alan, Yes. it was literally within 2feet of the coop. the nearest tree otherwise is 15"+.
And I have mulberries in pots that I need to plant out. Thanks!
from what I’ve read, either or.
i havent heard this. good to know. i have johns and york nearby but if they dont pollinate i guess it doesnt matter. may get fruit from marge next year.
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