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  • From: list@ginda.us
  • To: NAFEX Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [NAFEX] Spring planting
  • Date: Fri, 11 Apr 2003 21:07:18 -0400

With all too many projects planned for this weekend (most with firm deadlines, such as my son's birthday party) what should show up this Thursday but my trees from Fedco. An Ashmead's Kernal apple one seedling, and a paperbark maple. (There's room for some ornamentals, and besides, if you don't want fruit, trees don't need full sun.) So I got home from work early today, and it's pouring rain and 40 degrees out. Brrr, but I figure it's actually good weather from the tree's perspective, so out I go.

I'm amazed by you people who throw away the sod. When I dig a hole to plant, I need to remove about a third of the "soil" volume because it is full of large rocks. Anyway, I mulched heavily last year in preparation for planting, so the sod looks pretty dead, and is easy to cut through. It goes into the hole. I'm still going to need to buy some sacks of dirt to fill up the hole, but I managed to find enough to put a pyramid around the roots, so they should keep until I can finish filling in the hole. (Especially as the rain is supposed to keep falling.) I've never planted a seedling apple rootstock before. Forget about "spreading out" the roots. This thing looked like a carrot - the main issue was digging deep enough that it could stay straight, and have some loose soil (not rock) beneath it. I did dig around where it would go, too - I assume eventually the roots will want to branch out. and now I have a nice new supply of rocks.

Ginda Fisher
eastern MA, zone 6
cold, raining - April showers bring May flowers, and all that.
Everything has swollen buds. The blueberries, currants, and lilacs are just waiting for the word "go". The Crandall's are showing green tips. The forsythia is about to sprout. I'm all excited because some of my 2000 and 2001 apple grafts (onto a crab) look like they might have fruiting buds. The Cornus Mas has lots of buds showing yellow. The strawberries and grass are greening up. The garlic and other buds are about 4 inches tall, and the early peonies have justg peeped through the soil. I'm expecting spring to come all at once this year.



  • [NAFEX] Spring planting, list, 04/11/2003

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