What did you do in your orchard today?

[CrealCritter]

Mother in law asked me to swing by and spray her 3 peach trees. Such a shame, the trees covered up in peaches but the stink bugs already in the little peaches.

I walked out there with my sprayer and saw the peaches grabbed one and came back. She said that was quick? I said it's to late and showed her this small peach, I plucked off the tree with sticky ooze coming out of it.

She said what is that? I said that is called a catface bug, there are multiple kinds of bugs called catface, but in your case it's most definitely stink bugs. And also looks like the trees got hit with brown spot.

Peach Insect Pests

Numerous insects are pests on peach trees in South Carolina. They cause damage to the peach flowers, fruit, twigs, limbs, and trunk. Some of the most...

hgic.clemson.edu

Then I told her, that she either needs to spray the trees herself or call me when the pedals drop next spring and before the leafs set. That's when the trees should be sprayed. So not kill any honey bees because they are very important also, there's a tight window for the first spraying.

But I think I'll go ahead and order some dormant oil for her trees and spray them real well after leaf drop and pray for them,. it's all I know to do at this point.

Like I said... It was such a shame to see this. There could have been multiple bushels of peaches to pick off those 3 trees, had they be cared for. But all the peaches are no good now. And if I did spray the trees the stink bugs would have just moved to something else if hers that they found tasty. Then it would be like playing a game of whack a mole.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[CrealCritter]

BTW Tyty is having a sale - I think there's one day left. I ordered a couple more bareroot fruit trees (apple, plum and self pollinating apricot). Although I already know I'll need another variety of apricot to make a good harvest.

Buy Your Plants and Trees From Ty Ty Nursery

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[Hinotori]

My currents have a leaf curl issue. I've been waiting for the rain to stop so I can spray them with neem oil. Looks like tomorrow is my day.

 

[CrealCritter]

What's everyone use for spraying? Lots of options... I guess it's what's bugs and fungus are present in your area. I'm just starting out, so I picked up Bonide Orchard Spray, it seems very effective so far.

Captain Jack’s Citrus, Fruit, & Nut Orchard Spray Concentrate - Bonide

Controls a wide range of fungal diseases and insects on listed fruit, nuts, citrus, vegetables, ornamentals, houseplants, and lawns.

bonide.com

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[CrealCritter]

I checked and watered my air layers this morning. I'm very happy my M111 rootstock air layers are rooting. I would like cut these loose from the host tree and get them potted in 1 gallon pots by mid July. So I can graft them sometime in August.

This time I used CLONEX instead of powdered rooting hormone. I also wrapped the rooting balls with aluminum foil, I'm happy with changes. Aluminum foil makes it easier to pour water in the top of the rooting ball.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[CrealCritter]

@Chic Rustler Hey CR, what do you use for root stimulator for trees? There lots of store bought products and some homemade ones, also.

Thanks

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[Medicine Woman]

Shortly after Hurricane Juan in 1985, I married my ex. After the waters finally went down I wanted a small orchard and I didn’t listen to advice. I planted apple trees and cherry trees. I also planted a few trees that actually love the Deep South. So call it 1986 when we planted all this stuff. So by the winter of 1989 we had a hard freeze…something that a Cajun might live to see 5 times in their life. Even the bayou froze. Everything died except the apple trees and cherry bushes. I even got a little fruit. Of course as time went they all began to suffer with floods, heat and such and I gave up on fighting my environment. I just stick with oranges, figs, pears and sometimes peaches. We have wild persimmon come up in the orchard at times. If one would start growing at a good location I would graft a bud from a good tree onto it.
So yeah my orchard….it still seems strange to refer to it as mine because my parents are the ones who cleared a spot in the woods and planted it. Momma must have really thought everything out perfectly because in the winter of 2018, I left for Oklahoma to go to DS’s graduation from basic training and we had 3 days where the temperature never got above freezing. I seriously thought I would come home and be lucky to have anything still alive but I lost nothing. The location, surrounded by trees, must have somehow protected the oranges. I had just sold the entire crop as kinda my own basic training. I needed something to keep me extremely busy so I wouldn’t be imagining what DS was going through and it was working in the orchard. For some reason others hadn’t made fruits so I reached out to local businesses to help me sell and they understood that I absolutely had to work, work, work…. That was the only year my family sold EVERYTHING!! And my father was alive to see it. I wish Momma was too. He passed a few weeks later. To this day if I miss my parents and I try to visit their graves I can’t feel them there. I go to the orchard. I want to live there. So one day I can come here and when I answer the question what did I plant in my orchard, I can say myself. . Well as y’all all know Hurricane Ida messed me up bad but again the trees must have protected the orchard. It took us 3 days and one flat tire just to reach the orchard and I wish we had started sooner because the places that sell for me had a lot of business with all the repairs people were making on their homes. But we sold whatever the raccoons left us. It was messy but alive. I am trying to purchase all the surrounding property so I can either increase the size of the orchard or just do other forms of farming at the same location. The older I get the more I just want to simplify my life. All farming in one place. I will never exactly get rich with the orchard but I will also never starve and really I think I can always kill two birds with one stone. Let animals cut my grass etc…

 

[CrealCritter]

Sparyed for bugs, man they aren't kidding, we are under a heat warning. It's hot and humid out there . Just walking the orchard I feel like I took a sweat shower .

Seen some bartlet pears on the tree, though

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[CrealCritter]

I cut my M111 semi dwarf apple root stock air layers loose and potted them. I wanted to give them several weeks in pots before I graft them in August.

I wrapped the rooting balls with aluminum foil, it worked very well. Easy to water the rooting balls from the top.

Here I removed the foil and opened the rooting ball to check on root development. I would say most definitely time to cut them loose and pot them, they are root bound.

All 4 air-layers rooted well, plus one for CLONEX gel. It works a lot better than powdered rooting hormone 100% success rate with CLONEX. 4 rooted branches that will hopefully serve as root stock for semi dwarf apple trees

I gave the roots a good soaking in a bucket of water. I was amazed how dry the roots were inside the rooting ball. They bubbled a good long time. Pretty nice looking leaves, a little insect damage but seem healthy otherwise.

Here's what the roots looked like after hydration and rooting ball removal. Nice healthy roots

I potted them in 1 gallon nursery pots with $1.99 a cuft potting soil from rural king. I think my buddy approves of my work

Now it's a matter of baby sitting them until they take hold. I hope they all 4 make it and I can graft them with production apple bud sticks next month. I'll harvest bud sticks from established apple trees, in the orchard, when the time comes next month.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[CrealCritter]

I believe my potted air-laye M111 root stocks are going to make it. I've watered them once a day since Monday. Will probably continue watering daily until Monday. Then back off to every other day.

The one on the right is a large diameter air layer from this spring. The M111 root stock produces tiny tart green apples. So based on the new growth showing near the base of this root stock. I may just try and chip bud graft in a fruit salad. Granny Smith, Red Delicious and Golden Delicious plus the M111 Crab. They all would pollinate each other. Being semi-dwarf, It would be an ideal tree for someone who has a smaller space but still would want apples. if the grafts are successful, I'll probably give the fruit salad to my daughter in law with pruning and care instructions. I think she would like that

Jesus is Lord and Christ