Making progress in the orchard

[JamesY]

Made a little progress today. Planted 3 more trees and 2 blueberry. Still have ALOT of mulching to do but it's growing. With the existing wild black berry bush we now have 2 different peaches, 2 different plums, 2 different pears, 2 figs, a persimmon and 2 blue berry. I also sowed some cantaloupe in the middle. I might do some other vines on the ground as well.

 

[JamesY]

The orchard or "food forest" is doing very well. I shot a video on it.

 

[Caribou]

I was in the orchard yesterday to dig up a couple of dead trees only to find new growth low on the tree. I think I need to prune the dead trunk and limbs but I'd like some advice on how to do that. This is my second year on these trees so they are small yet.

 

[JAC]

@JamesY and @Caribou, I have some fruit trees. a few established peach trees... one of which is way overgrown. The other looks correct but could also use to be a bit smaller. They both produce fruit. The overgrown one produces lots of fruit but very small in size. The other tree produces a good harvest and size is good but every year the fruit is ruined by something happening to it. It gets small drips of what looks like sap hanging off of it. I also have some granny smith apple trees, some plums and some Bartlet pears that were all planted about 3 or 4 years ago. Blueberries, chickens get all of those. One Bartlett pear tree produced one pear this year and is being watched. The plum trees both produced a couple of plums but were small. The apple trees have produced nothing yet but look like something is dotting the leaves yellow. Possibly a cedar issue.

I'm told peach trees need constant attention with spraying and trimming etc.
I've sprayed all of my trees a few times this summer. Holes in leaves on plum trees, blight of sorts on apple trees, pear trees wanting more water, peach trees having leaf curl and possible bug problems, etc.

Honestly from what I am learning about the fruit trees I question the likelihood that any useful fruit could be harvested in a shtf situation where chemicals weren't available.

 

[Terri9630]

I was in the orchard yesterday to dig up a couple of dead trees only to find new growth low on the tree. I think I need to prune the dead trunk and limbs but I'd like some advice on how to do that. This is my second year on these trees so they are small yet.

Is it grafted? If it is, is the new growth above or below the graft? If its below the graft its not the tree you planted.

 

[Caribou]

Is it grafted? If it is, is the new growth above or below the graft? If its below the graft its not the tree you planted.

One above and one below. I figure that I'll let them both grow and then get a friend to graft onto the old stock again. It is crabapple rootstock.

Where is the best place to prune the dead trunk?

 

[joel]

Looks good.
I have 6 kinds of blue berry plants & the suckers give me more plants then I need.
I do have a blue berry plant that does not sucker.

 

[Terri9630]

One above and one below. I figure that I'll let them both grow and then get a friend to graft onto the old stock again. It is crabapple rootstock.

Where is the best place to prune the dead trunk?

Right above the new growth.

 

[Caribou]

Right above the new growth.

Thanks!