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  • From: list@ginda.us
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] pruning/training apples
  • Date: Wed, 12 Mar 2003 18:30:10 -0500

Yes, my kids will be past climbing age before the tree can carry a child - my hope is that grandchildren might climb it. I have left some low branches and if they don't drive me nuts mowing the lawn, they will remain as an entry point. Deer can reach fairly high, but mostly they don't. My husband's uncle grows apples in deer country (they are under the trees every night in season) and there is a very sharp line, at maybe 6 feet, where the branches begin. His philosophy is never to prune as the critters will do more pruning than necessary. With a pair of own-rooted standard trees, he gets enough apples to give buckets to the neighbor's horses. We pick the ones we can reach, and shake the tree for some higher ones.

I got my tree on M111 because I was afraid that if I got it on shorter stock I'd need to protect it from deer forever. Or, more likely, I'd miss one winter and lose the tree. Also, it's on a dry slope, and M111 is supposed to be drought tolerant. If the tree ever gets tall enough that I can't pick fruit by hand from the ground, I plan to get one of those pole-things - and shake. If it ever seriously fruits, we will need to turn most of the fruit into cider, anyway.


On Wednesday, March 12, 2003, at 03:56 PM, Mauch1@aol.com wrote:

Ginda,
I hope you don't mind me commenting on your goals. They appear interesting.

But I think if you're planting a tree for your kids to climb,
you may be talking about their kids actually being able to
climb it. I'd branch low to make it easy to climb. I luckily
have two trees (one crab, one stayman winesap [that's being
grafted over to other things] that can act as climbing trees.

What is the reach of the typical deer? 6 ft? 8 ft? I guess
I've also gone w/ smaller trees, as I saw my Dad's trees on
semi-dwarf rootstock take years to start producing (I think
the Northern Spy took over 12 years - the others were shorter
times). Plus I don't like to do a lot of climbing or balancing
on a ladder.

Support can be rather simple. I use the U channel treated
lumber (the stuff made to be the outer frame for the pre-made
lathe trellis). I am planning to extend their height this
year by attaching a cement filled 1/2" pvc pipe into
the "channel" of the stake. (I know this may not sound
particularly "simple", but I find these fairly easy to handle.

I went on a garden tour years ago where the orchard was full
size trees. The owner had the tree pruned to a vase, but the
outer parts of the branches weeped down. Don't know how he
achieved this.

Good luck!!!

Chris Mauchline
SE PA, zone 6
40° 5' N 75° 51'W
~650 ft elevation

I'll have to think about it. I've decided my goals are >different from
those of a commercial grower. for example, I want a tree >that doesn't
need support, that has a large portion of it's foliage and >fruit above
the "deer line" and that children can climb. (I'd also >prefer it
doesn't get TOO big.) If this doesn't maximize fruit >production,
that's okay. (Although I obviously want fruit, too.) I will >consider
an open structure, rather than a central leader.


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