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nafex - [NAFEX] Re: Siberian Growing Methods

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  • From: Bernie Nikolai <BNikolai@shaw.ca>
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [NAFEX] Re: Siberian Growing Methods
  • Date: Sun, 13 Feb 2005 22:42:34 -0800

Hi Diane,
Yes, I have tried the "Siberian method" several times to grow non-hardy
fruit. In Siberia, they grow the trees horizontally to the ground, keep the
branches staked low to the ground, and can grow sweet cherries, non-hardy
apples, etc. This is because the branches are under the snow, and it may
be -40C outside, but only -20C under the snow.
Unfortunately this does not work on the Canadian prairies. Why not? We
don't get the predictable snow cover. As an example, for two years I grew a
Lapins sweet cherry on dwarf rootstock in a very large pot. I planted the
pot on its side in the garden in late fall. However, even though I
shovelled all the snow off the entire back yard, there wasn't enough of it
to cover the tree reliably, and I had a lot of winter damage. Mind you, I
had the only backyard in Edmonton with no snow on the grass...My contacts in
Siberia have told me they get reliable heavy snows, up to 6 ft. of snow, so
this method works for them. So some years this would work here, but many
years this method would not work due to the lack of enough snow when some
really cold weather, say -35C or -40C hits.
Bernie Nikolai
Edmonton, Alberta

----- Original Message -----
From: "Diane Whitehead" <voltaire@islandnet.com>
To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Sunday, February 13, 2005 8:17 PM
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Ultra Hardy European Plums


> I read somewhere about very short orchards - in Siberia, I think.
> I'm not sure whether they get reliable snow cover to protect the
> trees, or whether it's sufficiently warm near the ground so that the
> buds don't freeze. Has anyone tried something like that on the
> Prairies? You'd have to bud your own trees, really low.





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