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  • From: "William C. Garthright" <billg@inebraska.com>
  • To: NAFEX List <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [NAFEX] Rope
  • Date: Tue, 27 May 2008 14:35:26 -0500

Long story short, I'm going to need to tie up some dwarf fruit trees, or they'll fall over when they get fruit. They've got branches on only 1/4 of the tree (yeah, I've decided this wasn't a particularly good idea). Cable is very awkward to use, but I've seen some 5/8" braided poly-something rope that's supposed to last awhile outdoors (the young clerk told me 5 to 20 years, but I suspect he was just pulling those numbers out of thin air). It's about 4-500 lb. test.

Anyway, if I tie a loop around the trunk using a bowline knot, it shouldn't slip tight, and I'll leave plenty of room for the trunk to grow (I imagine that tying a knot tightly around a trunk would be a bad idea). And the rope is soft enough that it will flatten out on the far side, so it should provide a pretty broad surface there, I'd think. But before I buy the rope, I thought I'd ask if there's any downside here. Something I haven't considered? (That wouldn't surprise me!)

Thanks,

Bill
Lincoln, NE (zone 5)

PS. If you *really* want the long version, read on: I came across this "backyard orchard culture" idea (http://www.davewilson.com/homegrown/BOC_explained.html) when I was first thinking of planting some fruit (I was, and still am, a complete newbie). So I planted four different kinds of dwarf apples in one spot, then did the same with plums and peaches. The first thing I discovered is that keeping these trees really small is much harder than it sounds. The second thing is that they're very hard to prune, when they're planted four to a hole (more or less). And now I'm realizing that, since each tree has branches on only one corner, they're likely to fall over as soon as they get any fruit on them.

I've got a steel t-post driven down in the center of each group of four trees, so I'll be tying each tree to that. Yeah, I don't expect the post to hold them up, but this way they'll be tied together. But let me tell you, it's already very hard to get to the center. The rope would be a lot easier to work with than anything else I've come up with.

And no, I wouldn't do this again. Maybe I'd try a row of closely-spaced trees, though. At least then, they'd have branches on two sides, to keep them somewhat balanced.

--
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche





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