North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["del stubbs" <pinewoodel@hotmail.com>]

With the snow just gone from our orchard I was out examining things and 
found vole damage beyond any other years'. We had  a dozen evans cherries  
(3' high, multi-branched bush style) that were completly decimated. I use 
old window screen on trees to good effect, but.....
#1 How can one protect bush fruits from voles?
In walking the hay fields and closely cropped orchard, I often encountered 
concentrations of 20 burrows to the square yard! and this goes on acre after 
acre, so no poisoning or trapping or house cat regime could possbly control 
such a reproductive explosion.
I had not protected other prunus varieties, like p. americana, because they 
have never gone for prunus before. Same devastating story to my grafted 
plums. They are still dormant, so I consider doing 18" bridge grafts, but I 
have never sucessfully grafted p. americana until it leafs out......
#2 How can one bridge graft p. americana / plum after it leafs out......the 
stripped bark means the top will soon die...?
thanks, Del

Del Stubbs  http://www.pinewoodforge.com  ag zone2/3

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