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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] orchard ground-cover options

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  • From: Joe and Ellen Hecksel <jhecksel@voyager.net>
  • To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] orchard ground-cover options
  • Date: Fri, 09 Aug 2002 19:06:02 -0400

I also learned somewhere that orchards used to be burned annually to clean up the autumn leaves and thereby the apple scab.



I know of a couple healthy looking apple trees in local preserves which are burned frequently. These trees look no worse for wear, but lowest branches are higher than usual. I believe vegetation would need to be reduced near the trunks, to be sure of zero fire damage there.

Any ideas ? Amateur apples aren't in big demand here, but prairie & savanna seed is.


According to May Theilgaard Watts, most woody plants are vulnerable to fire when they are juveniles but become must more resistant as they age and the bark on the trunk thickens. Bur Oak is an exception due to its thick, corky bark and that is why it is the major component of prairie groves. Trees can regrow twigs but trunks are a much bigger investment.

Adding two and two, you would have to protect the trees until their bark starts to crack and then you would be home free. Multiple wraps of aluminum window screen would provide protection from rodents and radiant heat.

I think you would want frequent, "cool" burns rather than a hot burn every 7 years.

Another strategy would be to have a vegetation free zone 4' around the tree's trunk. That requires a herbicide mix like Round-up and Simazine or a black plastic mulch. Not an option if you are of the organic school.

It might be worth studying apple cultivars to see if there are significant differences in bark thickness. I don't think anybody has studied it. I would make a point of including Prairie crab (M. ioensis) http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/acchtml.pl?1006706
and tetraploids in the cross section.






--
-Joe Hecksel
My personal web site: http://my.voyager.net/~jhecksel
Bumper crop of raccoons, rabbits and woodchucks this year. Send rain.






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