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Rejuvenating Old Apple Trees Submitted by John T. Buck Jr. Original source unknown Why Care About Old Apple Trees? Wild apple trees are one of the most important wildlife food plants in New England. They are used by many wildlife species, including white-tailed deer, ruffed grouse, snowshoe hare, cottontail rabbit and gray squirrel. Apples or apple seeds have been found in the stomachs of fox, fisher, porcupine, bobcat and red squirrel. Apple trees also provide good habitat for woodcock and many songbirds, including bluebirds, flycatchers, robins and orioles. New England is fortunate to have apple trees growing naturally in the wild. Where Are Old Apple Trees Found? Wild apple trees normally become established in clearings or on the edges of fields. Eventually, forests will grow and surround established apple trees, often crowding the trees and shading them from sunlight. Prolonged periods of crowding and shading will cause a decline in vigor and eventually death to the trees, decreasing their value to wildlife. Pruning an Old Apple Tree The health, location and value of an apple tree should be determined before pruning is done. If the trunk is rotten and appears to be split or if there are only one or two healthy branches, the tree may not be worth saving. Trees that are successful in producing fruit are exposed to the sun all day long. Disease and insects are more likely to affect trees located in a shady, damp area. First efforts should be aimed at clearing around the tree, so that the leaves and fruit get plenty of exposure to sunlight. In a situation where the tree has grown in a competitive forest, the apple tree should be pruned before competing trees are cleared from the area. Trees growing under these circumstances usually have shallow root systems and are easily wind blown. Pruning should be done in late winter or early spring before the leaves begin to appear. When there are no leaves on the branches, it is easier to see the structure of the tree and what cuts are necessary. By late winter, the tree is fully dormant and less susceptible to injury. Also, it has a chance to form a protective barrier behind the pruning cuts before insect and disease organisms become active. Up to one-third of the live wood on an apple tree can be removed each year. If a tree has been abandoned for a long time, cut only diseased and damaged branches before removing one-third of the live wood. In a situation where the whole top needs to be cut off, the tree will be highly stressed and may not produce apples for a few years. Pruning Guidelines The following pruning rules will help improve the vigor and productivity of an old apple tree.
Many homeowners across America have old apple or crabapple trees that are in desperate need of serious pruning. Garden Line frequently receives queries asking how to make such trees produce fruit lower on the trees so it is easier to pick. In pruning established apple trees, there are two basic objectives: 1. Thin the outer edges of the tree to allow more sunlight into the center of the tree. Lack of light is one of the main reasons for apples not forming in the centre of the tree. Flowers that will open this spring were actually formed last year. Therefore pruning now will not stimulate flowering this year, but will stimulate flowering next year. Most flowers and thus fruit are formed on short spurs. Do not remove these from the center of the tree, as these are the site of fruit production. 2. Reduce the height of the tree to make picking easier. This does not mean cutting the tree off at the six or eight foot height. "Topping" a tree will only make the problem worse, because this forces dense growth at the top of the tree which prevents any light from entering the center of the tree. Reducing the height, and width, follows the same rules as thinning the outer edges of the tree. Both the reduction in height/width and thinning are done using a combination of 'removal and 'heading back' cuts. Removal cuts are those that remove entire twigs or branches right at their origin (see diagram). Providing the cut is made close enough to the limb, no re-growth should occur from this point. Removal cuts are most commonly used on older branches, but can very easily be used on last years growth. If the top twigs on the tree grew 12 inches (30 cm) last year, simply cut the top 6 - 9 inches (15 - 23 cm) off. This restricts the height of the tree, allowing it to grow only 3 - 6 inches (7 - 15 cm). Heading back cuts are always made just above a bud(see diagram). Proper pruning involves removing the 3 D's and 2 C's. In spring you should remove the Dead, Diseased and Damaged branches on the tree. Either type of cut can be used, depending where on the tree the branches are located. Then remove the Cross over and Competing branches. Cross over branches are those that physically rub (or will soon rub). Rubbing leaves an open wound that is more susceptible to moisture loss, and disease and insect entry. Competing branches are those that fill in the same space on three. The more branches on the tree, the more shaded the center of the tree, and the more competition for energy. A tree has only a limited amount of energy to produce fruit. The more fruit the tree produces, the less each fruit receives. The less fruit on the tree, the more each fruit receives, resulting in larger and better quality fruit. Removing excess branches will remove excess fruit and thus ensure better quality fruit. Note on the diagram, which branches were removed, and the reason for removing them. Pruning of fruit trees is best done in early spring. As a resident of Saskatchewan, one can never guarantee that all branches on the tree survive the winter. For this reason, it is recommended to not prune until the buds have expanded on the tree, thus indicating which are alive and which are not. At this time prune out the 3 D's and 2 C's. One should not remove more than one third of the total growth at one time. Excess pruning will lead to the growth of weak branches, that seldom survive our winters. Minor pruning every spring is highly recommended, as opposed to major pruning every few years. Pruning is not a complicated process, once you know the basic rules and regulations. Practice makes perfect. This neglected apple tree is 24 feet tall and has a spread of 24 feet (only half the tree is shown). Because the trunk is fairly solid and the tree is basically healthy, it can be restored. Careful pruning over a period of years will be required to:
If you tried to do it all at once--the heavy cutting to reduce tree height--you'd produce excessive and unmanageable regrowth in the remaining limbs. It's better to take it in stages. The five basic pruning stages, or steps, are outlined on the following pages. Whether or not you have a particular apple tree in mind, follow the steps as though you were doing the pruning yourself.
Glossary Dehorn--To prune a mature tree back to its main scaffold branches, usually done at a height of 6 to 10 feet. Dormant pruning--Pruning during the time of year when the leaves are off the tree. Heading a branch--Cutting off a part of a shoot or limb instead of removing the entire limb at its point of origin (which is called thinning). Outside laterals--Side branches on the periphery of the tree. Riser--A young, upright shoot in the top of the tree. Scaffold limb--The main limbs that form the framework of the tree. Shoot--The length of branch growth in one season. The bud scale scars (ring of small ridges) on a branch mark the start of a season's growth. Sloping cuts--Pruning cuts made at an angle to prevent water accumulation at the cut.
Diversify Your Whitetail Woods II. By John T. Buck Jr. As game managers, we understand the importance of providing food for wildlife to help them meet nutritional needs so they won’t be malnourished by the time the winter months arrive. During these times, winter can be harsh, especially in the northern states when the bucks are physically run down from chasing does during the rut and when the does try to consume enough for themselves and their unborn fawns. This can be accomplished by participating in a well-planned land management program. To help prove this point, last year, during the winter of 2001, my father and I embarked on a project to help the habitat by removing acres of trees (clear-cutting), which had no fruit or nut bearing capabilities, with trees that did. The trees we cut down were very tall, ranging from 60-100’, which were blocking the sun from hitting the ground, preventing new growth. We also noticed that there was no browse for the deer to eat being that the branches were out of their reach. We do have a lot of White Pine on the property and these trees have a tendency to compete with our hardwood fruit and nut bearing trees, however, they do provide great cover for the deer as well. Since we cut the trees and planted several varieties of apple trees (Hyslop, Indian Summer, Freedom, Liberty, Sweet 16, Harelson and Northern Spy) in their place, we noticed over the past year more deer on the property compared to years in the past. The sun was now able to get to the ground and promote more growth. Our apple orchards are growing very well and some trees in their first year, due to all the proper ingredients, (fertilizer, lime, water and most importantly, sun) are healthy and standing tall. My father and I believed that due to the progress we have made with this project, another one was in order. We decided that if there were trees, other than apple trees that produced the same amount of mast but with a different taste and nutritional content, that matured and dropped at the same time, Persimmons were the perfect choice. We made this decision based solely on Kent Kammermeyer’s knowledge of trees that he writes about in “Quality Whitetail” magazine in the “Natural Species Profile” section. Kent laid the groundwork for us to follow when we read Persimmon (Volume 7, Issue 1). The Persimmon are a favorite of bowhunters in September and October, especially during poor acorn years. The deer are attracted to the trees as soon as the fruits begin to fall, no matter if it has frosted yet or not. Whitetails appear to relish Persimmon on a regular basis. Kent feels that they are valuable additions to any habitat management or deer management program. In order for us to make this new project a success, we needed to follow a guideline; each section is equally important. They are: 1) Site & Soil Requirements 2) Purchasing Trees 3) Soil Preparation & Planting 4) Pruning & Training & 5) Fertilization & Irrigation. In January of this year, we began cutting down more trees that blocked the sun to our original plots and started on another area that we felt needed some attention. In the summer months, we were able to pin point the path of the sun to understand what trees needed to be cut, to give each plot at least 6 hours of direct sunlight. Persimmon trees in inland areas are required to have full sun, with some air movement and will tolerate some partial shade. When grown in cooler areas, they should have full sun with protection from cooling breezes. They can withstand a wide range of conditions as long as the soil is not overly salty, but does best in deep, well-drained loam type soils. A soil pH of 6.5-7.5 is preferred and needs to be maintained. When we decided to plant these types of trees, we started to prepare the land by applying lime to the soil in the previous year. After we received the soil test results from Penn State University, we realized that the soil still needed to be corrected over a period of time in order for us to meet the requirements. Currently, our soil test tells us that we have an average (pH) of 4.9 in all of our orchards, which is the average for the county. The required amount of lime can’t be applied all at once. Lime works best when it is mixed with the soil so it can come in contact with a large volume of the soil water. Since lime is not very soluble, it moves into the soil very slowly when applied to the soil surface. When the lime is applied, it is probably only treating the surface (4-8”) for the first few years. It is generally recommended that the planter apply two tons the first season in the area they are working for the first season treatment; let a few seasons pass, than apply two tons more. Remember, too much lime can raise the soil pH to undesirable levels, causing serious management problems. Purchasing trees is a very important part because it depends on the variety chosen for your area and if they are hardy enough to withstand cold winters. There are many nurseries to choose from, and it’s important to know what to look for when deciding what types of trees, the named cultivars (47 varieties of various Paw-Paw cultivars) and the over-all quality of the tree itself. By talking with several nurseries that have both Paw Paws and Persimmons in stock, we decided to choose a well-respected nursery named Edible Landscaping located in Afton, Virginia. By talking with them, I knew that their inventory of various plants were hardy and most importantly guaranteed, just in case they didn’t fare too well during the course of the year. When actually purchasing the trees, there is a difference in the named cultivars, namely seedlings or grafted trees. Seedling trees are typically one year old at time of purchase, and are less expensive than grafted trees. Since seedling trees are not identical to their parents, fruit quality cannot be guaranteed. Trees that have been grafted to named cultivars are usually 2 years old at time of purchase, and are more expensive than seedling trees. Since they retain the clonal identity of the parent, fruit quality is assured, given adequate cultural conditions. Persimmons can be classified into two general categories: those that bear non-astringent fruit (can be eaten hard or soft) and astringent fruit (best eaten soft). When discussing the different varieties of cultivars, we decided that we were to choose the best variety that best fit our area. Rootstocks on the American Cultivar’s (a growers best overall choice) (D. Virginiana) are known to be hardy and good pollinators; it is a larger, faster growing tree, but produces smaller (1 ½” in diameter), richer and tastier fruit than it’s Asian cousin varieties and tolerates a wider variety of soil types. Due to the climate of Pike County (zone 5) and the often cold winters we are experiencing, we decided that we would plant the Ruby & Meader type Persimmons because they proved to be the best choice for our area. The Ruby has large fruit, a long ripening period (August-November); it’s self-fertile and covers our zone of 5-8. The Meader is a very early ripening tree, extremely cold hardy, self-fertile, has 1 ½”-2” sized fruit and covers a 4-8 zone area. Since they will start producing in 3-5 years as well, they do require pruning to get proper shape to hold the fruit in later years. It’s important to remember to order your trees well before the planting season to ensure you get what you want. We ordered in the month of November because we were ordering 15 trees. Most nurseries will take orders that far in advance, for as long as you make a deposit. Because we were planting in the first week of May (the best time to plant in our area), we had the trees shipped to have them arrive by the last few days of April. This allowed the trees to be planted as soon as we received them. When planning on where to plant the trees in each orchard, it’s important to understand where the path of the sun is in relation to the rows you are willing to make. For this part, we noted daily exactly where the sun would rise, where the sun was over-head during mid-day hours and where it set from late April through September. We wanted to plant the trees in a South-North direction to allow the sun to get to each individual tree. Tree spacing is important when tree spreading is concerned. The Persimmon has branches that can reach out to 25’ and just as high. For this reason, we decided to plant each Persimmon tree at least 15’-17’ apart. After the trees arrive from the nursery, it’s important to open them immediately to inspect them for broken branches. Because the trees are placed in containers, it’s important to have the hole made at least the same size, or a little larger to allow for root spreading. The Persimmon trees have long taproots (approx. 6-8”), so we dug the holes a little deeper than usual to avoid root cramping. When planting, an auger can be used, but due to the rocky terrain we have, it’s impossible to penetrate the ground without breaking any bits. By using a posthole digger and double-edged pick, every hole was dug by hand. When digging the hole, it’s important not to throw any of the soil away, because when planting the seedling, you will be reusing it, adding some topsoil and some lime (15oz.). If the planter knows when they are going to plant the trees, it’s important to wet the root system before placing it in the hole. For this purpose, we used a 16-gallon clothes bin to soak the roots. We have found that soil moisture is vitally important to the overall health of the tree. While planting our apple trees during the previous year, we can report that no trees died and they actually produced apples in their first year. When the tree is finally in the ground, fill the hole up half way, add some water and continue placing more soil in the hole. By watering the trees as you are planting, you will be eliminating any air pockets around the roots and helping the roots come in contact with the soil. We have also found that by placing a dozen or so small rocks in the hole with the tree; this will allow for proper drainage. Once the trees are properly planted, it’s important to protect them from wildlife. Deer will totally devastate the orchard if they are left unprotected. In order for us to have the trees reach maturity without being browsed upon, we enclosed each tree in wire cages; each tree has a tree shelter placed over the top to help promote growth. We used “field fencing” and had 3 wooden, 5’ stakes to hold it up right. When the trees are planted and the cages and stakes are in place, fertilizing, pruning and irrigation are next in line. Persimmon trees will withstand short periods of drought, but the fruit will be larger and of higher quality with regular watering. Extreme drought will cause the leaves and fruit to drop prematurely. Any fruit left on the tree will probably sunburn. Some 36-48 inches of water are needed annually, applied gradually in spring and tapering off in the fall. Hot inland areas may require 2-3 applications weekly, while coastal areas may need watering every 6 weeks, depending on the soil. When fertilizing, most trees do well with a minimum amount of fertilizer. Please remember that fertilizer should never be put in the planting hole or within five inches the trunk of the tree; it will kill the tree. Excess nitrogen can cause fruit drop. If mature leaves are not deep green and shoot growth is less than a foot per year, apply a balanced fertilizer such as 16-16-16 at a rate of 1-lbs per inch of trunk diameter at ground level. Spread the fertilizer evenly under the canopy in late winter or spring. The purpose in pruning persimmon trees is to develop a strong framework of main branches, prevent self-shading, reduce excessively vigorous shoot growth and regulate crop load while the tree is young. Otherwise the fruit, which is borne at the tips of the branches, may be too heavy and cause brakeage. A regular program of removal of some new growth and heading others each year will improve the structure and reduce alternate bearing. Young plants should be trained to a modified central leader structure by pruning shoots to develop a pyramidal shape with from 3-5 main limbs at about 1-foot intervals on the trunk, beginning at about 3 ft above ground level. Now that all of the phases of the project are complete, all that is left is to let Mother Nature take its course and watch them grow into fine specimens. We knew that by the end of our Apple Orchard Project of 2002, another tree planting project was in order. It was a lot fun planting the trees knowing we were providing more mast for the animals during a time when they needed it most, on land that didn’t have the capability to do so in years past. This will enable us to work towards a proper game management program for our herd by being selective in the game we take. These types of projects can be done by anyone who has a vision to help the land they hunt. Initially they may be expensive, but in the long haul it is well worth the funds and hard work. By the way, there are no rules against eating a few Persimmons yourself!
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