North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[rmelrose@bluemoo.net]

Yes Del, plenty of prunus TREES and I didn't go into details on the plums
etc, unfortunately there has been a very low fruiting rate. I seem to be
able to get fruit trees to grow quite well; fruit is a different story. My
general principle is to plant everything that might survive and see what
prospers. Earlier, I posted a bit more of a description of last winter; we
have had colder ones in the fourteen years we have owned this place but not
recently. Wind is indeed a possibility, the `Morello' in particular is
(was) exposed to more wind than the others.

Squirrels eh, that is a thought and we certainly have plenty or the little
red guys (local wisdom is that it takes 13 to make a pie). I am a bit
anti-squirrel given their desire to get at the eggs of one of my favourite
birds that nest here, the Tree Swallow. The thing that made me think of
birds is that the mushrooms are often right out at the ends of the
branches, along the lines of Christmas tree ornaments (often upside
down). I will have to encourage the Martens (of Fishers, whichever enjoys
squirrel).

My original question was the survival expectation of a half-killed, limited
leaf-out cherry tree. Low I suppose.

Richard Melrose


> 
> You have quite the stone fruit planting
> Here in n MN. we bottomed out around minus 35F with little snow,   it was 
> not really a test winter for here, but I  still see strange bud damage, one 
> for instance is a whitney crab - zone hardy for here but all leaf buds died 
> except the very tips of 3 branches, makes for a strange looking tree!
> What was your winter like? bottom temp?  dry / snow?
> I am wondering if we got some exceptionally drying winds that did damage 
> beyond their temperature.
> As to mushrooms, I have watched little red squirrels taking them up trees 
> to 
> store them, Del
> 
> Del Stubbs  www.pinewoodforge.com  ag zone2/3
> 
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